So, When Does Black Lightning Premiere?

The premiere of The CW’s latest superhero show is right around the corner. Black Lightning will bring Jefferson Pierce (otherwise known as Black Lightning) one step closer to the Arrowverse… though he won’t be part of the connected television universe when the series kicks off.

Instead, Black Lightning will see Jefferson tread his own path when the series premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. PT/ET. The premiere’s scheduling caused a few Arrowverse shows to get shuffled around, but it’s a small price to play if Black Lightning’s first season gets its due.

Black Lightning sees Jefferson (Cress Williams) take up the mantel of Black Lightning once more when a local gang, The One Hundred, starts to expand, causing a crimewave to ripple through his community. Jefferson hung up his superhero suit nine years ago at the series’ start after seeing what his time as a vigilante did to his family.

While Black Lightning technically isn’t in the Arrowverse, the show is being marketed alongside the connected television universe’s other offerings. A recent midseason return promo featured the hero suiting up with other heroes, like Supergirl and Green Arrow.

The show is based on the comic book hero by the same name who first debuted in Black Lightning #1 back in 1977. Created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, Black Lightning is a metahuman with the power to generate electric charges by will alone. While only 11 issues of the series’ initial run were published, the hero would go on to live in the periphery of the DC Comics Universe, eventually joining the Outsiders team.