Review: 'Titans,' Season 3, Moves the Heroes to HBO Max

Welcome to Gotham City! Hope you survive the experience! In DC's "Titans" Season Three, premiering on HBO Max on August 12, everyone's favorite sidekicks return and things are looking desperately grim when the group is faced with a death in the family.

Jason Todd (Curran Walters), the second Robin, has always been a hot head, but his recklessness leads to a fatal confrontation with the Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker. Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) returns to Gotham to console his mentor, Bruce Wayne, The Batman (Ian Glen), but instead stumbles onto more than he had bargained for

After taking his revenge on his old enemy, Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham and drops the responsibility of protecting the city on Dick, who has now graduated to the new identity of Nightwing. Now it's up to him and the new police commissioner, an old friend of Dick's, to take down a new threat that is leaving a murderous trail across town, a villain that may have patterned himself on Batman's most dangerous rogue's gallery. Who is the Red Hood, and why does he want to dismantle the Titans, starting with Nightwing? Red Hood has his sights on taking them out of the game and no one is safe.

This season of "Titans" introduces several new characters from the comic book mythology, most notably Barbara Gordon, Gotham City's new police commissioner (played by new series regular cast Savannah Welch). She was once among Dick Grayson's closest allies; as the Batgirl, Barbara fought crime alongside the Dynamic Duo, but after a confrontation with The Joker that left her wheelchair bound Barbara remains determined to keep Gotham City safe, even if that means keeping Nightwing and his Titans in check. Anna Diop is back as the alien Starfire, with Ryan Potter as everyone's favorite Beast Boy, Gar Logan, and Joshua Orpin returns as Connor, the Superboy.

The greatest advantage the Titans have over other superhero teams? They fight as a family! And, no bones about it, "Titans" features the sexiest cast of any of the series in the DC TV multiverse (with perhaps the exception of Tylor Hoechlin's man of steel on The CW's "Superman & Lois"). Just check out Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as the vigilante duo of Hawk & Dove. The pair sport the most elaborate suits to battle crime, and we just can't wait to see them strip into their civvies. Super producer Greg Berlanti continues to deliver on "Titans," which pushes the envelope and is among the most viscerally violent and blunt of the series; it's also now on HBO Max, which allows for it to be edgy, dark, and sometimes sexy.

Based on the DC Comics best-selling comic book characters brought together by legendary comic-creators Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, "Titans" does a fantastic job at adapting some of the book's best storylines into "real world" drama for one-hour television, and the heroes in "Titans" remain true to the comic counterparts. This season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet. With the introduction of the dangerous vigilante Red Hood and the return of Starfire's evil sister Blackfire, played by Damaris Lewis, "Titans" Season Three will muscle its way to the top of your must-see list with non-stop superhero action and drama coming at you from every direction!

"Titans" Season Three premieres on HBOMax on August, 12 with new episodes every week.