Smallville probably deserves a mention as well. I don’t know how successful Arkham has been, but I heard pretty good things about it.

Do you really think it’s about the characters, though? I think it’s more about how they’re handled. I think both companies have huge universes full of characters that could make great movies or TV shows. But for some reason, DC has had a really hard time making good movies (outside of Batman), and until recently, Marvel has seemed to more or less ignore television.

“So I agree that DC has the upper hand on TV, which just makes their struggle on the big screen all the more confusing.”

An old saying goes “the candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long”.

Marvel Characters burn brighter but can’t sustain that very long. That makes them good for a few movies, but not so good for a series.
DC characters don’t burn as bright. That makes them more likely to sustain a series. But less able to pull of a movie.

Oh, I forgot to talk about the two companies’ track record for TV series! You’re right, that DC has had a lot more success with its TV series, especially when it comes to animation. Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Young Justice were all pretty great, and now Arrow and Flash are both doing well, and seem to be a hit with fans (I haven’t seen either of them, but I hear good things).

Marvel has had a couple of successes lately with Daredevil and Agent Carter. Agents of SHIELD has gotten a lot better since its first season, but it’s still not a fantastic show, and a lot of movie fans are frustrated by how loosely coupled it is from the cinematic universe (though that could be changing). But their animated series have ranged from merely mediocre to terrible.

So I agree that DC has the upper hand on TV, which just makes their struggle on the big screen all the more confusing.

Most marvel series have issues getting 2 full seasons (2×26 episodes) of continuity together.
While DC manages to get a continuity going from Superman/Batman/Static Shock: TAS, to Justice League, to Justice League Unlimited (each them beat one marvel series in number of episodes and content).