There is going to be a Supergirl television show.
Repeat that sentence.
There is going to be a Supergirl television show.
I don't think there would be a time in my life where I wouldn't face that sentence with skepticism and disbelief. For a lifetime Supergirl fan like me, it simply sounds to good to be true.
And yet here is the news of a multi-season deal being inked between Warner Brothers, producers Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler, and CBS.
There is going to be a Supergirl television show.
And you can read about it here: http://deadline.com/2014/09/supergirl-tv-series-cbs-dc-greg-berlati-ali-adler-836682/
Now, as someone who has endured some pretty rough interpretations of Supergirl, I read the initial rumors with some trepidation.
But this news confirming the series comes with this blurb which made me smile.
Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she’s been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.
Producers Ali Adler and Greg Berlanti have a great track record of converting comics and super-heroics to the small screen. This is CBS' first foray into a super-hero show so it will probably promote the heck out of it. I anticipate commercials with the Big Bang Theory cast.
And the show itself sounds great.
She is little older that I anticipated. But she embraces her superhuman abilities. She embraces the role of hero. This is someone stepping out of the shadows to do good. (And isn't that one blurb just begging for a 'emergency secret weapon' line??)
I have been a fan of Supergirl for over 30 years. I have loved her resilience and passion. I have loved her dedication to justice, writ big and small. I have marveled at her self-sacrifice and heroism. And I have waited for the rest of the world to notice and join me for the ride.
And now it looks like that will happen. She will headline a show on a major network, in front of the eyes of millions, acting like a hero.
I didn't think I would ever say these word seriously. Thank you WB, CBS, Adler, and Berlanti.
There is going to be a Supergirl television show!!!
I'm pretty pumped about this new series! I'm hoping it is more of a direction that Flash is going in his new series (or at least by the way the pilot looked) and not in a Smallville way (I want tights and flights!)
ReplyDeleteAlso, check out this supergirl drawing video I did just this week!
http://youtu.be/ywe5g5q0cwQ
I want to be excited but Berlanti does not have good track record on TV...at if the show does get the go ahead from CBS the ratings expectations will be toxically high compared to say the CW or SyFy. Moreover can some name a single successful sci-fi fantasy show that ever aired on CBS?
ReplyDeleteJust sayin;
Still hopin'
JF
That...that is amazing! Unbelievable! Spectacular even!
ReplyDeleteThese have to be the happiest news concerning Kara in quite some time, can't wait to see it. :D
Hi:
ReplyDeleteYes....today is a day of reckoning. The dam has broken. The Eagle has landed. The karasoviet tanks have finally rumbled inside Berlin 1945...-
Today we should feel grateful and for once, ignoring our differences, we should feel the reverence of the minute. The long way back from the desert begins. The road stands ahead.
Xx
"Thank you oh God Almighty!
Free at last
Free at last"!!!
Xx
The WORLD´S GREATEST HEROINE begins her return home after three decades.
DAVID
...and regarding John Feer´s CBS comment:
ReplyDeleteIt was precisely old CBS where our girl first came to TV momentarily:
1) In about 1960 Lucille Ball made an unforgettable "Supergirl" tableau opposite George Reeves, dove in hair included.
2) In about 1966 Carol Burnett did a hilarious to the extreme "Supergirl" sketch where she flies the Atlantic to save the world and comes back into the press room in 5 mins.
So long live our CBS!!
DAVID
Fantastic news! The fact it's multiple seasons means it will have a chance to grow and change. Look at where Arrow started off and how far it's come.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will start letting Kara age in the comics now to bring her more in line with the show if you look at the covers for 35 and 36 she does seem a bit older The new 52 also seems to have a sense of progression.
"Happy" but "Cautiously Optimistic" at this news... still a bunch of things to do : cast, writers, timeslot...
ReplyDeleteoh an exact airing date would REALLY be the kick in the arse to make me believe what I'm seeing here isn't
the product of a delusion or foreign chemical compounds, but yes... Happy Days Indeed!
Here's hoping for more (good) news on this!
Regards
Okay for the record quite literally CBS' fantasy record can be summed up with two shows "The Twilight Zone" (a respectable five year run but no giant ratings) & "The Incredible Hulk" (a show largely carried by the late Bill Bixby). Yes "Wonder Woman" was on CBS for two years but with very sketchy ratings I recall them well.
ReplyDeleteI still say we face long odds with a short lived unsatisfying product as the result...
JF
I'm excited. The age of 24 and the fact that she'll presumably be used to Earth by the time this starts does reduce the likelihood of one of my favourite themes being part of it - the stranger in a strange land/weird alien tone that the Johnson/Green run of the current book took - I'm actually completely fine with the way this sounds. Let's see how it turns out!
ReplyDelete"Moreover can some name a single successful sci-fi fantasy show that ever aired on CBS?"
Star Trek?
I was hoping they would position Kara a little younger, like high school or college age, but the rest of the blurb sounds very encouraging. Berlanti's work with Arrow is moderately encouraging, too. I have said before that the show wasn't created for comic fans in general or Green Arrow fans in particular, but over two seasons that show has pulled its audience closer in line with the comics via easter eggs and cameos, so that's nice.
ReplyDelete@Thomas Hayes - "The age of 24 and the fact that she'll presumably be used to Earth by the time this starts does reduce the likelihood of one of my favorite themes being part of it - the stranger in a strange land..."
I think making her older and more familiar with Earth is how they'll get around not having Superman in the show. If the kicked off the series with her arrival and learning curve, viewers would have the expectation that Clark would mentor her for the first year or so. The show probably won't be able to show anything more than vague hints of Superman, so Kara has to be more sure-footed already when we meet her.
JF, there's also:
ReplyDeleteAmerican Gothic (1995–96)
Beauty and the Beast (1987–90)
Century City (2004)
The Flash (1990–91)
Ghost Whisperer (2005–10)
Logan's Run (1977–78)
Lost in Space (1965–68)
Moonlight (2007–08)
Mr. Merlin (1981–82)
The New Twilight Zone (1985–89)
Now and Again (1999–2000)
Otherworld (1985)
Salem's Lot (1979)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–79)
Threshold (2005–06)
Wolf Lake (2001–02)
It really is a great day for fans everywhere. Although I am not happy about my favorite character getting a movie, I am very happy your favorite character is getting a show. Supergirl more then deserves it, and I'm glad she is finally being recognized as the great character she is.
ReplyDeleteI'm as much of a fan as you, but the new 52 made me a 'no buy' for Supergirl since.. well, everything you have written here about.
ReplyDeleteI'll check the show if it's made.
I do fear it'll be treated like another Smallville, like they wanted with WW in 'Amazon'
@Count Drunkula That's what I think too. It makes sense to me and I'm pretty happy with that setup, I think it's a good one.
ReplyDeleteSomeone was talking about Carol Burnett as Supergirl circa 1962? :) :
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/wY-ofrmCUcE
ENJOY, everyone!
:)
Hi-fives you all!
ReplyDeleteThat Carol Burnett skit is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteGene
Why not place this in the future? That way you can acknowledge Superman, but without having to feature him saying he's gone into semi-retirement or something like that. Plus I'd love to see a future Metropolis.
ReplyDeleteHuh.
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure I had left a comment on this thread already.
Thanks for all the great comments! It sounds like we are all pretty pumped for this.
While DC has mistreated the character in the past, my guess is this TV show will be on the up and up.
I think CBS is a better fit than CW (which might be glum) or Fox (which might have been too flashy).
And I think this is a better fit than her being in the Zach Snyder films. That would have been a disaster.
Hopefully my optimism will be rewarded.
Thought I'd de-lurk for a change and comment on this SG TV series development. Certainly the pitch reads like the producers have thought through some of the pitfalls of the character:
ReplyDelete-I like how the show runners are describing this series as a "drama", as opposed to 'science fiction', 'fantasy' or 'comedy'. Bodes well for the execution if they're already talking about this concept as a serious matter.
-Being 24 years old when Kara starts out heroing certainly gets her past the 'Superman's jailbait cousin' fetish cliche, so that was a shrewd character development decision. This also means we probably won't see the teenage soap opera antics that plagued Smallville time and again.
-If Kara has been in hiding for years, then she's probably going to have an alias. Bringing back the time-honored tradition of the secret ID can only be a good thing for the Supergirl character. Wonder what it will be?
-It's a series commitment by a major network, not a pilot try-out or an idea still being shopped around. Because the pitch was reportedly picked up merely a hour after it hit the marketplace. Also being reported is that the size of this commitment is bigger than what Fox gave to GOTHAM last year.
-All they really need to get me more excited at this point is a decent costume rendering. Certainly the Nu52 incarnation's current wardrobe malfunction has little chance of being adapted to a CBS live-action series; but on the other hand, the show's creators may also want to avoid any costume familiarity to the 1984 flop movie.
Here's hoping that casting the show goes smoothly. I'll be watching, for sure.
BTW, great site as always, Anj! Keep up the good work.
KET
Agreed, wholeheartedly, KET! P.s. Anytime, folks, in regards to the Carol Burnett/SG video! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words Ket!
ReplyDeleteI agree that 'drama' carries weight. I also agree that if you made her a student people might assume it was a clone of Smallville.
And yes, I want a secret identity.
Linda Danvers?
Isn't this wonderful news, I do hope it's kept light and bright. I want the Danvers and a cat! Lena and a Nasty. Rubbish boyfriends!
ReplyDeleteI'm not buying into John's pessimism. So what if CBS doesn't have a great sci-fi record over the decades, this is now - if it's the right character with the right creative team, why the heck can't CBS make it good? Is there an eternal God of CBS squashing these things at birth?
ReplyDeleteSeconding that Linda Danvers secret I.D., Anj!
ReplyDeleteThoided!
ReplyDelete(Actually, I supposed I gave away my position by asking for Fredna!)
Well if you look at that list of fantasy-sci-fi super hero series broadcast by CBS waaa-ay up above you will not the vast majority are "one season wonders" of very obscure vintage. That list alone is enough to make me declare CBS is the fabled graveyard of fantasy where sci fi heroics go to die a quiet death.
ReplyDeletePart of me is glad to see Kara get some multimedia love (cuz thats the name of the game today)....but between the bad example set by Smallville and the natural tendency of television to screw up simple ideas you can see where my unease comes into play.
Because the stakes here are very high, floppies are dying the name of the game is brand recognition if this show isn't a success it could well consign our favorite to a limbo EVEN WORSE than the one occasioned by COIE #7...
JF
I say thee nay to Linda Danvers.
ReplyDeleteI want Linda LEE Danvers. :D
Heh ...
ReplyDeleteI am giddy that we are talking about which secret identity to be used on a Supergirl show!
I'll take either Linda Danvers or Linda Lee Danvers!
Ditto here, Anj! :)
ReplyDeleteI will like to see SUPERGIRL when it gets aired on CBS. I would put this way. Kara matures around the age 18 because the age 20's will get confuzing. Remember on Krypton in the civilization called Argo City, she was about 15 or 16 years when her father Zor-El ask her to look after her Cousin Kal-El. In this origin we won't see her looking after Cousin. Cause, she's about 19 years old. On Earth she becomes A New Girl on Campus as Linda Danvers. Linda attends Midvale High and lives with her adopted Parents Fred & Edna Danvers in a small town called Midvale.
ReplyDelete