Two weeks ago we got the somewhat unexpected (but very much welcome) news that a Supergirl TV series is actively moving forward; confirmation arrived soon thereafter, with the revelation that the show is being developed by Ali Adler and Greg Berlanti (collaborators on the single-season super-powered family series No Ordinary Family). The project has now received a series commitment from CBS, which is in line with an earlier report that asserted the show was not necessarily destined to air on the CW.
Supergirl is going to follow the adventures of Kara Zor-El, the other surviving member of Krypton - who, like her cousin Kal-El, initially passes herself off as a regular human, upon arriving on Earth. However, unlike the Superman origin series Smallville, the Supergirl TV show is expected to begin when a 20-something Kara decides to embrace her powers and become a warrior - offering some modern superhero drama along the lines of Arrow and the upcoming The Flash, instead of the superhero teen/YA soap operatics of Smallville.
Berlanti, who also worked on Arrow and The Flash, and Adler (whose other TV writing and/or producing credits include Chuck and Glee) read as being a nice complimentary set of talents to brings the Supergirl comic book property to the small screen - and, as reported by Variety, CBS' decision to pickup the series indicates that the network's executives feel likewise. Moreover, as Variety has pointed out, this move finally gives CBS its own horse in the ongoing superhero TV series derby.
Berlanti told Variety that, as far as female superhero characters are concerned, that "we're well past due for those kind of characters in film and TV." He's not the only one that recognizes that there's a largely untapped demand for such entertainment either, seeing how Marvel Studios will release Agent Carter on ABC in early 2015 and then Jessica Jones on Netflix sometime thereafter, and the CW is premiering the DC Comics-inspired supernatural procedural iZombie show this year.
On the other hand, the CW passed on the proposed Wonder Woman origins show Amazon last year. However, that might've been in part due to Warner Bros. planning to incorporate the character in upcoming live-action DC comic book movies like Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (before giving her a solo vehicle to call her own).
Regardless, it's nice to see that as the superhero entertainment renaissance continues, we've starting to diversify more in terms of not just genres (with supernatural horror property Constantine headed to NBC this fall), but also the sort of characters whose stories are being told. The more variety in spices that are added to the mix, the longer audiences will continue to enjoy superhero dishes.
The Supergirl TV series seems likely to premiere on CBS in 2015. Expect there to be more updates on the show arriving in the foreseeable future.
Source: Variety