“Captain America: Civil War” recently posted the fifth highest opening weekend of all time, and even the critically-maligned “Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice” which failed to show box office legs, scored the eighth highest opening weekend ever. The health of superhero movies does not feel at all in doubt. And yet, superhero narratives on television continue to be unpredictable.
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Haley Atwell was recently announced as the star of ABC’s legal drama “Conviction” and that precipitated whispers that the network’s flagship superhero show “Agent Carter” — based on the government heroine introduced in “Captain America: The First Avenger” — was getting canceled. News has now arrived that “Conviction” has been picked up by ABC and yep, you guessed it, the domino effect is that “Agent Carter” — which never had good ratings despite a small, but loyal following — has been given the axe.
ABC seems to be struggling in general with their super spy/superhero-related shows. While “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is still going, a planned spin-off show, “Marvel’s Most Wanted” has been shuttered before it even aired. The show would have centered on popular ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ characters Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki) and Lance Hunter (Nick Blood). Rumors were in the air the show was in trouble and tonight it’s been confirmed the show’s pilot was rejected for a full series pick up. Some posit that the show could be redeveloped, but that would be its second renovation, and we’d assume with ABC clearing house, that’s not going to happen.
Meanwhile, the long-running narrative around CBS’ “Supergirl”— which received good buzz and ratings at first only to see them drop off rather sharply after launch — was the show was expensive and ratings didn’t justify its cost (even though it was CBS’ number one rated new drama). Well, Warner Bros will move the filming of the show, whose first season aired on CBS, from Los Angeles to Vancouver to reduce costs, and move the entire distribution of the series over to corporate sibling and superhero-friendly network The CW.
So, the series, starring Melissa Benoist (“Whiplash”) has been renewed for a second season — but on a network that skewers to a much younger demographic. Given that “Supergirl” has already crossed-over with CW show “The Flash”— and the network already airs super hero shows like “Arrow” and “Legends Of Tomorrow” — the move feels like a perfect fit. The irony of it all? Marvel dominates the movies, but can’t seem to find its footing on network TV, Netflix shows aside.
Lastly, NBC is throwing their hat in the superhero ring, ordering “Powerless” to series. It’s comedy take on the genre starring Vanessa Hudgens, Alan Tudyk, and Danny Pudi playing the insurance adjusters who have to clean up the mess left behind by after superheroes save the day. Pretty clever concept actually, and even more intriguing, it’s set in the world of DC Comics — here’s the official synopsis:
In the first comedy series set in the universe of DC Comics, Vanessa Hudgens (“Grease Live,” “High School Musical”) plays Emily, a spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes. It’s when she stands up to one of these larger-than-life figures (after an epic battle messes with her commute) that she accidentally becomes a cult “hero” in her own right … even if it’s just to her group of lovably quirky co-workers. Now, while she navigates her normal, everyday life against an explosive backdrop, Emily might just discover that being a hero doesn’t always require superpowers.
So, will we see major DC characters like Batman and Superman? I doubt it. But the series seems perfectly engineered for the quirkier heroes from the comic book shingle to appear. Check out some first look photos from “Powerless” below. [THR/Variety/Deadline/EW]
