There have been fast and loose rumors that Marvel TV could swing back into the control of Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige after the 20th Century Fox/Disney deal is done sometime in 2019. And frankly, that feels, given how many different wheels and cogs there are at Marvel and all the disparate networks they work with—ABC, Fox, Netflix, Hulu, FreeForm, etc.— like serious wishful thinking.
Feige, for one, is likely too busy with his movie empire to oversee more than half a dozen other TV series and all the other shows in development, face it. Yet, still, considering the mediocre quality of many of the superheroes on TV featuring many characters that fans love, Feige and Marvel Studios taking over would be a godsend.
READ MORE: Marvel’s ‘Runaways’ On Hulu Should Get Goin’ & Stay Lost [Bingeworthy Breakdown]
Case in point, Hulu’s “Runaways” which is seriously godawful. Somehow, the show was renewed, and now Hulu is announcing its return for December 2018. I’m trying of nice things to say about it, but “Runaways” features all the hallmarks of second-rate superhero shows on TV: mediocre actors, bad acting, terrible, risible special effects and overall lousy, lousy writing.
Starring Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer and Gregg Sulkin, Allegra Acosta, Annie Wersching, Ryan Sands, Angel Parker, Ever Carradine, James Marsters, Kevin Weisman, Brannagh, James Yaegashi, Brittany Ishibashi, Kip Pardue and Julian McMahon, the show is of course, and executive-produced by co-showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Schwartz was the creator of “The O.C” and “Gossip Girls” and tried years ago to mash teenage sensibilities with superhero comics and actually wrote the first draft of “X-Men: First Class” before it was tossed in favor of what Matthew Vaughn and his co-writers came up with.
But he held onto the idea, teen angst, anxiety, and confusion and slapped it onto “Runaways” and frankly, it’s worse than teen superheroes meets “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girls” sounds. I’m being mean, but honestly, ouch. This is CW level mediocre, but I suppose a lot of people watch and enjoy that stuff and that network just keeps greenlighting those new shows hand over fist.
It’s painful, to be honest, and the only way I can possibly write about it, but for those whose tastes this show aligns with, “Runaways” returns Friday, Dec. 21, when all 13 episodes of the comic book-based drama release on Hulu. For those that actually watched, season two is set only 24-36 hours after season one ended after the kids escaped their evil parents and are now on the run. Enjoy.