The first look at Supergirl, a CBS television series of the DC comic book character, with its 6-minute long trailer begins to look like the typical Superman story or even a superhero story with its epic beginning. It then becomes something of a romantic comedy in the vein of The Devil Wears Prada as it shows young Kara just trying to make it in the big city. CNET compares the trailer to a satire trailer of a fake Black Widow movie shown on Saturday Night Live, and the comparison is more than justified.
It is very clear that Kara's uncertainty, even doubting here ability to fly, might come off as "chick flick" or "rom com" material, but it is very exciting to see her rescue a plane on her own. After that is the typical superhero clichés of making a costume and pretty much declaring a never-ending battle for truth and justice. It appears that Supergirl intends to work for some government agency who is trying to stop aliens from invading, so it looks like there is kind of an X-Files conspiracy theory thrown into the mix.
Considering that Supergirl is a DC comics character, and that DC already has some hit shows based on their intellectual properties like Arrow and The Flash, one can't help but wonder if Supergirl will find her way to work into this television universe. Even though CBS has ordered a full season, Screen Rant reports that there isn't a current plan about mixing the Girl of Steel just yet.
Another question that arises is that if Supergirl exists, then what about Superman? Yes, he...exists. It isn't clear if this takes place in the Man of Steel universe, and what makes it strange is to see a Jimmy...actually it's James Olsen acting as Superman's photographer (shooting Superman from the back, of course). Considering that Jimmy Olsen was conspicuously absent from the Man of Steel movie, it is possible that this show and that movie could overlap.
Supergirl certainly has no shortage of star power that is both old and new. Kara/Supergirl is played by Melissa Benoist, whose previous work included Glee. James Olsen is played by Mehcad Brooks, who has been on both True Blood and Desperate Housewives. Then Calista Flockhart, formerly of Ally McBeal, will play Kara's boss Cat Grant, a well-established character from the Superman comics. Also on hand are some Superman alumni like Dean Cain, the Lois and Clark Superman as Fred Danvers, and Helen Slater, the Supergirl from the 1984 movie, as Sylvia Danvers. The Danvers are the adopted parents of Supergirl in the comics.
Supergirl is a huge risk for CBS, as there hasn't really been a good woman superhero adaptation since the 1970's Wonder Woman, which is now seen as pretty campy today. In 2011, there was an attempt to bring a strong woman superhero to the small screen with a pilot for a Wonder Woman series, but NBC passed on it.
Perhaps Supergirl will get a female superhero right. It will premiere sometime in November 2015 on CBS, and it will be on Mondays at 8 PM.
