DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. are all over our television sets these days. Thanks to them, various networks have very popular superhero shows on the airwaves. Right now, The CW is leading the pack with ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ with ‘Vixen’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ on the way, but Fox has ‘Gotham’, CBS will have ‘Supergirl’ in the fall, and TNT is developing ‘Titans’ right now. With all these excellent and promising dramas currently in play, where can DC Comics take their characters on television next? Apparently the answer is comedy.
After ‘Constantine’ failed to connect with audiences on NBC, the peacock network has given DC and WB a pilot order for ‘Powerless’, a half-hour single-camera comedy from ‘A to Z’ creator Ben Queen and Warner Bros. TV. Described as ‘The Office’ with superheroes, Deadline tells us that the show will be a workplace sitcom set in the worst insurance company in the entire DC Universe. Though some familiar faces from the pages of DC Comics (not including the big names like Batman or Superman) will play a part in the show, the main focus will be “the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of superheroes and villains”.
I’m glad that Queen is working on something as high profile as a DC Comics sitcom. In my opinion, ‘A to Z’ was cancelled a bit prematurely, so hopefully the writer/executive producer will get to shine with ‘Powerless’. This move comes from out of left field for DC, who has mostly stuck with the dark, gritty, realistic takes on their characters, but it could be a risky move that pays off in the end since this isn’t really charted territory for superhero TV shows just yet.
However, I can’t get the thought out of my head that this premise bears a striking resemblance to Marvel Comics’ Damage Control. In the Marvel Universe, Damage Control is the construction company that specializes in repairing property damage caused by conflicts between superheroes and supervillains. There are definitely differences between the two ideas, but the tone and the idea of having regular people working and fixing problems in a world of superheroes are present in both. These thoughts are likely to change when the pilot is actually shot, but I can’t help but make the comparison for now.
What do you think about DC Entertainment venturing into comedy with ‘Powerless’ on NBC? Are you excited to see what ‘A to Z’ creator Ben Queen comes up with? Sound off in the comments.
