NBC didn’t have luck by adapting DC Comics’ ‘Constantine‘ as an hourly drama but they’re trying again, this time with a 30-minute sitcom, ‘Powerless’. Though it isn’t based on a specific comic book, the show will be set firmly in the DC Universe but will highlight the non-super population, specifically an insurance company that helps ordinary folks out when they get caught in the crossfire of superheroes and villains.
The show stars Vanessa Hudgens as Emily and co-stars Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi and Christina Kirk. Atlin Mitchell plays the show’s first superhero guest star, the Crimson Fox. The show was created by Ben Queen.
Here is NBC’s synopsis of the new show:
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.
DC Comics certainly has a large roster of heroes and villains to use for this show, but it’s unclear which would be available considering that The CW now has four DC-based shows in its stable, ‘Arrow’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ and now ‘Supergirl’. And keep in mind, FOX still has ‘Gotham’. Between ‘Gotham’ and ‘Arrow’ a large chunk of Batman’s villains and cast members are already claimed. And Warner Brothers, which owns DC Comics, is unfolding their superhero movie universe and with the exception of ‘The Flash,’ has a tendency to make the characters they plan to use in the films unavailable for television.
Crimson Fox is hardly a headliner though, so maybe the plan is to stick with more obscure characters. Then again, without recognizable comic stars, would the show still appeal?
Are you intrigued by this radically different approach to DC Comics?
