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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Supergirl Moving to the CW…Damn….Just Damn



Supergirl got a second season.


But it’s on the CW.


Damn. Just Damn.


I’ll go on record as saying CBS fumbled the football on this one. Focusing on short-term things like production budgets vs. a long-term strategy of rebuilding their schedule. But this par for the course with executives today. They just can’t see the big picture.


Someone needs to tell CBS’ executives Michael Weatherly just left NCIS. And the way things are going that show is nearing the end of its 17 o so year run. CBS also cancels every one of its aging CSI shows and Mike & Molly. So instead of leaving new better performing shows on the schedule or moving it to a night to fill in a hole or two in the schedule they move it to a netlet like the CW.


 WTF?


Some would be happy that Supergirl got a second season. But I’m not. Moving to the CW could be the single worst thing to happen to this show.


Yeah, moving Supergirl means it’ll skew a younger demographic. But that comes at a cost. The show is on a smaller netlet with a smaller audience. A network that’s a pale shadow of its predecessor the WB. In some parts of the country you can’t even get the CW. Yeah, you can watch episodes online, but that doesn’t help with ratings.


With the CW being a netlet, and not a network that means the budget is gonna be half of what it was on CBS. That’s BAD for a sci-fi show like Supergirl. That means the special effects are going to go from the near Marvel Studios quality to 1980s Salkinds level. Or we may just get Kara running around like Clark did on Smallville. And J’onn stuck in human form. Viewers are gonna notice the jarring changes in production and get turned off.

And the stories….Yeah, they’re headed for LAMESVILLE if the show is headed to the CW. Instead of the sci-fi comic book type stories we had on CBS may get more of the meandering syrupy soapy plots that are a staple on shows like Arrow and The Flash. Stories that have made Arrow unwatchable over the last two seasons. Can this Damien Dork season END already?


On the CW Black James Olson will probably have his role minimized.  Or he’ll be revealed as an Earth-3 doppleganger who hid the real Jimmy Olson in a pod. Andto appease the mostly white female CW audience, some hunky twentysomething White guy will be made the new love interest. And we’ll probably get a meandering storyline regarding Kara’s quest to find her father.


*YAWN*


The sad part about this move is that CBS and Warner Brothers will have blown a major opportunity to reach families and children with a superhero property. Supergirl was doing well with family audiences, something Warner Brothers and CBS desperately needs to build its reputation with. That was money in the bank for both long term in terms of licensing, merchandising and building a DC Universe on television. But executives at CBS and Warner Brothers can’t see it because they have tunnel vision.


Man, it’s like we DC fans can’t get a break. The program that best represents DC Comics and shows that DC characters can work onscreen just like Marvel Studios gets put on a netlet by CBS executives and gets its budget cut.


Damn. Just Damn.



When Supergirl premiered this September it was the first time in five years I actually got excited for a DC Comics property. The show was literally a DC Comic come to life onscreen, and a program that showed a DC Comic property could be made to compete with Marvel Studios superhero properties. Unfortunately, the same old gremlins at WB and CBS that sabotaged DC Comics properties in the past came to throw a Kryptonite monkeywrench in Supergirl’s production like they did with The Flash(1990) Birds of Prey, Smallville, Arrow, Gotham, and Legends of Tomorrow. The way I see it the greatest nemesis to DC Superheroes aren’t DC super-villains, they’re the executives running things at CBS and Warner Brothers.

6 comments:

  1. Then again a lot of other fans don't like the Karolsen couple much and many don't even like James. There are those who want to pair Kara with either Barry or Winn.

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  2. Those that want her paired with Barry must be a very silent minority. Sure she had chemistry but it seemed to be the friendship kind(and on television that's rare). There was just as much chemistry with Cat's son(playing opposite hubby) but the feeling seems to be why create some new love interest when past loves from the comics are sitting unused.

    As for the move to the CW I'm not too optimistic. The potential to go bigger is gone. Working with a smaller budget will seriously limit this show. I'm also not looking forward to the soap opera effect taking over in order to make this show a fit for the other CW superhero shows.

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  3. Ad, I have a feeling that Cat's son will be Kara's new love interest. They're more appealing to the CW audience James Olson will either be going back to Metropolis or wind up being marginalized as a jobber.

    Blog and a video on that Black female on Ghostbusters will be coming Soon TJ!

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  4. I have a feeling that CW Supergirl will undo the things CBS Supergirl did and could wound up reverting some characters to their original conceptions/comics appearanaces in a way.

    The recasting for James Olsen is inevitable if one actor quits, thus seeking a replacement like say Sir Maejor. Even their personalities would change. James becomes overly concerned for his brother Conner who became Superboy (as they can't use Superman).

    Winn Schott becomes a villain and Cat Grant doesn't appear often as she did before. Again, some actors don't make it and others quit so it shouldn't be surprising given how it'll turn out to be.

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  5. Honestly I don't give a damn about live-action adaptions of comic books (it's more of a personal feeling), but now that it's switched stations, the show could either get better or worse, I don't think it can stay the same now.

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  6. I'm on the fence with this one. On one network, Supergirl was isolated from the heroes of the DCU, but yet had a blockbuster budget. On the other network, she'll be more integrated with Arrow, Flash and Legends of Tomorrow but there will be a slight decrease in budget.

    I hear your fears about this, but I'm a wait and see type of guy. While I'm waiting and seeing here are my suggestions for season two of Supergirl.

    1. Less Kryptonians. While it was intriguing at first seeing what became of the other Kryptonians after awhile it just grew stale. In the end their presence didn't offer anything new to the story other than take up time. No more Phantom Zone Criminals!

    2. Introduce The Legion of Superheroes---- I would like to see them appear in an arc or two since Kara was a member of team in the comics, but as long as their appearances aren't bombarded like the Kryptonians.

    3. Give Kara a best friend or sidekick. James, Winn and Kara's sis is alright, but I would like to see another friend added to the mix. A female who Kara is like a big sister to. In my mind I picture Courtney Whitmore aka Stargirl as Kara's newest pal. I picture Courtney as the President of The Supergirl Fan Club who talked her father into moving to National City to be close to Supergirl. Wanting to be a superhero herself she designs a cosmic staff and goes out to fight crime except her attempts at it aren't perfect which leads to clashes with Supergirl and the DEO. Things get to a rocky start with the two but eventually they become friends and Supergirl agrees to mentor Stargirl.

    4. Add some multilayered villains to the show----While Livewire and Silver Banshee are alright they are bit one note. I would like to see a villain that would not only provide a physical challenge for Supergirl but a mental and emotional one as well. I would do a revamp of The Puzzler and cast him as a Supergirl Villain that's out to make Supergirl's life hell by playing mind games with her. Also, I would add Bloodsport to the mix and reimagine him as a conspiracy theorist, alien-hating hunter who's convinced that he's doing the world a favor by ridding the world of Supergirl.

    5. Give Supergirl her own heroes on the show---- I would like to see Supergirl have her own Justice League. In my mind it would consist of Sunburst, Stargirl, Rocket (if they could get the rights from Milestone) and Miss Martian.

    Those are just some of my ideas that I wanted to share, but I will withhold judgment until the second season premieres in October.

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