CW Looking For "The Right Hero"?

[Admiral_Young]

CW already has a vampire show though, one with a somewhat popular following, along of course with "Supernatural" in it's final season and the upcoming "The Secret Circle".

They're already remaking a "Buffy" film which has caused the ire and wrath of many Buffy and Joss Whedon fans. Creating a rip off (that is essentially what you're talking about Temis you've just worded it carefully) would incite even more fans. LOL. One of the reasons why Buffy was a successful show was because of her creator and the people that he put in place to write her adventures. It wasn't just executing a "formula".

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The Buffy remake is a movie, and what I'm describing wouldn't be recognizable as belonging to the Buffy universe, because I was thinking of The Vampire Diaries when I wrote that. I just took TVD and added a superhero character to it, while being careful to keep to the CW style.

If Buffy fans think of TVD as a Buffy ripoff, I haven't heard about it, but apparently it's just "Buffy minus superhero element." It even has a vampire hunter in it, but he's a grownup guy and he kinda sucks at his job, at least thru S1 which is all I've seen.

If describing the formula of one show accidentally maps to the formula of an entirely different show, that just goes to show that it's a solid formula that could be used successfully in any range of shows without any fan uprising due to new shows being a copycat.

One of the reasons why Buffy was a successful show was because of her creator and the people that he put in place to write her adventures. It wasn't just executing a "formula".

It might have not been the reason for the show's success, but there's no denying that there's a formula there. Otherwise, how could I describe the formula at the heart of one show and have you recognize that formula a different show that I've never seen and therefore couldn't describe?

 

[Lindley]

While I'm hesitant to make any sweeping statements that will probably be disproven by example immediately, my general impression is that Buffy did a lot to create and define that particular formula.

 

[Sindatur]

While I'm hesitant to make any sweeping statements that will probably be disproven by example immediately, my general impression is that Buffy did a lot to create and define that particular formula.

Yup, it was a WB show, and CW spun off from a WB merger.

Circle closed

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Which explains why CW has latched onto the Buffy formula (probably not original to that show, but certainly popularized by it) and will no doubt continue to exploit it profitably. Next up: The Secret Circle, with witches being closer to superheroes than vampires are. There's certainly room for a costumed-superhero take on the formula, too.

 

[Sindatur]

Which explains why CW has latched onto the Buffy formula (probably not original to that show, but certainly popularized by it) and will no doubt continue to exploit it profitably. Next up: The Secret Circle, with witches being closer to superheroes than vampires are. There's certainly room for a costumed-superhero take on the formula, too.

Witches = Charmed; also a Teen-angst formula WB show before/during the merger

 

[Admiral_Young]

I never said that "The Vampire Diaries" was a "Buffy" rip off I was saying that your proposed idea could be construed as a "Buffy" rip off. Besides which I think Jetfire and the original article are talking about traditional comic book superheroes. They've been looking to replace "Smallville" with something. This talk of supernatural heroes is not the same thing...a curious notion though...would fans jump on board a John Constantine series? Or would that be too similar to the shows I mentioned.

 

[Jetfire]

Here is a full article on what Mark Pedowitz has planned for The CW as a whole; http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sho...pedowitz-open-to-comedies-on-the-network.html

[edit] Another with more of the same; http://www.aoltv.com/2011/08/04/tca-report-cw-executive-session/

About 'Ringer'

All this is on top of the highly anticipated return of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” queen Gellar in the network’s new thriller “Ringer,” inherited from CBS, which did not pick it up. And he said the show would not suffer “one bit” from the different budget of a smaller network.

Re-makes & superheroes

But with a new president -- Pedowitz , a former ABC exec, replaced Dawn Ostroff earlier this year -- comes new possibilities. Pedowitz said he was a fan of remakes, citing “90210” as success, and said plans for a new superhero to charm audiences in a “Smallville”-less world was still to come. Ostroff had first hinted at last year’s TCA press tour that the network was looking to other DC superheroes to fill the void.

“We’re looking next year to do superheroes,” he said. “If the right superheroes comes to be.”

Bringing back comedies

Pedowitz said he was open to bringing the laughs back to the CW “if it’s the right thing.”
...
"We'll move very slowly," he said. "We'll do it very selectively."

You should read the whole thing.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yep. From what I got out of that article it seems the new head of CW wants to get away from the "Smallville" formula which was created to serve Miles and Gough's "No Flights, No Tights" mantra and was never meant for any kind of other show. This has just been fans incorrect speculation that another series involving a superhero would follow that same follow. We'll see though. Have heard zero buzz about the proposed "Raven" series (I wouldn't have been surprised if that was pitched under Dawn's last few months) and "Blue Beetle" seems dead. Besides which DC has more things to worry about right now than any other TV projects.

 

[Lindley]

the CW should create a new version of the show, but with something other than actual vampires at the core

Well, that's Veronica Mars.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I never said that "The Vampire Diaries" was a "Buffy" rip off I was saying that your proposed idea could be construed as a "Buffy" rip off.

Since I was describing TVD, then QED...

Besides which I think Jetfire and the original article are talking about traditional comic book superheroes.

That's what I was describing. You take a traditional comic book superhero - costume, secret identity, angst over secret identity - and shoehorn it into the CW formula. Voila, a comic book superhero show made to order in the time-honored CW mold!

CW definitely isn't going to make a straight-up superhero show in the more mainstream style because those stories are for males and CW wants a show for females, and that's just for starters. They tend to churn out shows with a very narrowly defined brand identity. Even shows that veer off brand as little as Supernatural are treated as red-headed stepchildren. Just ask Dorian.

the CW should create a new version of the show, but with something other than actual vampires at the core

Well, that's Veronica Mars.

VM isn't supernatural, is it? I think they'll go for the supernatural/sci fi element. That's definitely been successful for them.

I could see John Constantine, geared towards young females. Some hot, angsty guy who can't die - yeah, that works! They wouldn't use the Constantine name, unless they want Alan Moore to blow a gasket, because I'm sure the CW version would be the polar opposite of any adaptation he'd approve of.

 

[Admiral_Young]

You keep bringing up the "CW Formula" and I suppose that you didn't see the article that Jet posted where they're trying to change that formula. Again this isn't about formulas at all but about a network looking for the right type of superhero series to develop and air. CW is under a totally new CEO who is looking to change things.

 

[Christopher]

Witches = Charmed; also a Teen-angst formula WB show before/during the merger

Err, no; the youngest of the three sisters was 23 and a college dropout when the series began. It wasn't a show about teens, but a show about adult women in their twenties dealing with adult concerns like careers and dating and marriage and parenthood.

 

[Kelthaz]

Are there any superheroes created specifically for a female audience? I can't think of a single one, but if they exist, that's a good way to start.
...

-The main character should be around age 18 and have lots of regular human friends of the same age group.

-The main character will have no or minimal adult supervision.

-The main character will be female. This could be a normal female in love with a male superhero, or a female superhero who is torn between her normal human boyfriend and another (bad) superhero character (also male). Whatever the configuration, there will be a love triangle.

-There can be gay characters, in fact I'd expect that, but odds are remote that the main love triangle will be anything but het.

-Even if the show starts with one lone superhero, more will show up along the way.

-The superhero(es) will have some angsty aspect to their powers that they can moan and cry over, and write about in their diary. The superhero doesn't have to be a literal vampire, but they should be a metaphorical one in the eternal-angst sense.

Well, you've just described Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Unfortunately that's not coming back any time soon.

Describes Sailor Moon perfectly too. It is a successful formula.

 

[JaxsBrokenHeart]

I'm actually stunned that CW isn't doing everything to get a Teen Titans show on the air. Superhero show with teen angst, good looking young people in troubled relationships, and all the various DC villains and stories they could get years of episodes out of?

Seems tailored made for them.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ I would love a live action "Teen Titans" show on the CW with the founding members. That would be a large enough ensemble cast and if they wanted to they could add a couple more characters later.

 

[OsmiumJohnnycake]

Witches = Charmed; also a Teen-angst formula WB show before/during the merger

Err, no; the youngest of the three sisters was 23 and a college dropout when the series began. It wasn't a show about teens, but a show about adult women in their twenties dealing with adult concerns like careers and dating and marriage and parenthood.

Speaking of Charmed (a show I watched from start to finish and enjoyed but can't defend), I went to watch the pilot episode on Netflix today and discovered they changed the theme music to something really bland. I did at one point have the first two seasons on DVD, but I don't recall if I ever watched them before I sold them, so I'm not sure if this was done back when those were released or is something more recent. Either way, how bad is it if you can't afford the rights to your theme song? Does the fact that it was a cover song make it more expensive? Have any other shows changed their theme song for DVD or streaming?

In any case, it irritated me enough that I stopped watching right after the opening credits.

 

[Christopher]

^Did you only check the pilot? Sometimes shows' pilots have different theme music than the rest of the series. Especially if a show's title sequence contains images from the show that could be spoilers for the events of the pilot, as Charmed's did. In that case, the pilot would tend to have a simpler title sequence, quite possibly with different music.

 

[Sindatur]

Witches = Charmed; also a Teen-angst formula WB show before/during the merger

Err, no; the youngest of the three sisters was 23 and a college dropout when the series began. It wasn't a show about teens, but a show about adult women in their twenties dealing with adult concerns like careers and dating and marriage and parenthood.

Regardless wether they were teens or not, the show was built around a "Teen Angst" formula. Tom Welling was 24 at the beginning of Smallville, 90210 gang were in their 30s, etc.

 

[Christopher]

Regardless wether they were teens or not, the show was built around a "Teen Angst" formula. Tom Welling was 24 at the beginning of Smallville, 90210 gang were in their 30s, etc.

No, no, no... the actors on those shows were in their 20s or so, but the characters were in their teens, attending high school and whatnot. What I'm saying is that in Charmed, the characters were twenty-something women. In-universe, when the show began in 1998, Prue Halliwell was 28 (her birth year was established onscreen as 1970) and Phoebe, the youngest sister, was 23 (based on her stated-onscreen birth year of 1975). Paige was introduced 3 years later and given a birthdate of 1977, so she was 24 when she first showed up. Again, these are the characters' canonical ages.

And in the first three seasons, remember, it wasn't an equal ensemble; Prue was overwhelmingly the central character, the other sisters less so. So the focus of the show was primarily on a woman who was nearly 30, an adult who worked as a photographer in an art gallery. It was not a "teen" show by any definition.