Supergirl TV Series is being work on.

[Trekker4747]

I watched the trailer again as well as the SNL BW one and it's just embarrassing how similar they are. I mean you get a cold, hard, introduction to the show/movie (SG -Kara speaking of her past, BW -MCU intro) a break, cue cliched pop song over cityscape and enter our hero dealing with mundane life in "the big city" why being sorta cutesy/klutzy. Workplace encounters with the "big boss" who's sort of a B, encounters with co-workers/peers while gushing and being shy/fumbling for words, venting frustrations with a peer/social connection. God, it's almost like a Mobius Strip of parodies as they each seem like a parody of the other!

I don't see why they opted to go this route with Kara, especially considering the pretty active feminism mindset that's around today with the more middle-of-the-road "just treat women equally!" feminists becoming more and more equal over the "man-hater" extreme. Why make Kara such a sheepish klutz? Why not make her the powerful, strong, girl who knows no bounds with her powers as she wasn't raised as a human? (Though, I guess, in this take of the character she did instead of being found/thawed as a teenager when Kal was an adult.)

I mean, why not make her a strong, confident, adult who has already carved her way in the world in some manner and is independent enough to take-on the challenge of living in the city and then something happens that compels her to use her powers to do good?

But, no, it's much better to go with the decades-old trope of her being a klutzy girl in glasses who's job consists of grabbing coffees for her boss and fighting to make her way in the world as stereotypically as possible.

Supergirl or "Kara Wears Prada"?

I'll certainly give the show a chance when it comes out but I'm not hopeful at all, again, simply because of how cliched that trailer is in the light of the perfectly on-point SNL BW trailer.

 

[JD]

I know I've said this before, but DC should just stop their movies, and focus all of their energy and money on the TV series. It would also give Berlanti and co. free reign over the whole DCU without having to worry about stepping to much on the movies' toes.

Why can't they do both?

Because the shows have had a way better handle on the DCU than any of the movies. I love the Nolan movies and I did enjoy MoS, but the shows are way better adaptations of the characters. I would rather just see one well adapted version of the characters than a bunch of versions of there characters where only some of them are actually recognizably those characters.

 

[JoeZhang]

I don't see why they opted to go this route with Kara, especially considering the pretty active feminism mindset that's around today with the more middle-of-the-road "just treat women equally!" feminists becoming more and more equal over the "man-hater" extreme.

Stick to critiquing things you understand like Kids cartoons or something.

 

[Mudd]

I like the second trailer as well. I'll definitely watch this; I like the lighter tone. Looks like fun.

 

[JD]

I meant to mention this before, but these Up Front videos tend to be a lot longer and give away a lot more of the plot than usual trailers. A lot of the ones for mysteries will even show who the killer or whatever is in the pilot.

 

[Saga]

I don't see why they opted to go this route with Kara, especially considering the pretty active feminism mindset that's around today with the more middle-of-the-road "just treat women equally!" feminists becoming more and more equal over the "man-hater" extreme.

Stick to critiquing things you understand like Kids cartoons or something.

 

[davejames]

Eh, as others are arguing online, Black Widow and Supergirl are two VERY different characters, and a lighter and more "rom-commy" take doesn't seem nearly as inappropriate for Kara as it does for a hardass assassin like Widow.

Hell, on the old Superman Animated series, Kara was a complete spoiled brat who misused her powers like crazy before deciding to become more responsible under Superman's tutelage. I'd say this show is depicting her in a much more favorable light than that, since she does at least want to do good and help people.

And since when can't a female superhero in her early-20s be a bit clutzy or "girly" in her downtime? It doesn't demean her, it just makes her seem like more of a normal human being. And it's not like we've had a ton of live-action female superheroes in the past to judge her against.

 

[urbandefault]

The wife thinks it looks like a fun show. That's good enough for me.

 

[CorporalClegg]

"Girly"?

Really?

 

[Christopher]

Eh, as others are arguing online, Black Widow and Supergirl are two VERY different characters, and a lighter and more "rom-commy" take doesn't seem nearly as inappropriate for Kara as it does for a hardass assassin like Widow.

Excellent point. The goal of feminists in comics is not to see all female characters portrayed as identically tough or whatever; it's to see them treated the same way as male characters are, as diverse and complicated and filling every conceivable niche. There's as much room for fun, giggly, girly female characters as there is for tough, no-nonsense female assassins. After all, if we can have a male character as grim and tormented and violent as Arrow coexisting with a male character as upbeat and nice and compassionate as the Flash, why should female characters be allowed any less range? Feminists -- a category in which I proudly include myself -- don't mind "girly" characters as long as they're just one out of many types of female character. There are all kinds of ways to be female -- or male -- and there should be room for all of them, rather than a single limiting gender archetype.

 

[Trekker4747]

It just seems like such a ridiculous comparison to me. As others are arguing online, Black Widow and Supergirl are two VERY different characters, and a lighter and more "rom-commy" take doesn't seem nearly as inappropriate for Kara as it does for a hardass assassin like Widow.

It's not about them being very different characters it's about the general handling of female characters which the SNL trailer parodied quite well. We're shown these strong, powerful, images of the male Avengers and when BW is introduced we get a pop song and her breaking a heel while walking to work.

It implies that you can't do a female-centered movie without reducing that female character to clichés, and to that extent reducing the entire tone and look of the show to a cliché.

Now, it'd be one thing if "aw, gee, klutzy Kara" was a "disguise" she put on like the one Superman puts on in the Donner Superman movies but the trailer suggests that this more-or-less actually Kara (why she's wearing the glasses is unclear) since she has no need for a "disguise" since she's yet to take on a superhero career.

Then we get other cliches, The Devil Wears Prada-esque workplace dynamics, her acting goofy and unsure of herself around males. It's not-for-note a old, tired, trope that many rom-coms have used for decades and there's no need to do it.

Yes, there are klutzy, awkward, young-women out there struggling to make something of themselves in new workplaces in the city but we've seen this and had it numerous times. How many TV series have been centered around such a thing? (Felicity, Ugly Betty, to name a couple off the top of my head which seem to more-or-less fit under that heading.)

Short of, maybe say, a Spider-Man show could you imagine a male superhero show being presented in such a way? I mean, there *are* awkward, social-misfit men out there trying to carve their way in the world. So, could you see there being a show centered around Superman where as a pre-Superman Clark Kent he's stumbling around with a pop-song playing in the background, gushing, and aw-geeing with awkward smiles?

Or is it more likely we'd see him as more-or-less confident but likely just "invisible" to his co-workers and superiors. Maybe he's a klutz, or a touch awkward but not likely to the extent we see Kara shown here. (I know we don't see her literally being klutzy, breaking a heel, or anything but I think more for her stumbling for words or her awkward, toothy, smiles.)

What would have been the problem with showing Kara as being strong and confident? Coming into her new office ready to take the world by storm instead of fumbling to be noticed by her new boss? She doesn't wear thick glasses, maybe some kind of more modern and fashionable eyewear if she "must" for some reason (glasses to give her better close-up vision because her Kryptonian vision makes her way too "far sighted" and she hasn't learned to focus in her eyes yet?) She dresses how a young woman dresses in the 21st century instead of with the awkward-looking ballet flats, draping sweater and long skirt. And she's immediately taken in by her boss as standing out, an example for everyone to take notice of.

The trailer does pick-up when the SG stuff starts, but it's that first bit where it almost precisely tracks with the SNL trailer gives one a lot to be worried about and pretty much proves the point SNL was trying to make. A network/production company "getting women" by presenting them as having all of these clichés. Yeah, women like this exist. But women the exact opposite of this ALSO exist and I'd argue are likely a lot more common.

Again, I'm not writing the show off at all it looks sort-of promising and being a CBS show, I'm just glad Kara isn't working in a freaking crime-lab. (CSI: Metropolis!) but I just hope it's not as full of coming-of-age young-girl cliche-filled stories like it appears to be from the first part of the trailer. (Though, I suspect, I'm also not the target audience for the show.)

If the show can get past these cliches it started off with and show Kara as a strong, independent, woman - in any "secret identity" she may have- who's not always fumbling for words, to get noticed by her boss, flashing awkward smiles, etc. Then it could be a decent show even if it's not my cup of tea.

It just gives one a *lot* of pause when the first part of that trailer was almost note-for-note similar to the SNL parody.

 

[Taylirious]

So, could you see there being a show centered around Superman where as a pre-Superman Clark Kent he's stumbling around with a pop-song playing in the background, gushing, and aw-geeing with awkward smiles?

Didn't you watch SMALLVILLE?

 

[Neroon]

I don't see why they opted to go this route with Kara, especially considering the pretty active feminism mindset that's around today with the more middle-of-the-road "just treat women equally!" feminists becoming more and more equal over the "man-hater" extreme.

Stick to critiquing things you understand like Kids cartoons or something.

Take it easy, you guys.

 

[davejames]

Now, it'd be one thing if "aw, gee, klutzy Kara" was a "disguise" she put on like the one Superman puts on in the Donner Superman movies but the trailer suggests that this more-or-less actually Kara (why she's wearing the glasses is unclear) since she has no need for a "disguise" since she's yet to take on a superhero career.

Then we get other cliches, The Devil Wears Prada-esque workplace dynamics, her acting goofy and unsure of herself around males. It's not-for-note a old, tired, trope that many rom-coms have used for decades and there's no need to do it.

Yes, there are klutzy, awkward, young-women out there struggling to make something of themselves in new workplaces in the city but we've seen this and had it numerous times. How many TV series have been centered around such a thing? (Felicity, Ugly Betty, to name a couple off the top of my head which seem to more-or-less fit under that heading.)

If that was the ONLY characterization of women we ever saw on screen I would agree. But over the years we've also seen plenty of strong, take charge women in shows like Walking Dead, X-Files, Game of Thrones, Arrow, Good Wife, Scandal, and too many others to count. Not to mention strong female superheroes in Black Widow, Sif, Mockingbird, etc.

In fact nowadays I'd say those kind of portrayals far outnumber the goofier and more awkward ones on shows like Felicity or in the typical rom-com.

And besides, it's hardly a new thing for superheroes to start out feeling not too confident or sure of themselves. We've seen that with plenty of male superheroes as well (in fact, pretty much every one there's ever been).

 

[Beagleman]

So, could you see there being a show centered around Superman where as a pre-Superman Clark Kent he's stumbling around with a pop-song playing in the background, gushing, and aw-geeing with awkward smiles?

Didn't you watch SMALLVILLE?

The exact words came into my mind!

 

[Trekker4747]

So, could you see there being a show centered around Superman where as a pre-Superman Clark Kent he's stumbling around with a pop-song playing in the background, gushing, and aw-geeing with awkward smiles?

Didn't you watch SMALLVILLE?

Yeah, but once Clark got out of high-school (and he was never fully the aww-gee nerd) he did seem to grow some and act like something of a human being. But, further, the show was never meant to be about Superman but Clark's journey to Superman which, well, it didn't do completely well but the last few seasons did the idea of it fairly well.

But even at his "nerdiest" Clark was never a cliché in the way we see Kara in this trailer.

 

[DWF]

I've just recently saw the trailer and the show looks pretty good to me.

 

[Taylirious]

http://cms.springboardplatform.com/previews/677/video/1523645/0/0/1

Behind the scenes of Supergirl!

 

[Morpheus 02]

Greg Berlanti is quickly becoming the king of superhero television. He'll have four different superhero shows on the air next year, not to mention Jaimie Alexander's Blindspot. He's come a long way from his earlier, less successful superhero projects, the Green Lantern movie and No Ordinary Family. (And The Tomorrow People, if that counts.)

He did the GLmovie? ANy idea what part? The first part (i.e. Oa) actually felt cosmically epic...it was the earth-based ending withno other GL's that ruined it for me.

My worry is that this could be oversaturation...I think hardcore fans could only handle so much...and even show-specific fans will be hardpressed as well.

 

[Christopher]

Greg Berlanti is quickly becoming the king of superhero television. He'll have four different superhero shows on the air next year, not to mention Jaimie Alexander's Blindspot. He's come a long way from his earlier, less successful superhero projects, the Green Lantern movie and No Ordinary Family. (And The Tomorrow People, if that counts.)

He did the GLmovie? ANy idea what part? The first part (i.e. Oa) actually felt cosmically epic...it was the earth-based ending withno other GL's that ruined it for me.

Well, Berlanti was originally attached to direct, and he was one of the producers. He wrote the original story and screenplay with Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, but it was then rewritten at studio behest by Michael Goldenberg (screenwriter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and co-scripter of Contact). There's a script review here. It sounds like the draft would definitely have been better than the movie we got.