Supergirl Renewed, Moves to CW
There had previously been concern over whether the Supergirl TV show, a breath of fresh air amongst the hero movies and TV series for starring a woman and being optimistic, would be renewed. Today comes news that it will be, but to cut costs, the show will move from CBS to the CW and move production from Los Angeles to Vancouver (where the other CW hero shows — The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow — are filmed).
The show was “CBS’ most expensive first-year show”, and the ratings didn’t match the expenses, although it was “the No. 1 new CBS drama and fourth-best new series overall among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic.” I’m just glad Supergirl, as portrayed by Melissa Benoist, will come back. Although the show could be uneven, watching her, her friends, and her relationship with her sister and family was entertaining.
Calista Flockhart will stay with the show as the multimedia boss Cat Grant, a portrayal that’s really grown on me as an example of how you can show female power in a bunch of nuanced ways. No word on the rest of the cast. In my opinion, the super-cute Jimmy Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) and sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) are must-haves, with the others — work friend Winn (Jeremy Jordan), superspy organization leader Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), evil mogul Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli), love rival Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum), ghost of dead mom (Laura Bennati) — not nearly as necessary.
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Kara’s relationship with Jimmy Olsen has been one of the things that has hurt the show, IMO. A trend in shows that usually signals their decline is when they become soap operas about love relationships rather than have the shows be about what they were originally intended to be about. Supergirl is a superhero show. I watch to see her do super things, not get moony-eyed over a male. While I realize the show is meant to appeal to young girls, there is a false idea that somehow dealing with romantic relationships is an effective way to attract female viewers. It’s a cheap, easy way to create complications, which is why shows fall into the pattern of devolving into relationship shows. The trajectory chosen for Supergirl — are they going to end up together? — is so worn that there is no suspense of pay off. It’s an adventure show. The focus should be on adventure. The program has demonstrated that it can deal with deeper personal/emotional issues–like Kara’s dealing with her rage–while still focusing on adventure. More of that, please. Less Jimmy Olsen. Much less.
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One of the things I like about Supergirl is that it handles all the aspects of a young woman’s life — her career, her trying to make a difference in the world, her family, her friends, and yes, her love life. Superheroes have often had romances — heck, the most famous hero of all, Superman, is best-known for being defined by being in a love triangle with his own secret identity! Saying Supergirl is only an “adventure show” doesn’t accurately describe it, imo.