DC Can’t Let Go of Cities Being More Important Than Characters

Word of another DC TV show exclusive to the coming DC digital subscription service has just broken. In addition to the live-action Titans and the animated Harley Quinn show and Young Justice season 3, in 2019, the service will air a 13-episode season of the live-action Metropolis.

Yes, in the tradition of Gotham (which has four seasons under its belt, so nothing to sneeze at) and the upcoming Krypton, the city gets star billing. Because that way you don’t have to worry about competing with the movies and their expensive special effects and known stars. Per the DC press release,

Metropolis will follow Lois Lane and Lex Luthor as they investigate the world of fringe science and expose the city’s dark and bizarre secrets. Airing exclusively on DC’s upcoming digital service, it promises to show us a wondrous and awe-inspiring City of Tomorrow, before the emergence of Superman, and establish much of the Man of Steel’s world leading up to his arrival….

Metropolis is being overseen by Gotham executive producers John Stephens and Danny Cannon. Both will executive produce this series, and Cannon will also direct the first episode, from a teleplay by Stephens, with story by Cannon and Stephens.

Well. I wouldn’t have expected that X-Files tone to the description. I would think you could do a perfectly good (and timely!) show about big-city journalists fighting corruption and evil politicians. Gotham depends strongly on “oooh, that character is going to be (famous Batman villain)”, so the press release mentions “Superman’s villains are also more powerful, cosmic and rooted in science fiction than Batman’s”, setting an expectation that this show will fall more to the sci-fi end of things than Batman’s crime focus.