DC Entertainment’s next foray into television and one of YouTube’s top hits for trailers this summer is CBC’s upcoming Supergirl.
Debuting a new trailer Monday as part of its show panel, CBS presented Greg Berlanti and company to the TCA crowd.
Supergirl is one of the most anticipated fall premieres, with 10 million people watching the official trailer online in just one week this May.
Melissa Benoist, who plays the titular superhero, says “I knew it was something exciting and rare that I wanted to be a part of.”
Supergirl’s story, though lesser known than her cousin’s Superman’s, is one Executive Producer Greg Berlanti has wanted to bring to the screen for some time. The story goes that Supergirl, otherwise known as Kara Zor-El, traveled with Superman in order to protect him when they land on earth, but she veers off course and arrives several years after Superman and has to find her own way.
The show’s producers say Superman’s influence on her life is great, but viewers won’t be seeing him in the show, largely in order to focus on her story from her point of view.
In the pilot episode, Callista Flockhart, who plays Supergirl’s boss, makes a powerful speech about why she is Supergirl.
“I love that speech,” Flockhart said at TCA. “One of the things I love about the show is it’s a real celebration of girl power.”
And that is the real focus of the show, says Berlanti.
“We try to imagine what the show is when you remove the superpowers,” he said.
They added a workplace element and an adult sibling relationship to bring Supergirl down to earth.
“Those are the things that we’re writing toward on the shows, the emotional dynamics,” Berlanti said.
Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg added that those humanizing moments are important for another reason as well.
“We put her in situations where she isn’t all powerful so you can root for her,” said Kreisberg. “The tendency with Superman to make him so powerful that there really isn’t any danger, but we’re always looking for ways to make it feel like there’s actual jeopardy in the show.”
Producers announced that the first season will see several villains and new characters to make these moments real. Lucy Lane, who was just cast, will join General Sam Lane, Red Tornado and Non in the first season.
“She’s such a beacon of hope,” said Benoist. “Her bravery and strength was so intrinsic and important to who she is so I needed to feel that myself. I really have to believe that I’m a superhero.”
That, according to Berlanti, is exactly why she was cast.
“Sometimes people come to the show for action and end up staying for the characters, or vice versa,” he said.
Supergirl premieres Oct. 26 on CBS.
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