‘Supergirl’ Review: Melissa Benoist Series Flies Strong & Smart For CBS
Unless you’ve been living in the Phantom Zone the past few months, it has been almost impossible not to know that Supergirl is coming. Well, the leaked, Comic-Con previewed, hyped and heavily promoted Warner Bros Television-produced series is almost here – and, as my video review above says, Supergirl is a bounding, deceptively breezy and eminently watchable addition to both the superhero universe and primetime. You really should check out the strong and smart series that finally put a woman in the lead in this latest age of superheroes.
Debuting on CBS on October 26 at 8:30 PM — up against fellow WBTV show Gotham on Fox
before moving to 8 PM as of November 2 — the series developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg adroitly handles issues of contemporary feminism, family dynamics – which already are pretty complicated when your technically younger cousin is Superman – and a cascade of villains. Part of the strength and smarts of Supergirl comes solidly from its lead, Melissa Benoist. Casting the Glee actress as that other Krypton survivor Kara Zor-El aka Kara Danvers was a near-perfect notion as Benoist is able to stealthily balance all the insecurities, ambitions and sheer wonder of a 24-year-old stepping forward to be the hero she was destined to be.
While it’s good but not yet great TV, what makes Benoist and Supergirl all the more impressive is that not only does the show play with Berlanti’s well-established formula on other WBTV/DC Comics properties such as The Flash and Arrow, but it also carries the weight of heavy expectations. Unlike the often-plodding 2013 movie Man Of Steel, Supergirl leans in toward the empowerment and quality of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series – a gold standard in many ways.
While the shadow of the never-seen demigod of Superman lingers too much, there is — from what I’ve seen — an abundance of earnestness. However, a good supporting cast and a stellar, sharp performance from a long-missed Calista Flockhart as Kara’s media mogul boss Cat Grant unveils a series prepared to leap glass ceilings and more in an long-term bound. For more, check out my video review of Supergirl and tell us what you think. Will you be watching on October 26?
Editors Note: This review originally ran October 15.
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