Yeah, I don’t know who she is either. Melissa Benoist is best known for the role of Marley Rose on “Glee,” but also had a role in “Whiplash.” I still don’t know who she is. I will soon, because she’s been cast as Supergirl in the upcoming CBS series of the same name.
The official description of the series: “Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she’s been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.”
There are some things in there that I like — it’s not a “Smallville” take on the character, where she’s discovering her powers piece by piece, and in high school, and…it’s beyond that. Superman is an established hero, she’s done with school, she’s in a career. Interviews with producers and showrunners have said that Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant and other established Superman characters will be in the series. I don’t know yet if it will be set in Metropolis, but there’s a good chance it will be. Can they do that without having Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the series? We’ll see. They’re moving forward, they’re using the title “Supergirl,” and it’s an actual superhero. They’re piloting now, with the intent of a fall series, and CBS already has a “series commitment.” Yay!
In any case. CBS has its Supergirl. Does she look the part? I don’t know yet. We’ve heard there is a costume, it’s made by the same designer who did the Flash and Green Arrow costumes for CW. If they take inspiration from the most recent look in the comic books, it’ll be along these lines. Which I like…for about ten years she was all-midriff all the time, until it got ridiculous. This look could probably use a skirt or pants or whatever women these days use to cover some leggy bits. Still. Nice legs.
More importantly, Greg Berlanti, the producer for “The Flash” and “Arrow” is also a producer for “Supergirl,” alongside Ali Adler and Sarah Schechter. They promise to deliver a character who’s strong and intellectual and tell a female-empowerment story, in a crime procedural setting. I’m fine with all of that. But she still needs to be Supergirl. Kryptonian, flying, with a damn cape Supergirl. They’ve made “The Flash” and “Arrow” must-see TV for me, while “Gotham” has slid off my DVR and “Constantine” never made it there in the first place. Where “The Flash,” “Arrow,” and “Supergirl” all have the same production teams, there’s the potential of crossovers between all three series. It depends on the day and who’s being interviewed as to whether that can happen or not. Even if “Supergirl” flies solo, I’m hoping the same team that made the CW series hits can do the same for the Maid of Might.
They really call her that, you know. “The Maid of Might.”
Wow.