In the last four years, DC Entertainment has been incredibly successful at placing dramas on TV networks. Gotham lives on Fox, CBS has Supergirl, and The CW has Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. In that timespan, the only DC drama to get canceled was NBC’s Constantine!
However, Deadline is reporting that NBC is getting back together with DC for a new comedy television series called Powerless. This project isn’t based on any particular DC comic book series, but it takes place in that universe as experienced by the ordinary people who work “at one of the worst insurance companies in America.” Think of Powerless as “The Office meets DC.”
It hasn’t been determined which DC characters might appear on Powerless, but it’s pretty safe to rule out guest spots by Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. The heroes on the other TV networks are also likely to be off limits. However, the heroes are besides the point. The main characters in Powerless are said to be regular people won’t have much direct interaction with the iconic comic book heroes. They just happen to share the same world.
There is the risk that Powerless could dilute the DC brand. Sometimes, fans rebel when franchises attempt to operate outside of their comfort zone. But if Powerless catches on, it could open the floodgates for more comedy pitches based on DC’s vast character library.
A To Z creator Ben Queen is the man who developed Powerless for television. So far, Powerless only has the greenlight for a pilot episode. Even if it doesn’t get picked up to series, Powerless seems destined to live on as a bootleg video sold at comic conventions for years to come.
Comic book fans, what do you think about Powerless as a potential NBC comedy? Turn off the laugh track and share your opinions below!
