CBS’ new hourlong “Supergirl” follows the adventures of Clark Kent’s hot blonde cousin, who like Clark works for a newspaper (hers is in palm tree-strewn National City) and has all the powers and abilities of Superman. Though she has been on Earth more than a decade, at age 24 she decides to stop keeping those powers and abilities a secret.
Fabulous Melissa Benoist (the female lead in “Whiplash”) plays Girl of Steel Kara Danvers, supported by Mehcad Brooks (Eggs on “True Blood”) as uber-hunky Daily Planet vet James Olsen and Calista Flockhart (“Ally McBeal”) as boss and media mogul Cat Grant. Dean Cain (who played Superman in 1993’s “Lois & Clark”) and Helen Slater (who played the title character in the 1984 “Supergirl” movie) play Supergirl’s adoptive parents.
For those wondering, we do in the pilot hear Supergirl refer to her cousin as Kal-El and we do see almost every inch of Superman, though shadow masks his facial features the one time we might get a clearer look at them. So if we want we can imagine he’s played by Henry Cavill, or Tom Welling, or Brandon Routh, or Christopher Reeve, or not. We learn also that Kara Danvers’ new colleague James Olsen and Superman are indeed pals in this universe -- and Kal-El is one of two people who still gets to call James Olsen “Jimmy.” (Lois Lane apparently not being one of those two.)
This will be one of four Greg Berlanti-scripted DC Comics superhero shows on the air this season, along with sister channel The CW’s “Arrow,” “The Flash” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” (Berlanti’s DC Comics involvement also extended to his scripting 2011's Ryan Reynolds “Green Lantern” movie.)
Critics are comparing this show to the superb motion picture “The Devil Wears Prada,” and there are strong echoes of Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in the characters played by Benoist and Flockhart. But while many stabs at comedy are made in the scenes featuring Kara and Cat, those parts of pilot naturally come nowhere near being as funny as the best scenes in “Prada.” Certainly no blame is to fall on Benoist or Flockhart, who got solid laughs out of me in “Whiplash” and “Ally McBeal,” respectively.
Indeed, Benoist and Flockhart are the two best things about the pilot, followed by Brooks and a pre-title sequence in which Kara comes out of the closet to rescue the seemingly doomed jetliner on which Kara’s beloved adopted sister Alex Danvers is trapped.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER! Less appealing are Alex’s employers, who (insanely) question Kara’s decision to save Alex’s life. One of the big reveals is bioengineer Alex secretly works for a kind of less-funny version of Men In Black; it likes to keep tabs on visiting extraterrestrials, Supergirl among them. The higher-ups seem to regard Supergirl as an annoyance (or even a threat) rather than an asset, which makes them seem not very smart.
And as time passes and National City’s alien threat escalates, a nagging question solidifies: Why isn’t Kara or Alex or James on the phone (or the signal watch) to Clark Kent for a little back-up? (Even the episode’s extraterrestrial menace bemoans the fact that he’s stuck fighting Kara instead Kal.)
And if Clark is busy trying to track down a kidnapped Lois (or something), how about a little help from Martian Manhunter Or Green Lantern?
Likely she makes no requests of them because Kara (and her cousin) don’t know from J’onn J’onzz and Hal Jordan.
At the end of the pilot, an airborne Supergirl declares that “Earth doesn’t have only one hero anymore” -- suggesting of course that she does not knowingly share her universe with Flash, Arrow, Atom, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Rip Hunter and all those other CW/DC superbeings. But now that (over on “The Flash”) Jay Garrick has found the portal to a TV multiverse, it would be no problem to establish later that Kara lives on Earth-3 or Earth-T or Earth-@.
Critics are also routinely comparing this new “Supergirl” to “The Flash.” The good news, then, for “Supergirl” is “The Flash” is the only CW show with ratings good enough to secure a renewal even if it aired on the more demanding CBS. The premiere, which follows a new episode of CBS’ most popular series (“The Big Bang Theory”) is certain to give “Supergirl” a ratings lift the CW shows can only dream about.
… Benoist is appealing enough, and the action sequences impressive enough, that the show gets away with the lack of subtlety. It's a competent superhero show made by people who've been doing this a while …
… There are some bumps in the road as the show lays out its premise, but “Supergirl” has a number of things going for it: Melissa Benoist is convincing and charming in the lead role; the supporting cast, which features the likes of Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks and David Harewood, is very good …
... an average action show thus far, but its star is engaging. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... The series is fairly lightweight, closer to Berlanti’s “The Flash” than the darker “Arrow,” but Benoist makes an appealing heroine, …
... a cheerful and spot-on adaptation, skillfully accomplishing the difficult task of making a corny comic-book story seem not only believable but also welcoming to those who’ve tired (or never enjoyed) the genre. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... charms through its strong casting and earnest storytelling. …
... Benoist is just so winning in this role. She plays Kara with the same cute level of bumbling that Reeve brought to his civilian alter ego. Introducing Superman’s pal James — don’t call him Jimmy — Olsen (Mehcad Brooks, “True Blood”) as a sexy love interest is a savvy, unexpected move. …
... Supergirl's mix of optimism and adventure — laced with messages of self-discovery and female empowerment and held together by a completely winning performance from Melissa Benoist — is simply a nearly irresistible combination. … you can sum up the series' start in one, obvious word. Super.
... Make no mistake, Supergirl is important, but taking some of the weight off of her Kryptonian shoulders, it's also just plain fun. …
... a very good, polished pilot …
8:30 p.m. Monday. CBS.
