Supergirl, Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler’s drama based on the DC female superhero, has landed at CBS with a series commitment. The deal closed last night, a day after the project was taken out to the broadcast networks on Wednesday. I hear the size of commitment eclipses the series commitment DC Batman drama Gotham got at Fox last fall. Warner Bros. TV is producing with studio-based Berlanti Prods.


The Supergirl character was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. Of the several women who have assumed the caped girl persona in the comics, the Berlanti-Adler series will feature the most popular one: Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, who shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. Unlike WBTV’s long-running Superman series Smallville, which focused on the superhero’s journey up to acquiring the powers and becoming Superman, Supergirl starts with Kara beginning to use her abilities.
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. Berlanti and Adler will write the script and executive produce with Berlanti Prods.’ Sarah Schechter. Also closely involved in the development of the project has been DC Entertainment’s chief creative officer Geoff Johns.
While CBS may look as a surprising home for a younger-skewing superhero drama, it was the only broadcast network without a comic book series. Additionally, CBS has been making a push in female-lead dramas with Extant, Madam Secretary and CSI: Cyber joining staple The Good Wife.
There will be five DC/WBTV series on the air this coming season: Gotham on Fox, the CW’s Arrow, The Flash and iZombie on the CW, and Constantine on NBC. With the Supergirl deal, WBTV has successfully targeted every available broadcast network as ABC is considered off-limits because of its corporate ties with Marvel, producer of its series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter.
Supergirl expands Berlanti’s superhero series footprint. He also is behind popular CW drama Arrow and its upcoming offshoot The Flash. Additionally, Berlanti has new NBC crime dramedy The Mysteries Of Laura, which opened well on Wednesday.
This marks Berlanti’s second high-profile sale to CBS this year, along with supernatural procedural The Things They Left Behind, which has a put pilot commitment. His company also has conspiracy thriller Blindspot set at NBC.
Adler, who previously worked with Berlanti on his superhero-themed ABC drama No Ordinary Family, co-created the NBC comedy The New Normal. She and Berlanti are repped by WME.
There has been a push to get more female superhero characters in comic books and on the big and small screens. Marvel has a Jessica Jones series in pre-production at Netflix.





DC isn’t going to have anything left to put into their movies.
Lol dc literally has hundreds of characters… Also Geoff johns from DC already stated that their tv universe is seperate from their movie universe… So any of the characters that are on tv no doesn’t affect the decision to out the character in the films… It just the cast will be different and likely story
Are you kidding? DC needs to start putting out more movies. Look at what Marvel has done.
Let me guess she can defeat any villain but her love life is a mess. She has a tech savvy best friend/roommate full of dry wit. She has a white collar job at the firm that conveniently feeds her weekly cases, and there is someone on law enforcement who she relies on.
LOL i love you
No she going team with NCIS team LOL! in crossover episode LOL!
That was classic.
Huge mismatch between project and network. Huge.
CBS is going to need it.
Have you seen the billboards for Scorpion and NCIS: Who Gives a Shit?
Enough of the super hero crap. Let TV exist for real character, real drama. We have enough super heroes taking over the box office…the only place to watch TV now is cable!
Yeah no more Superheroes that will get in the way of our cop and doctor shows.
Or “reality” shows.
Yeah, how dare they take up a CBS time slot with a program that isn’t the millionth incarnation of a police investigative team or multi camera sitcom.
It’s much better to focus on shows that massacre women by the dozens, eh, than to create one character who can’t be massacred?
I’m betting this vwill be a summer series. I can’t honestly see CBS airing this durring the season – it just doesn’t “Fit” CBS…There hasn”t been a Superhero show on The Columbia Broadcasting Company since The Hulk ended in 1981.
The Flash ran for one season on CBS in 1990, but the spirit of your comment is absolutely right. This kind of show doesn’t fit the CBS demo at all.
“CBS may look as a surprising home for a younger-skewing superhero drama,” to say the least. But I’m hoping it’ll be good, Supergirl is one of my favorite DC Comics heroes.
They already screwed up if she’s 24 and just starting to use her super powers then it’s stupid from the start it makes no sense to have her be that old. She should be 15 or 16 at the start so the show can run for 7 or 8 years.
Also at age 24 she would be Super Woman. Not Super Girl.
What? She’s Supergirl, not Super Woman. This character has never been called Super Woman. No matter how old she gets, her name has always been Supergirl. Just like Power Girl, Hawkgirl or Batgirl. Being an adult doesn’t change their name.
Super Woman is a completely separate character.
Superboy grew up to be Superman so logically Supergirl should grow up to be Superwoman. Do you want the Feminists to protest this show or boycott it? They will if you call a 24 year old woman a girl. Women don’t like that when it refers to them it’s old fashioned and so was Batgirl. There is a Spider Woman that Marvel owns and she was never a Spider Girl.
superboy is another character cakked conner kent.
Actually Superboy was a retcon and created after Superman came out.
And the current Superboy (since 94) is a different character all together (a clone of ,generally, Superman).
Superwoman is a different character all together (that hasn’t really seen much if any use in the last 25-30 years).
And over at Marvel, that Spiderwoman started out as an adult, but there is a Spidergirl over there (the adventures of Peter’s and MJs possible daughter in the future).
And honestly, after all that’s been said, someone, somewhere will find a reason to hate this show.
And I say to them, GTY and make it as close as possible to one of the comic characters…. there is a reason these characters are popular and have been around for so long. Let’s not lose sight of that.
Good point, Commenter Clark Kent.
The name “Super Girl” makes it sound like a show on The Disney Channel or The Toon Network.
I can already see the line of protesters from NOW and other similar groups, complaining about a 24-year-old woman being labeled a “girl”.
Oh. I see, Commenter HowardB.
You’re a 63 year-old Fan Boy. I’m a 63 Year-Old Fan Woman.
Superwoman is another character.
Because if a woman turns thirty on television, they take her out behind the soundstage and shoot her.
Didn’t you read the logline? Her being 24 and just starting to use her powers is the basis of the show. She’s been in hiding, reluctant to use her powers until Superman makes his appearance. It makes perfect sense why she’s that age.
Quality not quantity. I’d rather have five good years than the long drawn out nonsense that Smallville became. Once Lex left the show it really went off the rails. They used Zod twice, out of ideas.
Coming next fall to the CW: “Krypto, The Superdog!”
Your lips to God’s ears
“Kryto-weenie”! Where’s Tim Burton?
Oops. “Krypto-weenie”!
Cartoon Network had a cartoon a few years back called Krypto the Superdog
Congrats to Ali, one of the best writers I’ve ever worked with.
I’m assuming you haven’t worked with many writers then.
Thanks for the 4 A.M. laugh, Commenter TRS. Do you make house calls?
I don’t but I’m here all night. Please tip your waitresses.
Supergirl in some super-skimpy-wear please.
We’re not looking for character development with Berlanti in the picture.
Calling Helen Slater . . . .
She better be a Super Lesbian that’s the only way I’ll watch it.
I don’t think she was a lesbian in the comics, so if she was in a series it would make no sense.
That doesn’t matter to these people.
Good Point, Commenter Fluffo.
FYI: Commenter Thomas Luebbers
Animated characters change to reflect the tenor of their times.
FYI: Commenter Lois Lane.
You’re the niche demo they’re looking for.
Network TV goes the way of studio features. Network and the studios don’t know how to do rich storytelling with character development. All TV will be written by teenage boys with the attention spans of fleas.
I smell summer 2015 all over this.
Anyone know where this will be shot?
Really? CBS cancels anything below a 2.0 in the demo 6 episodes in.
On the CW, this would have have a 5 season commitment.
At Fox, a guaranteed full season.
So, a total of 7 comic book shows from DC and Marvel. To me, even as a fan, that’s overkill.
We’ll see.
Sounds like a good start to me.
Seems like a good deal to me.
So many DC tv shows, like this is an overload. It makes me wonder what will become of the movies.
One thing that sucks, is all these different show universes cant all connect. I mean only Arrow/Flash is connected, yet there’s dozens that have different worlds.
They don’t need to connect just because they’re all comic book characters. Just because Marvel is connecting their movies and TV shows together doesn’t mean it has to be that way for everything else. This need for everything to be in the same universe is bizarre. Showrunners can do their own thing and not be restricted to continuity issues.
I wonder how they will handle Superman. Will they be restricted from using Flash, Arrow and Batman since FOX/CW have there own shows. Cant seem there be two Arrow’s.
I wonder if they will be able to use Lana Lang or Lucy Lane as a supporting character. Since wasn’t Kara like friends or lived with one of them in the comics?
Not that anyone cares anymore. But when you want to make a word plural, you just add an “s”. No apostrophe before the “s.”
Prediction: Rebel Wilson will be cast as Supergirl.
Re: Jean
They don’t need to ‘connect’. Just because Marvel is connecting their movies and TV shows together doesn’t mean it has to be that way for everything else. This need for everything to be in the same universe is bizarre. Let showrunners do their own thing and not be restricted to continuity issues.
Seeing that’s it CBS, chances are they’re going to have to replace her kryptonite with geritol.
~
Coat
The very fact she’s called Supergirl not Superwoman (who is a villain in the comics) is enough to start the dykes howling.
Then there’ll be the morons who expect the Henry Cavill Superman to guest-star in it.
Then it’ll be on CBS.
Then they’ll probably get a brunette or a minority chick to play Supergirl just to stick it to the hardcore fans.
Then the costume won’t be right (see: the Gal Gadot Wonder Woman). And it’s not on the CW, where Arrow and the Flash are killing it.
I don’t have much faith in this one.
i could remind you both networks are of the same company and berlanti or whatever has affiliations with all 3 so supergirl could in fact be incorperated in flash and arrow… so they can have a justice leage 3 ep crossover(1 ep each series)