PILOT REVIEW: Supergirl

SUPERGIRL

Starring: Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, with David Harewood, and Calista Flockhart

Based on Characters Created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel
Developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg
Teleplay by Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti, & Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by Glen Winter

THE PREMISE
CBS's foray into the superhero field is Supergirl, a fun and bright show starring Melissa Benoist as the title character, a.k.a. Kara Danvers. She is Superman's cousin and one of the last surviving members from the planet Krypton. She is trying to live a life under the radar and without using her powers but an incident involving her Earth sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh) changes things. With her identity still a secret, she works for the domineering Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) at the media conglomerate CatCo in National City. She also ends up connected with Superman character James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) at the company. Rounding out the main cast is Kara's co-worker and tech guy, Winslow Schott (Jeremy Jordan), and Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), the head of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations.

THE REVIEW
This isn't a perfect pilot, but in a season where the new shows have inspired such little enthusiasm from me and many others, it's definitely one to be excited about and that is no small thing. It all starts with Melissa Benoist who shines in the title role. She plays all types well from the rom-com girl that she appears to be at the beginning to the beat-down she lays as Supergirl, to the feminist she starts to become as the episode progresses. This was a tremendous casting decision as Benoist brings so much charisma and energy to the role. I found myself rooting for her the entire time.The rest of the cast is nothing to scoff at either with Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, and Jeremy Jordn all delivering good performances and there's another standout performance, albeit a bit of a caricature, from Calista Flockhart.

This show is certainly more in the fun CW type of superhero show compared to the brooding Gotham. It certainly will have intense moments but it's not taking itself too seriously and that works very well for this format. Sure, it borders on cheesy from time to time but that's not even really a problem in this genre. It plays like a colorful and fun comic book.

Where the problem lies for me is, I ultimately don't love comic book shows or movies. I have stuck with Gotham because Batman is more the exception to the rule but despite good reviews, I've never really even given a chance to Arrow or The Flash. I really loved this pilot but I'm not convinced I'm going to love the show even though it has so many things going for it. I really do hope it does well because it is a strong show in all respects. I am just not sure it's for me. If I do stick with it, it will probably be thanks to Melissa Benoist.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes. As I said, I may not stick with it in the long run because of my own personal tastes but I definitely want to see the next couple episodes.