PILOT REVIEW: Powerless

POWERLESS

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, Ron Funches, and Alan Tudyk

Developed for Television by Ben Queen
Written by Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, Directed by Marc Buckland

Powerless is a very unique new sitcom and I found it to be more intriguing and interesting than other reviews I have seen. Set in the DC Comics World of characters like Batman and Superman, Powerless is centered on Wayne Security, a firm run by Bruce Wayne's cousin, Van (Alan Tudyk) in a world where ordinary citizens interact regularly with superheros and villains. The obsolete firm is on the verge of shutting down until new boss Emily (Vanessa Hudgens) comes up with an idea to keep them alive. Rounding out the main cast are co-workers Teddy, Jackie, and Ron (Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, and Ron Funches).

I actually really like the premise here and I felt like the beginning and end were very strong though it dragged a bit in the middle. I actually can see this evolving into a quirky workplace sitcom ala its lead-in, Superstore. Whereas Superstore bends reality to make it a little bit kooky, this show is taking the surreal fantasy setting and bending it to make it a little more mundane. And I thought it worked for the most part though it certainly wasn't perfect.

The cast is promising with Vanessa Hudgens a natural in the lead role and Alan Tudyk being pretty funny as Bruce Wayne's cousin. The early scene between Hudgens and Tudyk was the highlight of the episode. I know Danny Pudi and Ron Funches have potential because of their track record but they didn't get to do much in the pilot, especially Pudi. I hope the show decides to just settle in sooner rather than later and not make these characters "types." Superstore started that way to an extent but settled in quickly and Powerless will be better off as it does the same.

I'm curious to see how this show incorporates the heroes and villains and what it looks like on a weekly basis. There's a lot of potential for it to do cool things with cool guest stars but I think there's also a potential trap that it will focus too much on quirky heroes/villains and not enough time on developing its core cast. Ultimately, for this show to work, it needs to be about a group of ordinary citizens trying their best in an unpredictable world with twists and turns. The pilot showed me it could get there.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes, I'm quite curious to see what the second episode looks like.