‘Supergirl’ coming to CBS with series commitment

How about this for a shocker on a Friday? Not only is the “Supergirl” series going to happen, but it’s coming to arguably the biggest network on TV in CBS … and with a series commitment, no less.

This project, executive-produced by Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash”) as well as Ali Adler (“Glee,” “Chuck,” “The New Normal”), is going to be a full-fledged adaptation of the popular character. Kara Zor-El is Superman’s cousin, and following her own arrival on Earth, she tries to keep most of her powers a secret. However, that changes when she turns 24, and decides that she wants to fully embrace who she is and the powers she brings to the table.

The reason we’re so surprised by this news is simply because out of any network, CBS will have the largest expectations for “Supergirl” to succeed. You need big numbers to stay alive there, and we wonder if most comic-book characters can be mainstream enough. This one at least does have the big-time name recognition.

As for the series commitment, what this ultimately means is that there will be production of new episodes of the show, though it does not necessarily mean that it will make it to the air. We saw something like this happen with “Hieroglyph,” the Fox Egyptian drama that had a series commitment, but was canceled when all parties involved could not agree on the creative direction. We don’t imagine this happening in this case, though; Berlanti is enormous in the producing world, and this show will be closely monitored. Casting the heroine will be key; Laura Vandervoot played her during “Smallville,” but it is assured that the series will go in a new direction here to try to distance themselves from that world.

What do you think about “Supergirl” getting to see the light of day? Share below.