Spin-Off Goals: Can ‘Supergirl’ lead to Nightwing / potential ‘Titans’ series?
Is there a way to craft a spin-off from a series like “Supergirl”? We may be jumping the gun at the moment, but it’s certainly a fair question. There are still so many stories to tell within the comic-book world, and this is the sort of show that could launch one. It’s improved in terms of quality over the past several weeks, and it just so happens that a certain property is now ripe for the taking “Titans,” “Teen Titans,” or whatever else you want to call it. TNT passed on the project, and that presents somewhat of an open door for CBS to consider this.
In the latest edition of our Spin-Off Goals article series, we’re going to do our best to explain just why this is the right fit for “Supergirl,” and also the right fit for the network to go through with this.
Why Titans? – Think along the lines of Nightwing, Raven, Starfire, or Wonder Girl. These are all popular characters who have been featured in this comic universe, and these are people that are relatively untapped at the moment when it comes to live-action TV or feature films. They’re all reasonably popular, and we think that going with a group of popular characters already out there is a smarter move than trying to spin off someone like Hank Henshaw, who has been firmly established as a key part of the DEO. Sure, Martian Manhunter is a cool enough character for his own show, but we like him here.
The idea – It’s basically a semi-procedural action show where each week, a team of Titans work together to take on villains. It’s a little different from “Legends of Tomorrow” in that you don’t worry so much about time-travel, and you can assemble a smaller crew here that will keep the show from feeling as weighty. It’s easy to bring some of these characters into “Supergirl” for a backdoor pilot, and there is potential for constant crossovers here since Kara Zor-El always can use a little bit of help.
Could this actually happen? – We definitely think so, but the reality is that for this season, there’s definitely not time. It’s remarkable in itself that there is a crossover with “The Flash” happening. If the show keeps its ratings reasonably steady in the 1.6-1.8 range in the 18-49 demographic, we could see CBS wanting to look at other properties to build their own small DC Comics universe. They just have to find timeslots that aren’t in competition with what other networks are doing.