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NBC's Powerless
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From Deadline:

 

The primetime DC Comics universe is expanding in a comedy direction. In a competitive situation, Powerless, a half-hour single-camera comedy from A To Z creator Ben Queen and Warner Bros. TV, has landed at NBC with a pilot production commitment.

 

The project evokes NBC’s signature comedy series The Office, but with superheroes. Based on characters from DC Comics, Powerless is a workplace comedy set at one of the worst insurance companies in America — with the twist being that it also takes place in the universe of DC Comics. The show is about the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of superheroes and villains.

 

It hasn’t been determined yet exactly which DC characters will appear on thbenqueene show, but I hear the list is not expected to include the biggest DC brands like Batman and Superman. The focus of the series is on the ordinary, “power-less” folk working at the insurance company who often envy the men and women outside their window who make headlines with their supernatural powers. Queen, who is under an overall deal at WBTV, is the writer/executive producer.

 

Comedy is a natural extension for the DC brand as there is not much room left for expansion on the drama side, with five DC Universe series on the broadcast networks (Gotham on Fox; Supergirl on CBS; Arrow, The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow on the CW) and a sixth in the works in cable (Titans on TNT).

 

Powerless reunites Queen with NBC where he created and executive produced comedy A To Z, also from WBTV. Previously, he created and executive produced the 2007 Fox/20th TV drama series Drive, which starred Emma Stone and Nathan Fillion. On the feature side, he wrote Cars 2 for Pixar and previously wrote Slanted & Enchanted for Warner Bros. Queen is repped by UTA and attorney David Webber.

 

NBC is making a push in comedy for next season. The network yesterday announced a straight-to-series order to a project from Mike Schur, a pilot order to a comedy produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock as well as pilot orders to two projects submitted through the NBC Playground initiative.

 

So a sitcom the talks about Superman and Batman? Isn't that "The Big Bang Theory"?

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NBC Gives Pilot Order to DC Comics Powerless

 

The DC Comics based comedy Powerless is moving forward at NBC, with a pilot order now issued for the series, TVLine first reported. NBC previously made a pilot production commitment in August 2015, but is now officially green lighting the production and filming of a pilot episode.

 

The show takes place firmly in the DC Universe, but don't expect to see Superman and Batman fighting Doomsday out in the streets (that's reserved for the big screen). Instead, the show, being developed by Ben Queen, is more like a cross between The Office and a superhero universe. It centers on an insurance company that specializes in insuring and fixing the wreckage in the aftermath of DC's superpowered battles. Their titular status is also a focus - imagine actually being a regular joe in a world of superpowers - you'd probably feel a bit of envy, too.

 

After what they did with Constantine, I have a hard time trusting NBC with any new comic book adaption. Though this sounds to be something that will be made fresh with existing characters.

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Vanessa Hudgens Cast In DC Comics' Powerless

 

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens will appear in NBC's planned DC Comics sitcom Powerless, THR reports.

 

The series is set at an insurance company in the DC Universe, where Hudgens and other members of her workplace ensemble will serve the needs of those whose property is destroyed by superhero battles.

 

According to her character description, Hudgens will topline the pilot and portray Emily Locke, an insurance claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people, Emily likes to fly under the radar and just get her work done. She finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various Super Heroes that proliferate in her city.

 

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Vanessa Hudgens Cast In DC Comics' Powerless

 

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens will appear in NBC's planned DC Comics sitcom Powerless, THR reports.

 

The series is set at an insurance company in the DC Universe, where Hudgens and other members of her workplace ensemble will serve the needs of those whose property is destroyed by superhero battles.

 

According to her character description, Hudgens will topline the pilot and portray Emily Locke, an insurance claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people, Emily likes to fly under the radar and just get her work done. She finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various Super Heroes that proliferate in her city.

 

hudgens-dc-171106.jpg

 

That girl is gorgeous.

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Vanessa Hudgens Cast In DC Comics' Powerless

 

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens will appear in NBC's planned DC Comics sitcom Powerless, THR reports.

 

The series is set at an insurance company in the DC Universe, where Hudgens and other members of her workplace ensemble will serve the needs of those whose property is destroyed by superhero battles.

 

According to her character description, Hudgens will topline the pilot and portray Emily Locke, an insurance claims adjuster who loves her job because she gets to help people, Emily likes to fly under the radar and just get her work done. She finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various Super Heroes that proliferate in her city.

 

hudgens-dc-171106.jpg

 

That girl is gorgeous.

 

lol watch her in Springbreakers.

 

I saw her at a SXSW after party a couple of years ago, legit in-person.

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They're moving forward with casting rather fast.

 

NBC's DC Comics Workplace Comedy POWERLESS Adds Danny Pudi, Alan Tudyk, & Christina Kirk

 

Following their breaking news yesterday which announced that Vanessa Hudgens (Grease: Live!) would be headlining NBC's Powerless, a workplace comedy set in the DC Comics universe, TV Line is back today with information on a couple familiar faces that will be joining her. Those faces are Community alum Danny Pudi, Firefly's Alan Tudyk, and A to Z's Christina Kirk. They'll play supporting players to Hudgens' lead character 'Emily Locke,' an insurance claims adjuster who finds herself increasingly exasperated by the disruptive antics of the various superheroes that proliferate in her city.

 

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This is already being discussed in the Copper Age section, where folks are dividing up the millions they are going to make on back issues.

 

This Is The DC Comics Superhero Who Will Take On A Leading Role In POWERLESS

 

 

You may recall that it was previously mentioned that a superhero from the Justice League will have a presence in Powerless, and we now know that will be...Crimson Fox? She's not exactly a huge name, but there are a lot of references throughout the -script to some more familiar names, so who knows who else could cameo down the line.

 

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Comic Con 2016 TV Pilot Review: Powerless

 

Synopsis: In the first comedy series set in the universe of DC Comics, Vanessa Hudgens (“Grease Live,” “High School Musical”) plays Emily, a spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes. It’s when she stands up to one of these larger-than-life figures (after an epic battle messes with her commute) that she accidentally becomes a cult “hero” in her own right … even if it’s just to her group of lovably quirky co-workers. Now, while she navigates her normal, everyday life against an explosive backdrop, Emily might just discover that being a hero doesn’t always require superpowers.

 

Review: The pilot follows Hudgens as Emily who lives in Charm City and works for the ninth largest insurance company in the world, RetCon Insurance. In this world, superheroes have become a part of regular life and the destruction they cause becomes a big factor in benefits for familes with loved ones crushed by rubble or giant killer robots. The pilot gives is some good looks at Charm City's main hero, Crimson Fox, as well as well known DC villain, Starro.

 

At it's core, Powerless is a fairly standard workplace comedy. Aside from Hudgens as the spunky main character, we have the goofy coworker as played by Community favorite Danny Pudi, the sexually overt Christina Kirk, and the mean boss played by Alan Tudyk. Tudyk plays Del, son of RetCon's CEO and a man yearning for respect from his employees.

 

One character tries to prove their coworker is not the Green Lantern by causing bodily harm, Del reads Lex Luthor's autobiography, and we see clocks in the office set to time everywhere from Gotham and Metropolis to Themyscira and Atlantis. There is also a brief cameo from Marc McClure, Jimmy Olsen in Richard Donner's 1978 SUPERMAN, as Emily's mentor and former boss. This is a lot to be crammed into a half hour pilot, but it works for the most part. Powerless does seem to try a bit too hard to push the comedy on us but when they let the superheroics fall a bit off the main plot, the episode works better. Vanessa Hudgens is well cast as the likeable and cute Emily which will help this show in the long run. It would definitely help if we saw Batman or Superman appear on the show, even in a fleeting glimpse rather than just seeing C-list heroes, but that may be wishful thinking. Overall, this is a nice addition to the DC live action universe.

 

Overall Rating: 7/10 Stars

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Uh-ohhh.

 

Powerless Showrunner Departs The DC Comics Comedy Series

 

Ben Queen, the writer of Cars 2 and writer/producer of A to Z, has departed NBC's Powerless, Deadline reports.

 

Queen wrote the pilot for the anticipated superhero sitcom, and was set to be co-showrunner on the series with Michael Patrick Jann, who directed the pilot. Queen reportedly departed as part of a mutual decision with Warner Bros. Television and NBC, due to creative differences between Queen and those in charge of the show.

 

As Deadline notes, this isn't the first time this has happened recently: FOX's anticipated live-action/animation hybrid Son of Zorn lost one of its showrunners earlier this year as well. It's not an entirely uncommon development, so shouldn't be immediately assumed to mean major troubles for the series...although it obviously could prove to be bad.

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NBC's DC Universe Comedy Series POWERLESS Gets A Premiere Date

 

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The DC Films Universe may be light on the jokes, but next February, DC's television side is going to bring the funny with Powerless, an all-new comedy series on NBC.

 

Earlier today, the network announced that the Vanessa Hudgens-led series will make its long-awaited premiere on Thursday, February 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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New POWERLESS Synopsis Moves The Action From An Insurance Agency To A Wayne Enterprises Company

 

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The pilot episode of Powerless was screened to a mixed, but mostly positive, response at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, but it sounds like NBC has made some major changes to the first ever DC Comics sitcom. While the events of the workplace comedy were originally set to take place at an insurance company, Batman-News reveals that the network has made a big change to that which ties into the world of the Caped Crusader. While the premise won't be too different, it's still a big alteration!

 

In a world where humanity must cope with the collateral damage of Super Heroes and Super-Villains, Emily Locke (Vanessa Hudgens) begins her first day as Director of Research & Development for Wayne Security, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises that specializes in products that make defenseless bystanders feel a little safer. Full of confidence and big ideas, Emily quickly learns that her expectations far exceed those of her new boss (Alan Tudyk) and officemates, so it will be up to her to lead the team toward their full potential and the realization that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero.

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Will Batman Make An Appearance in Powerless?

 

So far, Powerless on NBC has not confirmed which heroes will appear on the show aside from Crimson Fox. Atlin Mitchell plays the character, who first debuted in the show’s first trailer.

 

On the side of evil is Jack O’Lantern, a popular comic book villain from DC Universe. He possesses a mystical lantern that gives him the ability of flight, teleportation, casting illusion and flame, superhuman strength and create frogs. Based on that character description, he seems like the perfect villain for the comedy superhero series.

 

But, unfortunately, bigger names such as Batman or Superman are unlikely to drop by. First, the characters are expensive to license. Moreover, both Batman and Superman already appear in other television shows. The young Wayne, for example, is on Fox’s Gotham while Superman already flew to The CW’s Supergirl.

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