Last week, NBC unveiled its superhero series The Cape with a two-hour premiere not once, but twice. It’s been promoted for weeks and blanketed four hours in just two nights. But that’s no guarantee of success.
With a few exceptions, superheroes and television don’t mix: The Incredible Hulk Returns, Superboy, The Flash, Mutant X. Even Heroes came out of the gate strong but disappointed thereafter.
But if we’re not saving the cheerleader to save the world, do we even care?
ABC’s No Ordinary Family has had moderate success so far without a pom-pom in sight. So what’s the secret of superhero success?
Modern heroes do not come from other planets. They are everyday folk and they do not look for greatness. It is thrust upon them.
Forget the namby-pamby spider-bite. Heroes are created through an eclipse, nuclear overdose, or, as in the case of the Powells of Family, a plane crash. After all, something good must come out of an otherwise crappy day.
Next is everyone’s favourite part: the power discovery. I don’t care how old you are. If you found out you could fly, you’d be testing your speed limits with an F-18 too – or chasing trains, breaking things, shooting stuff. And how many of us did just that as children? Or last week? (I was “Oh Mighty Isis!” – As a kid, not last week.)
The challenge is learning how to use those powers to help mankind without personal identification. In other words, time to find a rockin’ costume. In the case of The Cape, it really is the clothes that make the man – or the superhero. Without it, he’s just a brawny fighter. But for the hero who is physically sup-ed up, the outfit is still pretty important window dressing.
Bear in mind fabric strength, facial obscurity, and change room requirements. The Clark Kent/Superman thing would never work today. And who could find a phone booth to undress in anyway? Wonder Woman just spun in a circle, but even she needed her privacy.
A costume-free hero is do-able. But that requires some pretty creative alibis to explain the weirdness that ensues. My beloved Buffy was forever battling “muggers” and “rabid dogs.”
The biggest task is to combine superhero responsibilities with everyday life. Employers don’t take kindly to daily disappearances from the Land of the Cubicle. And it seriously complicates one’s social life. So the hero must be charming, glib, intelligent and great with a punchline.
But will our current shows survive the TV kryptonite?
Well, Family does have the added power of actor Michael Chiklis with his sweet dome head that makes you want to rub it and make a wish. The Cape must make do with ER’s sexy David Lyons minus his Aussie accent. Ah, the crosses we must bear.
With a few exceptions, superheroes and television don’t mix: The Incredible Hulk Returns, Superboy, The Flash, Mutant X. Even Heroes came out of the gate strong but disappointed thereafter.
But if we’re not saving the cheerleader to save the world, do we even care?
ABC’s No Ordinary Family has had moderate success so far without a pom-pom in sight. So what’s the secret of superhero success?
Modern heroes do not come from other planets. They are everyday folk and they do not look for greatness. It is thrust upon them.
Forget the namby-pamby spider-bite. Heroes are created through an eclipse, nuclear overdose, or, as in the case of the Powells of Family, a plane crash. After all, something good must come out of an otherwise crappy day.
Next is everyone’s favourite part: the power discovery. I don’t care how old you are. If you found out you could fly, you’d be testing your speed limits with an F-18 too – or chasing trains, breaking things, shooting stuff. And how many of us did just that as children? Or last week? (I was “Oh Mighty Isis!” – As a kid, not last week.)
The challenge is learning how to use those powers to help mankind without personal identification. In other words, time to find a rockin’ costume. In the case of The Cape, it really is the clothes that make the man – or the superhero. Without it, he’s just a brawny fighter. But for the hero who is physically sup-ed up, the outfit is still pretty important window dressing.
Bear in mind fabric strength, facial obscurity, and change room requirements. The Clark Kent/Superman thing would never work today. And who could find a phone booth to undress in anyway? Wonder Woman just spun in a circle, but even she needed her privacy.
A costume-free hero is do-able. But that requires some pretty creative alibis to explain the weirdness that ensues. My beloved Buffy was forever battling “muggers” and “rabid dogs.”
The biggest task is to combine superhero responsibilities with everyday life. Employers don’t take kindly to daily disappearances from the Land of the Cubicle. And it seriously complicates one’s social life. So the hero must be charming, glib, intelligent and great with a punchline.
But will our current shows survive the TV kryptonite?
Well, Family does have the added power of actor Michael Chiklis with his sweet dome head that makes you want to rub it and make a wish. The Cape must make do with ER’s sexy David Lyons minus his Aussie accent. Ah, the crosses we must bear.
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