The Monday night premiere of ‘Supergirl’ proved how certain television shows offer more than simply entertainment.
"Our show is a real celebration of girl power,” ‘Supergirl’ star Calista Flockhart said in an interview with People Magazine. "I think it's refreshing and really important for young girls to have a role models to look up to."
Flockhart takes on the role of Cat Grant, the boss of the titular character's alter ego, on the new CBS series. Despite her character’s lack of superhuman strength, the 50-year-old actress believes that she’s stronger than what is expected of her.
"The exciting part about playing Cat is that there really are no boundaries. She's kind of out there. She's unapologetic and uncompromising," she said.
Flockhart also believes that the challenge lies in achieving a balance between being tough and likeable at the same time.
"She's kind of earned this position in her life. She can be really nasty at times, but I don't want to cross over into the world of making people not like her,” she added. “We want to keep a likable and sassy as possible. I think that's the balance we're hoping to strike."
The TV adaptation of ‘Supergirl,’ starring Melissa Benoist as the titular character, follows the story of Kara Zor-El, who comes to live with the Danver family after being sent away from Krypton and landing on Earth. The 24-year-old superhero uses her power in an unfortunate event, and her adoptive parents share their knowledge for Benoist’s character to be extra careful when using her powers.
Zor-El is also known as the biological cousin of Superman.
Aside from Flockhart and Benoist, other cast members include Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen, David Harewood as Hank Henshaw and Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, among others.
According to Forbes, while there have been numerous male superheroes dominating television, ‘Supergirl’ is only the fourth series in the last four decades about a female protagonist.
It has now been found that younger generations who grew up with the absence of female superheroes on TV said they are in favor of male superheroes as compared to females, as stated by ‘Nobody’s Damsel: A Study on Modern Women on TV and the Audiences Who Watch Them,’ a recent study by the marketing firm Trailer Park in partnership with QC Strategy.
“There hasn’t been a strong female superhero on TV for about 40 years, since Wonder Woman,” D’nea Kingsley, head of integrated strategy at Trailer Park, said to Forbes. “It’s really hard for audiences to strongly desire something they don’t know.”
‘Supergirl’ recently made its official premiere on Monday, Oct. 26, and has been developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg.
