Both Marvel and DC are developing workplace comedies focusing on a very different part of their respective comic book universes, and Powerless is set to take place in an insurance agency where the employees deal with the destruction left behind by the world’s superheroes. Talking at the Television Critics Association press tour today, NBC executives Robert Greenblatt and Jennifer Salke revealed some new details about what we should expect from the upcoming series.
“This is a world where superheroes are not only just on green screen out the window of this insurance office, but they’re also running into you on the street and wreaking havoc. The idea isn’t that it’s the creme de la creme of the superheroes. It’s a world where there’s a whole population of superheroes with all sorts of all challenges themselves. So you’re seeing quite a range of characters in that realm in addition to our great, kind of grounded human ensemble.”
As for whether this means we’ll see or hear the names of big name Justice League level superheroes, they added:
“Oh yeah, they’ve namedropped everyone. I don’t think they’ve said anyone’s off limits. Just creatively, what I’ve seen so far of the pilot, the main superhero that’s featured is not one of those [Batman or Superman-type heroes], but it’s someone recognizable. Also, they’re in the background. They’re wallpaper I suppose, as opposed to they’re not the main characters in the show, so you may see them blowing up a building out the window or something.”
As strange as it is that both Marvel and DC are moving ahead with superhero sitcoms, it’s going to be very interesting to see how all of these turn out, but Powerless in particular sounds like a fun concept.
The fact that we’ll be hearing the names of well-known superheroes is great (especially as Batman and Superman are off limits to the likes of Arrow and The Flash), and while it will more than likely be set in its own corner of the DC Universe, crossovers could certainly be a lot of fun.
