There was a lot of pressure on Supergirl when she arrived on CBS in October, after a long period of promotion. The series represented an answer to the growing call for female-led superhero projects on both the big and small screens, and so it was in danger of falling foul of those unreasonably high expectations. Thankfully, the show appears to have risen to the challenge, and has received an order for seven more episodes, bringing its total order to a full season.
CBS issued a press release with the details:
“CBS announced today an order for seven more episodes of Supergirl, providing a full season of 20 episodes for the freshman drama that launched on October 26th. CBS has now given additional episode orders to all four of its new fall series – Supergirl, Life In Pieces, Limitless and Code Black.
“Supergirl averages 11.24 million viewers, 2.8/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.5/09 in adults 25-54. The series has improved the year-ago time period by +46% in viewers, +40% in adults 18-49 and +25% in adults 25-54.
“Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh and Jeremy Jordan, with David Harewood and Calista Flockhart. Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg and Sarah Schechter are executive producers for Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television. Supergirl is based on the characters from DC Comics.”
While the show has received some mixed reactions, it is important to note that the order for a full season of 20 episodes is a significant commitment at a time when female-led superhero projects – particularly on television – are erroneously believed to be a risky proposition.
Marvel’s Agent Carter is a case in point, consisting of only 8 episodes in its first season, and initially struggling to find a broadcaster in the UK, despite an excellent reaction from critics and audiences alike. Now that CBS has demonstrated its full confidence in the Supergirl series, we will hopefully see the show continue to go from strength to strength.
