If you’ve yet to jump on the Black Lightning bandwagon, then let me say that you’ve been missing out on one of the more addictive, intriguing superhero shows on all of TV. Granted, it’s understandable if some are late to the party, but you’ve got the whole summer to binge the first season when it arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this June.
What’s been great about the series thus far is that it’s somehow been able to achieve a great balance by containing as much heart and warmth as The Flash, yet isn’t afraid to get as dark and unapologetic as Arrow. Plus, it’s chock full of relevant social issues, thus giving the ongoing saga a generous amount of depth.
That said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when lead actor Cress Williams began listing off what he hopes to see in season 2 during our discussion last weekend at Motor City Comic Con:
“They discovered what really resonates with people is the family aspect, and the aspect of tackling real life social issues. Those are the two things I really, really enjoy, so we’re gonna continue doing that.”
Of course, Williams and his colleagues had a hurdle to jump during their freshman year due to the mainstream being mostly unfamiliar with the character of Black Lightning. But now, the possibilities of what can be achieved come this fall are endless.
“We have a little more leeway now because the first season was about…this is not a superhero like Superman or Green Lantern that everybody knows something about, so we really had to introduce him, answer all these questions, and establish the world before season 2. So now, the people know the characters and we can really just dig in.”
As he continued, I began to get the impression we could see some shorter arcs in the next year, as Williams discussed that while teasing the tone:
“I think we’re gonna get darker, I think we’re gonna be more serialized where it might not be be one overarching season, but, like, little mini-vignettes. But I really want to see it continue to be dark, tackling real issues, and through the daughters…because they’re very different human beings, how they view their powers. I want to show the light side of having powers, but also the dark side of having powers.”
With that, we can only assume Black Lightning‘s next effort will be just as much fun – if not more – than the first season, but will remind us that actions have consequences. Fortunately, the show will retain the prime real estate that is the timeslot following The Flash on Tuesday nights on The CW when things pick up in October.
Published: May 25, 2018 11:29 am