When it was first said that fan favorite DC superhero Black Lightning would be coming to television, many high fives likely occurred. But when word got out that the show would no longer be at Fox and instead join The CW’s Arrowverse, it stands to reason that those same fans danced with joy.
As the road to pilot season kicks off, speculation begins to run rampant as we eagerly await casting news. But, thanks to Slash Report, we may have our first details concerning the series’ plot. And from the sound of their description, it seems rather promising:
“In present day Watts, the One Hundred street gang is winning the war against the LAPD and the local citizens. Jefferson Pierce, 40, is the principal of the local high school. He’s been separated from his wife Lynn for over a decade ever since he stopped being the superhero Black Lightning. The violent street gang killed an innocent high school student that Black Lightning was desperately trying to protect. His younger daughter Jennifer is a student athlete while his older daughter Anissa teaches at the high school.
“Jefferson has been trying to make the high school an oasis of hope for the violent neighborhood. After a gangbanger gets Jennifer in trouble, Jefferson is forced to use his powers for the first time in a decade. After rescuing her and beating up two racist LAPD cops, he’s saved by Gambi his former mentor. He pleads to Jefferson to bring back Black Lightning because the neighborhood needs to be saved from the One Hundred. He refuses but finally needs to bring back his heroic persona when his two daughters are kidnapped by gang members…”
If you ask me, that sounds entirely plausible when it comes to what we could see in the pilot episode. Should they indeed go with a Jefferson Pierce who hasn’t used his powers in quite some time, that would certainly be a way to differentiate this show from the likes of Arrow and The Flash. Plus, it opens the door for flashbacks similar to those the former is known for.
Aside from some DC Nation shorts on Cartoon Network, Black Lightning hasn’t really had any headlining gigs outside of the comic book realm, so that’s one of many things that makes the prospect of this series seeing the light of day so exciting. Not only that, but it allows the network to have another superhero show that likely won’t have an astronomical budget like that of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which despite being renewed for a third season, wouldn’t surprise us if it soon met its end due to cost cutting.
As of now, there’s no concrete date for a Black Lightning premiere, but should it receive a series order, we’re crossing our fingers for a fall 2017 debut or, at the very latest, early 2018.
