After some bizarre renewal drama where CBS sent Kara off to the CW, and which turned out to be mostly unnecessary, Supergirl is finally back on screens, and ready to introduce her cousin. Well, up to a point, anyway: It’s clearly still Kara’s show.
Supergirl‘s first season was different from DC’s other network superhero shows in that it was more directly an adaptation of Superman comics from the ’80s, just with a few twists, as opposed to the looser take of the CW shows. There were straight adaptations, like “For The Girl Who Has Everything,” of course, but there were a host of subtle nods to the ’80s comics as well. Obscure characters like the robot Kelex and the creepy genetics-obsessed Maxima weren’t just brought up as fan service, but used well so that viewers who hadn’t read the comics could follow along, while fans felt a little tug of nostalgia. And there were some great upendings of continuity: Fans who thought they knew who Hank Henshaw was were in for a heck of a surprise when his true identity was revealed.
The second season, of course, has Superman, but he’s almost superfluous. Supergirl‘s laid a rich, fascinating groundwork for Kara, Hank, Alex and the rest of the team. We’ll see what they do with it tonight at 8 p.m. EST on the CW.
