The unstoppable juggernaut (no, not Charles Xavier”s stepbrother) that is comic book television continues with no signs of slowing down. Superheroes are big business, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Three of the Top 10 grossing films of 2016 star superheroes and we aren”t even halfway through the year. There are no less than SEVEN shows based on comic books returning to broadcast television in the fall, and that obviously doesn”t include cable programming or Netflix. Fans are ravenous for any information. So why make it so difficult for media outlets to feed the masses?
For example, it”s upfront week. Each day a different broadcast network is cutting through the deadweight, canceling shows left and right. Into this carnage, they release brand-new baby shows to feast on the remains of their predecessors. NBC announced their changes four days ago. One of those changes was Vanessa Hudgens new show Powerless. The comedy follows insurance adjustors just trying to live their lives in a world where superheroes and supervillains regularly destroy city blocks like so many tinker toys. NBC even had a trailer to show off the dynamic between Emily Locke (Hudgens), Teddy (Danny Pudi), and Del (Alan Tudyk). But head to NBC”s YouTube page (as of this writing) and what do you find? No trailer.
FOUR. DAYS.
That”s not to say it doesn”t exist. Fans are willing to skirt the law in order to catch a glimpse at a bad Aquaman joke. For a lot of websites – HitFix included – posting pirated trailers is against the rules. But all you have to do is Google “Powerless trailer” and take your pick.
This is far from the first time a corporation has dragged their feet when it comes to timely trailer releases. Despite the series dropping in March, Netflix STILL hasn”t put the Luke Cage trailer up. That doesn”t mean you can”t find it though. It just means the quality is bad. San Diego Comic-Con is notorious for dragging their feet on releasing footage to the general populace, sometimes only doing so after grainy footage forces their hand.
But it doesn”t have to be like this. I”ve argued before that Star Wars Celebration did it right. Simultaneous release of The Force Awakens trailer live and on YouTube didn”t diminish hype. If anything it amplified the camaraderie felt by fans as millions of people around the world tuned in to watch. There”s something very backwards about fans pirating MARKETING materials.
It”s 2016. Hollywood shouldn”t be ‘Powerless” to coordinate a trailer drop.