NBC made the order for the DC Comics comedy half hour series Powerless back during the upfronts this past spring/summer and now we’re getting some details on it. The show was set for a mid-season replacement slot from the beginning and it’s now getting a February 2nd, placement. It’ll show up on the network at 8:30pm on Thursdays as it succeeds The Good Place, which finished up its 13-episode season. It’ll follow Superstore, making for an hour of workplace comedy material on the network.
The series has cast Vanessa Hudgens to play an insurance claims adjuster, Emily Locke, who loves keeping to herself and helping others with through job. However, she becomes irritated by the superhuman activity running rampant through her city. Danny Pudi has been cast as Teddy, the best work friend of Hudgens’ character. He’s described as spending his days “creating time-wasting pranks as a way to make their office, the ‘least super place on earth,’ just a little less ‘unsuper.’” Alan Tudyk, known to many fans as Wash from “Firefly” and “Serenity,” will play Hudgens’ boss Del — who was promoted just because he’s the boss’ son. He’s described as a “power-mad disastrous dictator of a boss” and a “rich, over-educated globetrotting wastrel.” Christina Kirk (“A to Z”) has been cast as Jackie, a fan of super heroes — specifically beefcake super guys. Jackie’s also Del’s personal assistant, but she will begin “buckling under his unreasonable and impossible demands.””
The project comes from A to Z creator Ben Queen and Warner Bros. where it’ll do an Office-like attempt set with a non-powered cast that has to deal with the fallout of living in that world. Material like this has been done in the comics for years and years with both Marvel and DC Comics doing it, having fun poking fun at themselves and what happens in the world, though you can also see plenty of workplace elements taking a strong nod here that will humanize it more and add some good layers to it.
Plot concept: anessa Hudgens (“Grease Live,” “High School Musical”) plays Emily, a spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes. It’s when she stands up to one of these larger-than-life figures (after an epic battle messes with her commute) that she accidentally becomes a cult “hero” in her own right … even if it’s just to her group of lovably quirky co-workers. Now, while she navigates her normal, everyday life against an explosive backdrop, Emily might just discover that being a hero doesn’t always require superpowers.
