With more of the upfronts underway for the fall 2015-16 season, CBS has finally scheduled their foray into the world of superheroes with Supergirl. The show is in an interesting position in that CBS wants to give it a strong footing, but rather than launching it amid all the other shows, they’re going to wait until Thursday Night Football ends in November because Big Bang Theory and the new show Life in Pieces are taking over the Monday night comedy block on the network at 8pm. When Thursday Night Football ends, those two shows move back and then Supergirl will premiere at 8pm – opposite of Gotham on Fox, which should be fun to see how they handle this.
According to the initial report, the size of the series commitment got shortened during the pickup in order to get the talent they wanted on it, but with the way that more shows are moving away from the full 22 model and coming off better for it, this isn’t a bad thing. According to the buzz on the pilot, it’s getting very good reviews overall.
The pilot was written by Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler. Berlanti has been responsible for both Arrow and The Flash on The CW. CBS has picked up the show to series already for the fall 2015 season. It stars Melissa Benoist as Kara, Mehcad Brooks Brooks, Davide Harewood as Hank Henshaw, Chyler Leigh as Alexandra Danvers, Laura Nenanti as Alura Zor-El and Calista Flockhart as Cat Grant. Dean Cain and Helen Slater are guest starring in the pilot.
Plot concept: The series centers on Kara Zor-El (Benoist). Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, she’s been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin, Superman. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.
CBS FALL 2015-16 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
MONDAY
8-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30-9 PM LIFE IN PIECES
8-9 PM SUPERGIRL (Starting in November)
9-10 PM Scorpion
10-11 PM NCIS: Los Angeles
TUESDAY
8-9 PM NCIS
9-10 PM NCIS: New Orleans
10-11 PM LIMITLESS
WEDNESDAY
8-9 PM Survivor
9-10 PM Criminal Minds
10-11 PM CODE BLACK
THURSDAY
8-11 PM, ET/ NFL Thursday Night Football (Premieres Sept. 17)
5-8 PM, PT
8-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory (RTP) (Starting in November)
8:30-9 PM LIFE IN PIECES (Starting in November)
9-9:30 PM Mom (Starting in November)
9:30-10 PM ANGEL FROM HELL (Starting in November)
10-11 PM Elementary(Starting in November)
FRIDAY
8-9 PM The Amazing Race
9-10 PM Hawaii Five-O
10-11 PM Blue Bloods
SATURDAY
8-9 PM Crimetime Saturday
9-10 PM Crimetime Saturday
10-11 PM 48 Hours
SUNDAY
7-9 PM 60 Minutes
8-9 PM Madam Secretary
9-10 PM The Good Wife
10-11 PM CSI: CYBER
Series description: SUPERGIRL — is an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), Superman’s (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed planet Krypton with her parents’ help at the same time as the infant Kal-El. Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her identity a secret. Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet’s former photographer, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara’s days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight crime. Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” “Arrow”), Ali Adler, Sarah Schecter and Andrew Kreisberg are executive producers for Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was directed by Glen Winter (“Arrow”).
