Swooping in to “save the day” are insurance claim representatives! Wait, what? NBC is adopting a new DC comedy series called Powerless. The show will be based on a set of characters who work for New York’s worst claims company. Things get turned upside down as new management comes in, and more superhero action ensues around the city.
The show-runners released some updated information and photos recently (that now seem to be linked to the trailer). Months ahead of its official airing and release, a leaked version of the first full two-minute trailer hit the interwebs. The trailer, however, has been wiped from the depths of the internet, it had a good 24-hour run but it is no more.
NBC is selling the show as an “Office-like” one camera comedy. The show stars some pretty solid comedy talent including Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Con-Man), Vanessa Hudgens (Grease Live!), Danny Puddi (Community), Christina Kirk (A to Z). A brief synopsis has also been attached to the show’s website:
Vanessa Hudgens plays Emily, a spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes… she accidentally becomes a cult “hero” in her own right… even if it’s just to her group of lovably quirky coworkers. 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.
As you may suspect, Powerless is a show that doesn’t seem to be showing any actual big DC heroes. Instead, we get a taste of the name-drop approach the comedy will sport. Aquaman, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern, and brief glimpses of Batman v Superman silhouettes appear.
The trailer shows Tudyk’s character entering as the “new boss” at the agency and hilarity ensues. It also appears to be going for a matter-of-fact approach to laughter (like The Office), which could bode well, or horribly for the sitcom. As we all know now based on the movies and TV shows that surround us, the tag-line for the show rings true in more ways than one:
It’s a superhores world. We just live in it.
