CBS has officially entered the super hero realm with their latest offering, Supergirl. Nobody expected this series to open with a gigantic post-Super Bowl tidal wave of viewership, but the big-wigs over at CBS had hoped for strong showing vs the competition. If what they wanted was a good showing, they should have been spinning in their seats when the premier episode came to a close.
The opening salvo of the latest Berlanti bombshell garnered a very respectable showing, drawing in 14 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults from ages 18-49. That demographic was exactly what they were after, and they definitely got it.
To put things in perspective, in terms of overall ratings, Supergirl scored lower than NBC's smash, The Voice, which came in at a total of 3.2. It also beat up the caped crusader's origin quest, Gotham, which scored a 1.6. It also beat ABC's offering of Dancing With the Stars, which put up a 1.9.
Supergirl maintains a secret identity much like Clark Kent did, as Kara Danvers, with glasses
There are several reasons for this surge in the audience that attended the premier episode. One of which is the actress that is playing the role. Melissa Benoist came to this project with a fairly large TV following, stemming from her days on the hit TV series, Glee. Those folks already understand how adorable the actress is, regardless of the role, so they tuned into route for her success.
In addition, there has been a bit of a comic book revival going on around Hollywood for the last few years, in case you live in a cave and have somehow missed it. The idea of Supergirl coming to television without the gawky Helen Slater ruining the performance was quite attractive to a lot of viewers and comic book aficionados.
There was also the idea that this project offered some lighthearted, family-style fun during the Monday night lineup that shows like Gotham have long since abandoned. If you are a family with children, trying to find viewer-friendly programming in the nighttime, prime-time slots has become nearly impossible.
Cameos by Helen Slater & Dean Cain, who played these heroes in TV and movies, were fun to see
Some of the older ends of the demographics may have tuned on to see the appearances by the former stars that filled these roles. Supergirl was played by Helen Slater in the ill-fated movie of the same name. Dean Cain played Superman in the hit TV series, Lois & Clark. For those who were old enough to remember those projects, it was fun to see them make appearances in homage to their previous work.
Some other comic book fans may have tuned in because of the Greg Berlanti connection as well. He was the mastermind behind Arrow, which started this TV movement to begin with. He also piloted the project that brought us all The Flash, as the first spinoff of the intense Arrow series. Berlanti's fans wanted to see what he had in store for them with this, his first female-led project so far.
What they got was a TV show that mirrored the lighthearted themes and countenance as that of The Flash, but still stuck close to comic book origins. From the fight scenes to the dialogue, it didn't look like there was much to be disappointed about. Then the week 2 numbers came in"¦
The Big Bang Theory aired right before the first episode of Supergirl, but not the second
Unfortunately, the week 2 numbers came in amid much less applause and chest puffing. The total share dropped by a third, which is a lot in TV standards. The only variable that differed from the first week was the lead in the show.
During the first week of Supergirl, it came on after the smash hit, Big Bang Theory. This lead in was a natural fit for the audience and it allowed millions of people across the country who just got finished laughing hysterically to decide to sit in their chairs for another 30 minutes and check out a new superhero show.
The demographic that the show Supergirl is looking for, in particular that 18-49 male comic book fan, is the exact demographic that is cheering on Sheldon, Leonard and the crew on the Big Bang Theory. When this show was NOT the lead in, during week two, the TV show Supergirl found out how bad a very steep drop off of a cliff can hurt.
As the numbers came in, the show now has some cracks in the armor that were not visible last week. The questions now arise as to whether or not this show can bring that demographic back on its own, without the Big Bang Theory giving it a helping hand. Time will tell.
