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…

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.