NBC developing workplace sitcom based in DC Comics universe

While Man of Steel certainly has its fair share of fans, and Batman v Superman: Lawn of Lushness* is looking quite good, there’s no denying that DC Comics still have a way to go to catch up to the rival Marvel on the movies front. On TV things are a lot different though. DC’s TV roster currently boast fan-favourites The Flash, Arrow and Gotham, there was the recently cancelled (but still loved) Constantine, and there’s still Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Titans on the way. That’s a whole lot of DC’s superpowered people on the tube. And now there are some more on the way… well, the ones without powers, at least.

Deadline is reporting that NBC are developing Powerless, a new show set in the DC Comics universe. The catch? This isn’t going to be another action-drama about some superheroes running around stopping villains, but rather will be a workplace sitcom focusing on “the ordinary, “power-less” folk working at the insurance company who often envy the men and women outside their window who make headlines with their supernatural powers”.

The half-hour single-camera comedy show is said to be taking its comedic cues from NBC’s long-running The Office and will apparently be set in “the worst insurance company in America”. At this point, it’s unclear as to exactly which DC Comics characters will be featured in the show, but it’s expected to be steering clear of the bigger names like Superman and Batman.

Even without those big branded characters though, there’s still a ton of potential to this concept. Not only for all the potential gags that can be pulled about the superheroes, but also as a nice change of pace from all the other hour-long drama shows.

All of which I sort of predicted when I did a Top List Thursday piece back in 2013 on the Top 10 Comics That Marvel Should Adapt for TV, with one of my top picks doing “Damage Control”, a book that follows the titular company set in the Marvel Universe whose job it is to clean up and repair the damage left behind by big superhero battles. I even stated that it would work best as a sitcom where the lowly workers can be jealous of the superheroes and bitch about how they need to do all the dirty work.

That seems to be exactly what Powerless will be angling for, and if they can nail the tone and get the casting right, it could work really well. The show is being spearheaded by writer/executive producer Ben Queen, the creator of NBC’s other comedy A-to-Z (which I have never heard of) and the short-lived Nathan Fillion series Drive (which I kind of liked for the short time it was around). He also penned the script to Cars 2.

Last Updated: August 18, 2015