‘Supergirl’ Boss On How Network Move Will Affect Story Arc

The news that Supergirl would be switching sides, moving from CBS to the CW network has left fans speculating about every aspect of the series, wondering how the move would affect everything from visual effects to story arcs. Now, as the Supergirl premiere is just days away, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, who also runs fellow DC Entertainment adaptations Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, talks about what changes fans can expect in Season 2. The Supergirl boss also opens up about what, if any, repercussions Supergirl will suffer from the “Flashpoint” episode on The Flash.

Has Supergirl Been Sucked Into The Arrowverse?

On the surface, it might seem that moving to CW would be the best thing for Supergirl, allowing for greater crossovers with Arrow and the other DC-related content, but as Screen Crush discovered, there’s still the problem of bringing Supergirl’s world into the same universe shared by Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. In a past Supergirl crossover in which Barry Allen visited Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl, it was revealed that the Girl of Steel exists outside of Allen’s universe.

Kreisberg might have used the season premiere of The Flash, “Flashpoint,” to align all four shows, but instead opted to leave Supergirl in a universe of its own.

“Not for her entire world, but Kara will be traveling from her dimension to our dimension, ‘our’ being the world that The Flash, Arrow, and Legends lives in,” Kreisberg responded, when asked if Supergirl would join the Arrowverse.

It seems like a sensible decision, considering that melding the two universes would require a complex rewriting of each show’s mythology. For instance, Supergirl exists in a universe occupied by a great many alien species, species which Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow would all have to encompass as well. That kind of transition would also have to address the subject of duplicate places and persons, as everything would have to exist separately in each universe and in each time person. Crazy time paradoxes would certainly ensue.

Supergirl E.P. Andrew Kreisberg Promises A “Natural Progression”

The Supergirl showrunner tells Entertainment Weekly that the series, as it was pitched to CBS, still holds to the basic premise, so there won’t be any fundamental changes with the switch to the CW network. Andrew adds that fans will begin to see Supergirl maturing in some ways.

“There is going to be a change in the show that I think is a natural progression in a show that’s growing up,” says Kreisberg of Supergirl.

He compares Supergirl with Arrow in the way that each series had to develop toward the excellent show that the creative team knew it could be, once it had a chance to grow. Kreisberg feels that The Flash came fully formed right from the debut episode, but Supergirl and Arrow have required a bit more tweaking to get each series to meet its greatest potential.

“That’s how we feel about Supergirl, that towards the end of last year, the characters were really coming to life and we were really starting to tell the right stories.”

The Supergirl boss added that Season 2 will delve more deeply into comic book lore and move away from the issues created by the media focus on Melissa Benoist playing the first live action female superhero. Kreisberg says he certainly acknowledges that was an important aspect to creating Supergirl for CBS and giving girls and young women a positive role model is still important, but instead of speeches and dialogue about feminist issues, the Supergirl showrunner feels the show should lead by example.

As far as cinematography, Andrew adds that Supergirl will benefit from filming in Vancouver instead of Los Angeles because budget constraints won’t limit their shooting locations. He says the last four episodes of Supergirl had villains showing up at Kara’s apartment because there were financial limitations preventing the crew from shooting scenes out in the city.

“That was one of the reasons that we made the decision to move it to Vancouver, so that we could get scope, so we could go out in the streets. So yes, it might be a little rainy once in awhile, we might be seeing her breath every once awhile, but it’s going to be worth it because the show is actually going to feel bigger.”

The Season 2 premiere of Supergirl will air on Monday, October 10, on the CW network.

[Featured Image by CW]