Wonder Woman – NBC
Description (from EW.com) - "Wonder Woman is being remade by Boston Legal writer David E. Kelley, who has incorporated the superhero’s signature lasso, cuffs, and plane in the pilot. NBC promises the project, if picked up to series, will offer a serious, non-campy take on the DC Comics character."
First Impressions: Uh...nope. Also, hello Bionic Woman 2.0. Overall: F
Source Material: A reboot of the 1970s TV series which was based off the comic book character who, according to Wikipedia “was created…as a distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men.” Also, she has a lasso of truth. As I said last week, shows based off existing material can be good because they have a built in audience and a lot of already written plot to be mined. So, I guess that’s a plus, but what I've seen of the original show is SO campy and the character herself is so…kind of ridiculous, that I don’t think this can be done seriously. This really looks to be a repeat of what happened with the Bionic Woman reboot…an expensive failure…and that character was WAY less ridiculous/problematic than Wonder Woman. Overall: C
Actual Idea: I don’t have a particular beef with Wonder Woman, though I would say that I don’t think she appeals to women or men. I think most women find her silly/amusing at best and sexist/demeaning at worst, and hetero men…well, most tell me they think she’s hot, but usually not at the top of their list when it comes to favorite comic book characters or even favorite female comic book characters. As for making a character who wears a crazy costume serious and non-campy…that’s a tough bill. It worked for Batman in the new Nolan movies, but Batman’s costume isn’t as bright and shiny as Wonder Woman’s, and he’s not magical…also, his back story is a lot darker. I just can’t see this working at all. Overall: D-
Show Title: Yeah, I mean, it’s Wonder Woman, what else are you going to call it? At least it doesn’t have some stupid subtitle to distinguish it from the original…yet (might I suggest, Wonder Woman: Rise of the Boobs). Only problem is…how appealing is a Wonder Woman show? Overall: B (for boobs).
Writer: David E. Kelley. This is tough. Is Wonder Woman going to be a lawyer? My guess is…yeah (ugh). Now, I love me some David E. Kelley…Ally McBeal was a favorite for years…but I think his strength is dramedy. Not sure I think he can pull off a serious Wonder Woman (no knock against him…not sure Wonder Woman can pull off being serious with any writer, which is why this property has languished so long amidst the recent revival of superhero movies and TV shows). My only other question is, will Wonder Woman karaoke with her co-workers each episode? Overall (for being a bad fit for THIS project, not his body of work): C-
Cast: Gotta say, I was impressed by the casting of Adrienne Palicki, I liked her on Friday Night Lights, she’s SMOKIN’ HOT, and while I didn’t catch all 3 or 4 episodes of Lone Star, I heard the acting was pretty darn good. She looks good in the costume too…though nothing about the costume says “serious” or “not campy” to me. Besides her, there’s Cary Elwes, yeah, whatevs, a little old to be matched with Palicki but I like The Princess Bride, and Elizabeth Hurley…why not? She’s hot and I see her as a villain, sure. Overall: B
Director: Jeffrey Reiner: FNL, Caprica (pilot), The Event…looks okay. Overall, seems to have some actiony/sci fi chops, (versus the light and bouncy style of most David E. Kelley shows) so that’s a plus (or a conflict, hard to say). Overall: B
Producer: David E. Kelley – see the writer category to know how I feel about this (just for THIS project, I love you David E. Kelley, I swear, you’re awesome). Overall: C-
FINAL ANALYSIS
Overall Grade: C-
Will it get picked up? Yes. Too big to fail, though I guess anything is possible. Last year’s Rockford Files remake didn’t go to series...but, I think even if NBC thinks this isn’t working, they’ll roll the dice on an audience wanting to tune in and maybe taking a liking to it. I see it in the Monday night Heroes nostalgia time slot.
Will it survive season 1? No. I’d bet it only gets 9-10 eps. (when the lack of an audience catches up to the high price tag the show will likely have). Like I said, this looks like Bionic Woman all over again, only with shiny costumes (coincidentally, NBC’s current semi-serious costumed superhero show The Cape, also failed to attract enough of an audience to keep it on the air). I’d be pretty darn surprised if this show worked and kept people watching, but who knows, maybe it could be the next Heroes (I’m sure that’s what NBC would like…minus the whole losing your audience after 2 seasons).
Will it be good/will I watch? Ummm…I think you can guess my answer to that first question. Out of curiosity, I might tune in for episode one, unless I forget and don’t…but I’m clearly not jazzed to see the new Wonder Woman.
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