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‘Supergirl’ premiere’s record ratings dispel the conventional wisdom

‘Supergirl’ proves that a comic book adaptation can be feminist, girl-friendly, and massively popular.

Photo of Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

supergirl
Supergirl/The CW

The Supergirl premiere got ridiculously good ratings on Monday night. In fact, more people watched it than any other new TV drama this fall.

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This is obviously good news for CBS and anyone who wants to see more of Supergirl. It also goes against a lot of conventional wisdom about what audiences want from comic-book adaptations.

Superhero shows are hot right now, which is why every major network has at least one on air or in production. But it’s taken a while for anyone to greenlight a show with a female lead, partly thanks to these not-very-reliable assumptions about geek media audiences:

  1. While superhero narratives are universal, their target audience is young men and boys—especially when it comes to merchandise.
  2. Young men and boys will supposedly be put off by female-led stories, especially if they involve too many “girly” themes.
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These arguments often surface when fans complain about the male-dominated nature of comic-book franchises, but Supergirl goes a long way to prove these assumptions wrong.

Almost 13 million people tuned in to watch the Supergirl premiere, despite the episode leaking online several months in advance. That’s a bigger audience than for the pilot episodes of Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash, or Arrow. On top of this, Variety described Supergirl as “the fall’s top-rated new series in all key male demos,” although it also did well among young women.

Supergirl inspired vocal criticism online before it aired, particularly from male comic-book fans who felt that the trailer’s lighthearted tone and romcom-esque workplace setting pandered to female audiences. But while the premiere turned out to be just as female-friendly (and feminist) as predicted, it was still incredibly popular, including with male audiences.

Photo via Supergirl/CBS

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The Daily Dot