Mind Your Surroundings: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Other Superhero Universes

[Primal Slayer]

I think they want to try to pull in people by pairing him with GA/TF. The general audience will think he is part of the verse but the time they find out, they will either be interested enough to stay with it or leave. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Maybe since Black Lightning is a mid season show they didn't think it needed it's own cover now?

Ah. I see. Well, let's hope it gets its own cover when the time comes.

[Velocity23]

Peekaboo is returning for s4 premiere. 

[Morrigan2575]

10 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Ah. I see. Well, let's hope it gets its own cover when the time comes.

Just a guess but, yeah hopefully it gets it's own TV Guide or EW cover.

[tv echo]

The CW/DC Crossover Will Be Bigger And Different This Year
by Brandon Davis | July 12, 2017
http://comicbook.com/dc/2017/07/12/arrow-supergirl-flash-crossover-stephen-amell-2017-/

[Starfish35]

I may be wildly off the mark, but I do wonder whether Supergirl isn't the show (out of the four Arrowverse shows) that they're most worried about.  Supergirl didn't just have the largest year-to-year drop (due to the network switch) - I believe it also had the largest in-season drop.  It went from a 1.1 for the season premiere to a 0.6 for the season finale, with a few 0.5s mixed in there.  It can't keep bleeding ratings like that. 

[Chaser]

I just noticed LOT wasn't included.

[kismet]

I guess the upside of being a team show is everybody gets on the poster, the downside is in shared across universe group posters its hard to squeeze in a group of 8.

I imagine they will be included in the write up, but just didn't make the photo cut.

[Trini]

Gotham didn't get a cover this year either.

[quarks]

5 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

I may be wildly off the mark, but I do wonder whether Supergirl isn't the show (out of the four Arrowverse shows) that they're most worried about.  Supergirl didn't just have the largest year-to-year drop (due to the network switch) - I believe it also had the largest in-season drop.  It went from a 1.1 for the season premiere to a 0.6 for the season finale, with a few 0.5s mixed in there.  It can't keep bleeding ratings like that. 

That would be my guess.  It's also the most expensive show on the CW - even with sharing/taking over Flash and Arrow sets, and even with frequently looking awful.

[wonderwall]

12 minutes ago, quarks said:

That would be my guess.  It's also the most expensive show on the CW - even with sharing/taking over Flash and Arrow sets, and even with frequently looking awful.

Oh I thought LoT would be the most expensive show (per episode I mean)! Nevermind...

[SmallScreenDiva]

Well, The CW is probably paying CBS salaries to the original cast, right? Would that be included in the tally?

[quarks]

11 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

Well, The CW is probably paying CBS salaries to the original cast, right? Would that be included in the tally?

 

14 minutes ago, wonderwall said:

Oh I thought LoT would be the most expensive show (per episode I mean)! Nevermind...

 

Legends of Tomorrow is the runner-up, thanks to a combination of salary/CGI/costuming/location shooting, which is the main reason it mostly films on Arrow and Flash's sets and why, when given ultimate power to do anything, Damien Darhk decided that he just wanted to hang out in Oliver's office. 

Supergirl renegotiated some salaries with the original cast, but SAG rules meant that they couldn't renegotiate all that much (which makes the continued decision to pay Mechad Brooks for every episode and yet not use him all the odder, but moving on).  Supergirl is also dealing with pretty extensive CGI and motion capture, plus flying scenes; they also have two standing sets - Catco and the DEO - that are both larger than any of the standing Arrow and Flash sets. And Supergirl has considerably more money for extras.

You can see this by comparing Iris and Kara's reporter jobs. Yes, part of this is that Kara is the star of her show and Iris is an afterthought at best with the Flash writers, but it's also a set/budget issue. Catco is a much larger set that takes up at least a third of that soundstage - probably one-half - which allows directors to move the camera and the actors through it, creating a active versus static look. That can't be done as easily at the smaller set for Iris' office, which is one reason fewer villains come crashing through it.   Also, to ensure that both places look like workplaces, they each need to have between four to eight extras in the background - or have the characters working alone at night.  Supergirl has the budget to hire extras on each day of filming; Flash, by all appearances, can only hire extras for two days a week at most (which is still better than what Arrow was managing in season three, but moving on.)  Result: Kara got a little journalism story this year and Iris mostly stood around Star Labs telling Barry he was a hero and to run, Barry, run.

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Black Lightning's Cress Williams honored by 'historical undertaking' of suiting up
NATALIE ABRAMS JULY 12, 2017
http://ew.com/tv/2017/07/12/black-lightning-cress-williams-interview/

Quote

What do you think Jefferson’s years of experience brings to the table that makes this show different from the other CW superhero series?
What makes it different is that really we’re a family drama. The origin story aside, they don’t have the ties of a family that’s keeping them tied to reality. Our show is also just really dealing with a grass roots superhero who is not trying to save the world, he’s trying to save his community. The fact that he just has the real world ties make it different.
*  *  *
This story doesn’t necessarily take place in the same universe as the other Arrowverse shows, but do you hope that changes and you can cross over? Or do you think it’s better that it’s in a separate world of its own?
I kind of like the fact that it’s in a separate world of its own for a number of reasons. One, it’s the logistical fact that we’re shooting in Atlanta and all the other Arrowverse shows shoot in Vancouver, so logistically that would be very, very complicated to make it work. But also, again, we’re a different type of show. I’ve told people we’re a family drama with superpowers on top of it. Then, I’m really more intrigued about what happens as my daughters develop abilities. When it’s all said and done, when we’re really up and running seasons down the line, you’re going to have a show with three superheroes on it, so it’s not a solo show, but it’ll almost be like a team. So I’m really excited about unwrapping all of that more than combining universes.

Edited July 13, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

^^^ And yet Andrew Kreisberg has described The Flash as a "family drama"...

ETonline (Mar. 18, 2017) - AK: "Flash is a family drama, and Arrow is kind of a crime drama, and Legends is insanity."

Edited July 13, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Interview with EP Salim Akil...

Black Lightning boss: 'This is an American story, this is not a black story'
NATALIE ABRAMS JULY 12, 2017 
http://ew.com/tv/2017/07/12/black-lightning-salim-akil-spoilers/2/

Quote

Because he has these years of experience as a superhero, how is Jefferson a different hero than Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, or any of the Legends of Tomorrow?
Well, one, he’s older. [Laughs] He’s got aches and pains, he’s not as useful, and that is something that is unique. Two, there are not many superheroes going into Chicago, going into Watts, going into the areas and dealing with the issues that Black Lightning is going to deal with, and I think that’s unique. His villains are people that viewers hear about and read about every day. I think that’s unique. The third thing is he’s black. [Laughs] We don’t have a lot of black superheroes. I’m happy about it, because there’s a resurgence of it, but it’s still not totally representative of our culture, so amongst all the different so-called black superheroes, Jefferson stands alone and unique in the fact of who he is as a person. Again, he’s a father, he’s older, he’s wiser. To your point, he’s spent years doing this and then he hung it up. He’s a husband, he’s a principal. He is a man of man colors, no pun intended. That’s what makes him so identifiable so you can relate to him. His uniqueness doesn’t just rely on the fact that he’s a black superhero; his uniqueness is that he’s as human as everybody in America. That’s what makes him a beautiful character to explore.

Does Jefferson hail from this earth or an entirely separate universe that’s not connected to the other CW superhero shows?
Jefferson is on planet earth 2017-2018. From my perspective, the reason that we walk down this road was because, let’s all be honest, the majority of people may know the title Black Lightning, but they don’t really know who Jefferson and Black Lightning is, and I felt like it was very, very important for us to get to know who he is and who this character is and what his wants and needs and vulnerabilities are before we start introducing a lot of other things into that. That’s the main reason: I want people to get to know this family. I want them to get to understand what kind of villains that he’s fighting. There ain’t many superheroes down in the ghetto, or so-called ghettos. The communities that Jefferson and Black Lightning is trying to save is the communities like Chicago, Watts, all of the things that we see on television, those are very real villains and very real heroes. We want to explore through Jefferson and Anissa and Jennifer’s eyes, and Gambi’s eyes, we want to try to understand these communities not just as victims, but as hard-working people, blue collar people, who are caught in some very f—ed up circumstances, but it doesn’t make them less than, and we shouldn’t ignore them. One of the things that Black Lightning will do, and Jefferson will do, is be able to introduce the humanity of the people who are caught in these communities. So I didn’t want to distract from that, and I didn’t want to distract from us getting to know Jefferson, Jennifer, and Anissa, or Black Lightning, Thunder, and Lightning. I wanted people to get to know them first.

Now, you know, everything is possible. But hopefully this season everybody will just get to know them and get to respect them and accept them for who they are before we start making other moves.

So there’s a future in which they could cross over?
Yeah, I’m not opposed to it at all.
*  *  *
How do you think Black Lightning, as a show, is different from the other superhero shows?
Well, the obvious answer would be that it’s black folk, right? I don’t know if there’s another black family on The CW, but that’s too easy because ultimately the difference is that it’s where they live and the subject matter and the true Americaness of who this family is. Seeing through the eyes of Jefferson, Anissa, and Jennifer, to really see that these are Americans striving to be better people, to be good people, to live a life that is not only good for themselves but additive to their community. I hope that if we’re successful, we’ll be able to all look at Jefferson and his daughters and be as proud of them as we were when we saw President Obama and his wife and children in the White House. It was a proud moment for us, regardless of how you felt about his politics. That moment said something about America that we had been saying was possible, and what we stood for for a very long time. One generation up out of Jim Crow, we had an African-American president whose name was Barack Hussein Obama. That says a lot about who we are as Americans, and I hope that this family, people will look at this show not as, “Oh, there’s the black superhero family,” but, “Hey, there’s an American superhero family and we can identify with them,” and I think that that’s what makes it different.

Edited July 13, 2017 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Considering TV Fanatic's antipathy to Olicity, I'm surprised they even made this list...

13 Dynamic TV Power Couples
Carissa Pavlica at July 11, 2017 
https://www.tvfanatic.com/slideshows/13-dynamic-tv-power-couples/

Quote

1. Barry and Iris - The Flash
... Barry and Iris already had a rock solid friendship. They're both highly intelligent with solid analytical skills and great careers. But put them together and they'll move mountains for one another. That's a great partnership.

2. Oliver and Felicity - Arrow
... Working together is what led Oliver and Felicity to one another in a romantic sense, so their trust built into something far greater. They may be on the outs now, but the feelings they had saved each other, the team and the world more than once.

1. Barry and Iris - The Flash
2. Oliver and Felicity - Arrow
3. Mouch and Platt - Chicago Fire and Chicago PD
4. Olivia and Fitz - Scandal
5. Cookie and Lucious - Empire
6. Randall and Beth - This Is Us
7. Claire and Jamie - Outlander
8. Kyle and Megan - The Arrangement
9. Fred and Serena Joy - The Handmaid's Tale
10. Will and Katie - Colony
11. Rick and Michonne - The Walking Dead
12. Cassie and Cole - 12 Monkeys
13. Kane and Abby - The 100

Edited July 13, 2017 by tv echo

[SmallScreenDiva]

Those are not rankings, right? It's just a list? Because there are a ton of other people I'd put before Barry and Iris. Also, Oliver and Felicity "on the outs now"? I guess Pavlica still has no idea what actually happens on "Arrow." 

[bijoux]

One of the chosen couples are Fred and Serena Joy from The Handmaid's Tale. That's enough to give me pause.

[kismet]

11 hours ago, quarks said:

Iris mostly stood around Star Labs telling Barry he was a hero and to run, Barry, run.

But that is the whole premise of the series, so in the writers mind that is probably a huge role for her.

[LeighAn]

I saw this on twitter. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wonder-woman-box-office-superhero-movies-1020621

 

Wonder Woman has had the best hold of any superhero film in 15 years and is on its way to javing the strongest multiplier of any comic book movie ever.  

 

Reading a quote from an industry source about how the film success lies in both good word of mouth and the fact that being about female empowerment makes it stand out as unique and different in the genre; it makes me think Black Panther will probably be another similar breakaway hit as well- pending obviously that it turns out to be a well written and well made film. 

[SmallScreenDiva]

Has Iris ever uttered the words "Run, Barry, run!" ala Forrest Gump? Because I now have that scene in my head and I can't tell if I just made it up or if it really happened on the show :P

[apinknightmare]

I think she did when Barry saw her in the Speed Force?

[Velocity23]

I guess this is a casting call for a character teased by TV Line

 

[ruby24]

Yeah. They really don't need another addition to Star Labs. Especially another dude. What happened to Tracy? Is she not coming back next season? She was good, she was funny, fit right in and was an older woman, which was refreshing. Even if she was only meant as a last minute love interest to make HR's death sadder, I would still think they'd notice how well she fit on the show.

They really want that place to stay a sausage fest.

[apinknightmare]

"Open ethnicity" but just like these two white guys!

[Primal Slayer]

I'm kind of surprised they didn't just turn him into an alternate HR whose a meta.

[BkWurm1]

6 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

"Open ethnicity" but just like these two white guys!

Yeah, I noticed that as well, lol.  At first, I read that casting call as if it was for Arrow.  Phew!

[Delphi]

28 minutes ago, Velocity23 said:

I guess this is a casting call for a character teased by TV Line

 

 .. ugh,  enough with the Chrises.  there's like eight hot white guys with the name Chris and Ryan in Hollywood apparently.  

Not that they aren't attractive and good actors and not that Pratt isn't fucking amazing,  but I want an Asian Ralph.   Or biracial Ralph.   I'm really getting tired of CW pretty white boy standards.  It's always one step forward two steps back with them. 

[Velocity23]

2 other characters they casting for the Flash:

 

Quote

Male, 40s-50, Open Ethnicity. After being struck with dark matter from the particle accelerator explosion, Clifford Devoe became a meta-human with a mega-mind. A Stephen Hawking-esque genius who’s devised an intricate plan to fix all that he deems wrong with humanity. “The Thinker” will embark upon a season long battle with The Flash that pins the “fastest man alive” against the “fastest mind alive.” FRACTIONAL (7/13) ONE SEASON SERIES REGULAR

Quote

Female, 30s-40, Diverse. A highly intelligent engineer who designs and assembles a plethora of devices for the ailing Clifford Devoe. Devoe’s right hand, she’s the truest of true-believers who’ll stop at nothing to implement his plan to fix all that’s wrong with humanity-even if she loses who she is in the process. MAJOR RECURRING GUEST STAR

http://www.cbr.com/the-flash-season-4-casting-call-thinker-elongated-man/?utm_source=CBR-TW&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_campaign=CBR-TW&view=list

[tv echo]

[Velocity23]

the DCTV bag available during SDCC

http://sdccblog.com/2017/07/warner-bros-san-diego-comic-con-2017-bag-designs-revealed/

[LeighAn]

Black Lightning looks the best!

[scarynikki12]

[scarynikki12]

Specifically I want LOT and Black Lightning. #ConGoals

[Starfish35]

So this is potentially interesting. Ausiello just put out a new Blind Item, and unlike his usual MO, this time he limited the possibilities to nine shows, one of which is Supergirl.

Quote

Rumor has it that an hour-long drama series on one of the Big 5 broadcast networks is poised to kill off one of its most popular characters (an original series regular), while tacking on a time-tripping twist straight out of How to Get Away With Murder. 

According to sources, if the storyline is approved by The Powers That Be at the network, the character in question would be murdered in the show’s forthcoming season premiere, at which point the action would jump back two months. Subsequent episodes would continue to chronicle the eight weeks leading up to [REDACTED]’s death all while dropping clues about the party — or parties? — potentially responsible for the shocking crime.

 The nine shows are:

1. The Exorcist
2. The Blacklist
3. Supergirl
4. Blindspot
5. Scorpion
6. Designated Survivor
7. NCIS
8. Scandal
9. Elementary

 

Honestly, my guess is that it's probably not Supergirl, but since it was included on the list, it does open up the door for some speculation.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Starfish35

[bijoux]

Putting the Waverider on the LoT bag is a really good idea.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Starfish35 said:

So this is potentially interesting. Ausiello just put out a new Blind Item, and unlike his usual MO, this time he limited the possibilities to nine shows, one of which is Supergirl.

 The nine shows are:

1. The Exorcist
2. The Blacklist
3. Supergirl
4. Blindspot
5. Scorpion
6. Designated Survivor
7. NCIS
8. Scandal
9. Elementary

Honestly, my guess is that it's probably not Supergirl, but since it was included on the list, it does open up the door for some speculation.

I hope it's Scandal and they kill Fitz. Haha.

[Velocity23]

Scoop for the Flash from TV Guide SDCC issue:

Quote

- With so many speedsters present in the season finale, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg decided to put a hold on Violett Beane’s Jesse Quick. “But she has been such a great addition to the show,” Kreisberg says. “We’ll see what happens in Season 4.”

- Things in Season 4 will pick up six months after the finale with Cisco’s Vibe (Carlos Valdes) and Wally’s Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) on crime-fighting duty. “Then a threat arises that they can’t handle,” Kreisberg says, “and Cisco admits he’s secretly been working on a way to retrieve Barry.”

- While saying goodbye, Barry asked his fiancée to keep running, and she is going next-level with that one. “Iris is running Team Flash,” Kreisberg says, hinting at some major growth for Ms. West this year. In fact, “the season premiere is all about Iris and Cisco, not Barry.”

- “We actually just made a deal with Jessica to appear on the show next season in a recurring role,” Kreisberg confirms. Cisco is probably really thrilled about that one.

- Conceding that the “Savitar kills Iris” storyline “did get very dark,” Kreisberg promises a little more sun in Central City. “We really wanted to brighten the show up and have it be unabashed fun and excitement next year,” he says.

Other notes: Harry Wells is back, Devoe is the world’s fastest man versus the world’s fastest mind, and Caitlin returns with some new secrets regarding what she’s been doing for six months.

http://valeriemperez.tumblr.com/

[Starfish35]

Some thoughts on the Blind Item after reading the comments on the article....

One commenter is saying that it can't be Supergirl because Supergirl already started filming and the BI seems to imply that the storyline hasn't been approved yet.  

However, another commenter is claiming that there was a pap picture of Cat and other Supergirl characters around a coffin, that didn't end up showing up in last season's finale.  Has anyone heard anything about such a pic? 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Starfish35

[Velocity23]

So Sanvers is out of the question for the wedding during the 2017/2018 wedding. Since they apparently get married off screen.

 

[SmallScreenDiva]

Green Arrow and Black Lightning look pretty cool. SG and Flash look like they're holding on to a fart or something. Interesting choice for LOT picking the Waverider, I don't know that it's iconic enough to represent a show 

[Trini]

2 hours ago, Starfish35 said:

So this is potentially interesting. Ausiello just put out a new Blind Item, and unlike his usual MO, this time he limited the possibilities to nine shows, one of which is Supergirl.

 

I don't think it's Supergirl either; mainly because it's not the type of show to open the season with a murder. Also with it having to line up with the other shows for the crossover, I don't think they can do a backwards time jump like that.

[quarks]

If it's Scandal and they do kill Fitz, I hope the murderers turn out to be the exasperated audience.

[apinknightmare]

2 minutes ago, quarks said:

If it's Scandal and they do kill Fitz, I hope the murderers turn out to be the exasperated audience.

Everyone on Scandal could die and it would make me happy. I don't watch Supergirl so I have no idea who it could be on there (if it is someone on there).

Edited July 14, 2017 by apinknightmare

[Velocity23]

4 minutes ago, Trini said:

I don't think it's Supergirl either; mainly because it's not the type of show to open the season with a murder. Also with it having to line up with the other shows for the crossover, I don't think they can do a backwards time jump like that.

Well the time on that earth could be running differently from the other Arrowverse shows.  I saw speculation about  J’onn J’onzz

[Starfish35]

5 minutes ago, apinknightmare said:

I don't watch Supergirl so I have no idea who it could be on there (if it is someone on there).

It says "original cast member" so I'm taking that to mean someone who was a season one regular.  So James, Winn, Alex, J'onn, maybe even Cat.  Although I'm not sure James qualifies as a fan-favorite.

It wouldn't be Maggie, Lena, or Mon-El because they all came in season two.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Starfish35

[Velocity23]

Even Flash and Arrow seem to have different time jumps. With Flash having a 6 month time jump and Arrow a 5 month time jump.