Why NBC Should Release the Rest of Powerless

It’s been a few weeks now since Powerless left NBC‘s airwaves and only slightly less than that since the network announced its fall schedule and officially cancelled the series after less than one full season.

While not a huge hit with critics or audiences (Powerless rated a 64% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and only a 51% audience rating on that same site), it’s our opinion that the four unaired episodes of the superhero-themed sitcom ought to see the light of day on streaming.

There are a few reasons for this, the first being that DC (and Marvel, and superheroes in general) has a built-in audience, and so a failure to release episodes that have already been filmed is basically leaving money on the table. While Powerless wasn’t a classic, it was not an abject disaster, either — and some pretty terrible superhero shows have gone on to make money on home video.

…And, yes. It’s much more likely than not that Powerless filmed its entire 13-episode run. TV series operate weeks or months in advance, and the notion of a fairly effects-heavy series airing episode 9 without having 13 mostly wrapped at least in terms of principal photography seems unlikely.

There may be an argument to keep Powerless out of the public eye if the series was in fact incomplete — if they either never finished shooting beyond episode 9 or if it would be cost-prohibitive to finish editing and visual effects on the final few episodes — but until and unless NBC, Warner Bros. Television, or DC Entertainment says that’s the case, we’ll never know.

The last bit, and the most compelling argument for making the show as available as it can be, is the fact that Powerless got better as it went on — and likely not without good reason. If you remember, the original premise for the show was very different, and the showrunner left the series before the premiere — likely when it became clear that the show taking shape wasn’t what he signed up for.

As the series progressed, it became stronger, finding its new identity along the way and continuing to explore the cast’s not-insignificant strengths. They even found a new resident superhero — Green Fury, replacing Crimson Fox with a better costume, a more likable actor, and something to do besides just being a superhero who exists.

At the end of the day, Powerless is not going to come back for a second season, and the suggestion that the episodes ordered and filmed should be released so fans can see it won’t change that. The series will be alittle more than a quirky footnote in the decades-long history of DC’s TV projects. still, a show that was enjoyable, had a great cast, and improved consistently as it went deserves to have its admittedly-short run made available to potential fans…even if it’s just to give some closure to the characters.