The first TV show evolving around comic book superheroes to star an Asian American debuts this Thursday on NBC.
Powerless is a comedy featuring Filipino American Vanessa Hudgens in the role of Emily Locke. She’s the head of research and development charged with developing security products that will not only save the world, but save the troubled company she works for from extinction.
The story which takes place in a universe of superheroes and villains also features Indian American actor Danny Pudi who was a regular on the NBC show Community and more recently was a voice in the film Smurf, the Lost Village. In Powerless, both Pudi and Hudgens set out to protect us all from the collateral damage caused by superheroes that the powerless are left to clean up.
The show when originally conceived had Hudgens playing the role of an insurance adjuster handling claims caused by the destruction of superheroes. The show’s producers realized that concept was too limiting and made what they felt were necessary changes.
“We landed on security products because we still wanted to do the idea that they are working on stuff that makes everybody like you or me a little bit safer in a world where demigods are flying around in the sky, wrecking buildings, causing falling rubble and that sort of thing,” Executive Producer Patrick Schumacker told TV Guide.
Hudgens leads a team of scientist including Pudi, Ron Funches and Jennie Pierson. Her foil is the cousin of Bruce Wayne, Van Wayne as played by Alan Tudyk, whose ambitions get in Hudgens’ way.
“Emily’s the type of girl that’s good at almost everything,” Hudgens recently told TVGuide.com. “Van … is just the rich, spoiled guy who’s never had to work very hard in his life, and my character wants to change the world, so they clash a lot.”
Powerless is the first comedy from DC Comics. It can be seen Thursdays at 8:30/7:30C.
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