I've received quite a few emails and messages lately asking about the show and its choices. It seems to all revolve around the usual sky is falling rhetoric. Being that I am in a unique position when it comes to this show, I think I'd like to address all of this in one big post rather than individually.
First, the sky is not falling. The show's ratings are down but not bad. They are in the territory that is expected. As you all know, I have certain contacts and sources that average viewers don't. If there is a need to worry and or raise the banner, I will be the first to do so.
I get emails from viewers from time to time assuming that our site here is the official site for the show (a backhanded compliment I take to heart). They yell at me that they won't watch the show anymore because of this or that. In Season 1, I actually got emails saying it was wrong for Kara to be with a black man (ridiculous). Season 2 I got folks emailing me saying lesbians are wrong and they would no longer watch. Season 3 was more of the same with the addition of people saying the show didn't support the LGBTQ community anymore and people saying that LGBTQ was over represented. Of course this season I get emails all the time about the political nature of the show and that it is horrible and folks won't watch anymore, or Transgender is unnatural and they don't want their kids exposed to it. You may have even noticed a few familiar voices here on the site have gone silent because they felt the show was directly opposed to their views.
I think I would ask everyone to take a step back and realize what we have here. So many folks on social media feel they "know better" about how to tell Supergirl's story. In Comic culture more than most, the fans feel they have ownership of the characters they love. That is actually a powerful statement and speaks to how closely fans bond with these fictional characters. But in the end they are just fictional. Different iterations have existed since comic stories were first told. Characters evolve and change. Superman used to not be able to fly or crack planets in half. Supergirl was once a mess of symbiotic aliens and angels.
If I were able to ask for one favor from the larger Supergirl community (not our site but EVERYBODY) it would be to take a moment and be thankful we have a Supergirl show. Supergirl has been a secondary character for just about all of her life. We now have a show where Superman is considered secondary to her. We have Melissa Benoist in the title role. We could not have done better! Before people on all those social media platforms start preaching how to make the show better, lets be thankful that we have a show at all.
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Supergirl.tv Admin
- Supergirl Season 4
- Tuesday, 13 November 2018
You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.
I love this show it’s what got me to understand why so many people are superhero fans, that’s something I never got before. I’m thankful for whatever cosmic forces conspired to make me watch the pilot. I’m enjoying this season and that the show is brave enough to do this tough storyline, IMO it’s an important one.
This site is great and on the whole enhances my enjoyment of the show, I will continue to support it 100%. The people here are respectful and I’m proud to call some my on-line friends.
Now for the but. The negativity that has been happening lately, while respectful, is really and truly bumming me out. In an odd twist of fate I can handle the IRL negativity going on in the world but negativity directed at fictional world not so much. At the moment I think I’ll enjoy the show more without outside opinions.
Kwashaw (to be continued)
This site is great and on the whole enhances my enjoyment of the show, I will continue to support it 100%. The people here are respectful and I’m proud to call some my on-line friends.
Now for the but. The negativity that has been happening lately, while respectful, is really and truly bumming me out. In an odd twist of fate I can handle the IRL negativity going on in the world but negativity directed at fictional world not so much. At the moment I think I’ll enjoy the show more without outside opinions.
Kwashaw (to be continued)
Hope, Help and Compassion for all
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 1
I am thankful for both the show (and its cast and crew and everybody behind it) and your site and the people here Admin. 
PS: It is human nature to hope and wish for more I guess, once we have something. To strive for better.
PS: It is human nature to hope and wish for more I guess, once we have something. To strive for better.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 2
There have been some wonderful and thoughtful comments here. It makes Kelsey and I do proud to be apart of the community here. I just wanted to reiterate that my concerns for the fandom lay outside these proverbial website walls. 99% of the time, we have disagreements here but we don’t fall into the name calling and hateful rhetoric that often breaks down arguementa on social media. I think even Supergirl would agree, listen more, talk respectfully and a lot can happen.
You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 3
I will second the Admin's thoughts and sentiments and am extremely thankful that we have such a show on TV, given that it took almost and entire generation (since the 1970s Wonder Woman TV / 1980s Supergirl movie days, actually) to get the character onto a screen of any kind.
I may quibble about technical aspects and the writing strengths / weaknesses from time to time, but I am not one to bemoan the show itself or its intent. What they (the writers, producers, actors et al) are trying to do is to push boundaries and make the character a viable female lead and be an inspiration for all. Let them do that. For those involved directly in the show's production and creation, it is a labour of love.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that other shows / movies have attempted / are attempting to replicate Supergirl's boldness. Some, such as the recent Wonder Woman movie have shown that a female-lead superhero film can work well and that Supergirl, in its present TV form, has shown that this bold idea of a non-traditional lead is viable and sustainable.
For me personally, Supergirl a treasure and when it ends (hopefully after a healthy and lengthy run), it will be felt by many, not only domestically but internationally as well. Re-runs and DVD / on demand services are a fine stand-by, but it really isn't quite the same as a first-run viewing experience.
So, despite the quibbles, character preferences, owner "ship" feelings, show's direction, etc. here's a simple piece of advice for what it's worth: Enjoy the ride while it lasts.
I may quibble about technical aspects and the writing strengths / weaknesses from time to time, but I am not one to bemoan the show itself or its intent. What they (the writers, producers, actors et al) are trying to do is to push boundaries and make the character a viable female lead and be an inspiration for all. Let them do that. For those involved directly in the show's production and creation, it is a labour of love.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that other shows / movies have attempted / are attempting to replicate Supergirl's boldness. Some, such as the recent Wonder Woman movie have shown that a female-lead superhero film can work well and that Supergirl, in its present TV form, has shown that this bold idea of a non-traditional lead is viable and sustainable.
For me personally, Supergirl a treasure and when it ends (hopefully after a healthy and lengthy run), it will be felt by many, not only domestically but internationally as well. Re-runs and DVD / on demand services are a fine stand-by, but it really isn't quite the same as a first-run viewing experience.
So, despite the quibbles, character preferences, owner "ship" feelings, show's direction, etc. here's a simple piece of advice for what it's worth: Enjoy the ride while it lasts.
"Outdated And Antiquated" - Ron Sexsmith, from the CD/LP/Download The Vivian Line. (2023)
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 4
Admins, if I ever meet you I will expect you to have very broad shoulders based on the amount of blame that you are expected to carry around. Love your site and what you do for us here.
I didn't have a pre-formed comic book attitude of what Supergirl, the show, would look like because I wasn't, and still am not that familiar with her in the comics. I think if anything, my expectation level was probably low because previous shows that I had watched with a female lead weren't really shows about the female being powerful, especially in a physical manner. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see this depiction of Supergirl.
I admit that I have had concerns with the writing and I have voiced them in the past and still continue to do so but, hopefully it has always been viewed in a respectful manner. When my discontent got to a point that I felt that the show wasn't interesting to me, I took a break rather than continue to dwell in my complaints and pull everyone else's experience down. I see people on social media who wish for the show to fail or bully writers because they don't like a writing decision made with these fictional characters and I have to really question the stability of these individual's mental health. There's absolutely no way that the show can cater to everyone's wishes and whims. To expect otherwise is not to live in reality and we have to accept it and either continue to watch knowing that or go on our own way.
And you're right, Admin's, that we should be thankful that the show exists and that it has such a talented cast associated with it. Regardless of its future, I know that I can take from it a group of actors that I can appreciate and will always be on the look-out for in future roles. Especially Melissa - she's something else.
Well said Supergirl.tv Admin. I probably in the minority here as a Conservative who thoroughly enjoys the show and is not offended by its progressive message. Although the show may seem like it may be hitting us over the head with its political nature, to me it is simply trying to convey the message that we should talk to each other rather than prejudging one based upon our individual backgrounds and life experiences. What is most troubling to me in 2018 is that our fear and/or unwillingness to listen to opinions or ideas which make us uncomfortable or are different from our own. Hopefully Season 4’s theme will end up being that we all should treat each other with dignity and respect regardless of where we come from.As an Independent, this gives me warm-fuzzy feelings of reassurance that everything will eventually turn out okay in our real world conundrum. Thank you for posting this.
I didn't have a pre-formed comic book attitude of what Supergirl, the show, would look like because I wasn't, and still am not that familiar with her in the comics. I think if anything, my expectation level was probably low because previous shows that I had watched with a female lead weren't really shows about the female being powerful, especially in a physical manner. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see this depiction of Supergirl.
I admit that I have had concerns with the writing and I have voiced them in the past and still continue to do so but, hopefully it has always been viewed in a respectful manner. When my discontent got to a point that I felt that the show wasn't interesting to me, I took a break rather than continue to dwell in my complaints and pull everyone else's experience down. I see people on social media who wish for the show to fail or bully writers because they don't like a writing decision made with these fictional characters and I have to really question the stability of these individual's mental health. There's absolutely no way that the show can cater to everyone's wishes and whims. To expect otherwise is not to live in reality and we have to accept it and either continue to watch knowing that or go on our own way.
And you're right, Admin's, that we should be thankful that the show exists and that it has such a talented cast associated with it. Regardless of its future, I know that I can take from it a group of actors that I can appreciate and will always be on the look-out for in future roles. Especially Melissa - she's something else
. - more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 5
Well said Supergirl.tv Admin. I probably in the minority here as a Conservative who thoroughly enjoys the show and is not offended by its progressive message. Although the show may seem like it may be hitting us over the head with its political nature, to me it is simply trying to convey the message that we should talk to each other rather than prejudging one based upon our individual backgrounds and life experiences. What is most troubling to me in 2018 is that our fear and/or unwillingness to listen to opinions or ideas which make us uncomfortable or are different from our own. Hopefully Season 4’s theme will end up being that we all should treat each other with dignity and respect regardless of where we come from.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 6
Btw overall show's always been great for me, or I wouldn't be a fan, on a fan site.
Thanks to the CW, producers and writers for bringing us such a series.
Thanks to the cast for bringing it to life, and MB's amazing portrayal of Kara.
Thanks Eric and Kelsey for this site.
And thanks to all the members of this site to tolerating a large diversity of opinions.
Thanks to the CW, producers and writers for bringing us such a series.
Thanks to the cast for bringing it to life, and MB's amazing portrayal of Kara.
Thanks Eric and Kelsey for this site.
And thanks to all the members of this site to tolerating a large diversity of opinions.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 8
The show has never hit that optimal point for me where there is nothing that stands out to criticize, for indeed every season's got its own problem, but the state right now is probably better than it's been before. S3 and S4 so far has proven to be at least very much improved over S2.
I don't think the sky is falling but at the moment if the overt preachiness of the show can be toned down it would be much to its benefit.
Being a progressive myself, everything the show preaches, I do believe in. But it cringes no less. It seems the writers have seized upon the fact the show is about a woman, to use the show as a continuous platform to send messages, at the expense of plot and characterisation.
This is actually bad for the progressive platform. I thought if we are to bring about equality in representation, we're meant to show that we can make a TV show about a female superhero, and it will be a good, normal, TV show, and we can make it as entertaining as a show about men. What Supergirl (the show) is currently proving, is, shows about men are normal and will entertain you while keeping ideals in balance, but a show about a woman is just packaged activism.
And if spreading progressive messages is the goal, the writers have in fact hurt their own efforts. No one listens, especially if they're of the opposite view, if you are to preach so overtly. And thus is why the comments about Supergirl on the internet are often so vile. Partly it's because they are sexist, homophobic, driven by toxic masculinity. Partly it's because the show is so confrontational and direct.
Opinions are not static, they can be swayed. Should the show modify itself to be like the thousands of entertainment media which preserves its entertainment value while subtly being progressive (prime example, Wonder Woman is probably one of the most directly feminist films out there, but it's packaged very well. I bet even conservatives like the movie), the message may yet actually sink in.
A new generation brought up on such shows will think women are just as powerful and heroic as men.
But not if half the audience are repulsed.
I don't think the sky is falling but at the moment if the overt preachiness of the show can be toned down it would be much to its benefit.
Being a progressive myself, everything the show preaches, I do believe in. But it cringes no less. It seems the writers have seized upon the fact the show is about a woman, to use the show as a continuous platform to send messages, at the expense of plot and characterisation.
This is actually bad for the progressive platform. I thought if we are to bring about equality in representation, we're meant to show that we can make a TV show about a female superhero, and it will be a good, normal, TV show, and we can make it as entertaining as a show about men. What Supergirl (the show) is currently proving, is, shows about men are normal and will entertain you while keeping ideals in balance, but a show about a woman is just packaged activism.
And if spreading progressive messages is the goal, the writers have in fact hurt their own efforts. No one listens, especially if they're of the opposite view, if you are to preach so overtly. And thus is why the comments about Supergirl on the internet are often so vile. Partly it's because they are sexist, homophobic, driven by toxic masculinity. Partly it's because the show is so confrontational and direct.
Opinions are not static, they can be swayed. Should the show modify itself to be like the thousands of entertainment media which preserves its entertainment value while subtly being progressive (prime example, Wonder Woman is probably one of the most directly feminist films out there, but it's packaged very well. I bet even conservatives like the movie), the message may yet actually sink in.
A new generation brought up on such shows will think women are just as powerful and heroic as men.
But not if half the audience are repulsed.
- more than a month ago
- Supergirl Season 4
- # 9
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