HBO Max will continue the early exploits of Batman's faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth with the third season debut of Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman's Butler in October.

The series -- the first two seasons of which aired on Epix -- follows former British SAS soldier Pennyworth -- played by Jack Bannon -- as he forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) and his wife Martha (Emma Paetz), before they become Bruce Wayne’s parents, according to HBO Max.

Also starring in the Warner Bros. Television-produced series are Ben Aldridge and Emma Paetz. 

Pennyworth: The Origins of Batman's Butler is executive produced by Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon and John Stephens.■

Disney Plus on June 8 will debut the Marvel original series Ms. Marvel, the latest in a string of women-led superhero series that have helped fuel the popular genre. 

From WandaVision, another Marvel Studios-produced series on Disney Plus, to The CW’s Stargirl and new shows such as the animated Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, networks and streaming services are offering up supercharged versions of girl power on screen while welcoming diverse, female heroines who look to save the day in front of a wide demo of viewers.

“Though female superheroes are not new to pop culture, today’s audiences want to see portrayals that are more culturally complex and nuanced,” Sarah Unger, co-founder of the Cultique media consulting company and a former Viacom marketing executive, said.

Female superheroes have powered their way across TV screens for decades. In the 1970s, shows like Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman and The Secrets of Isis showcased strong, attractive and charismatic female leads who saved humanity from their evil counterparts.

“When you go back to the history of television to female superheroes like Batgirl in the 1960s Batman series or Wonder Woman in the 1970s, the appealing thing for audiences was the sexiness of women saving the day,” TV industry analyst Marc Berman said. 

Added Unger: “Past eras’ female superheroes were often filtered through the lens of masculine expectation and expression, often being overly gendered or portrayed primarily as love interests.”

Also, animation series such as Cartoon Network’s DC Super Hero Girls looked to reach younger audiences, while theatrical films such as Black Widow and Captain Marvel drew huge box-office numbers. 

More recently, TV shows like Netflix’s Jessica Jones and The CW’s Supergirl and Batwoman have looked to present more three-dimensional and diverse characters that have flaws but still kick butt when the time arises. Shows like Jessica Jones, which follows the complicated life of an ex-superhero-turned-private investigator, owe some of their success and acceptance to the overarching theme of female-driven comedy and dramas launched mostly on streaming services in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Unger said.

Heroines: The Next Generation

“As premium content has featured women-led storytelling models over the past decade, these models serve as precedent for content makers to interpret through the superhero lens,” Unger said. “The success of shows centered around the ‘messy woman’ archetype, as seen in examples like Fleabag, Trainwreck and Broad City, offered permission for content like Jessica Jones featuring complicated female superheroes to be made.”

WandaVision, a Disney Plus original series that began last year, opened up the floodgates for female superheroes and proved that a woman lead could garner both audience appeal and acceptance within the superhero universe. The series, based on the Wanda Maximoff character played by Elizabeth Olsen that appears in numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, was the first Marvel-themed series to debut on the streaming service.

The series was a big hit for Disney Plus, winning three 2021 Emmy Awards and getting 23 Emmy nominations. The WandaVision storyline and main character also played a major role in the success of the most recent Marvel-themed theatrical release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which drew nearly $200 million in box-office revenue in its opening Mother’s Day weekend release (May 6-8).

Other shows — like The CW’s Naomi, created by Ava DuVernay and about a superhero-obsessed African-American teen who discovers she has superpowers of her own, or Disney Plus’s Ms. Marvel, about a Pakistani-American high school student who has to come to terms with her recently discovered powers — feature unique and diverse lead characters that up to now had been rare for the genre. 

“Particularly now in the era that we live in, the appeal of diverse, female superheroes, whether straight or gay, black or white, is trendy and has appeal, particulary to younger audiences,” Berman said. 

The increased diversity among lead heroines allowed writers to be creative in their portrayals rather than staying within a cookie-cutter ideal of how these characters should act and feel, Unger noted. 

“When it comes to female superheroes, the more variety in portrayals of women the content ecosystem has, the less pressure for each individual portrayal to have an outsized role in representation for the genre, thus leading to more creative freedom for creators and talent alike,” she said.

DuVernay, speaking in January at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, said that the ability to tell a more nuanced story about a young, Black female character that happens to have super powers was key for her in developing Naomi. The CW recently said the series would not be renewed for a second season as the network has been quicker to cancel shows as it awaits a potential sale.

“The superhero stuff to me is a cherry on the top knowing that the best superhero journeys are human stories,” she said. “Comics are really personal human stories about the journeys that we all take, written with issues of heroism and magic.”  

More leading female superheroes will be hitting screens later this year. Disney Plus this summer will debut She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and starring Tatiana Maslany. Disney Channel will also give voice to Marvel’s comic-book heroine Lunella Lafayette in the animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. 

That series, which also launches this summer, centers around a brilliant 13-year-old prodigy and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur, who work together to protect New York City. 

More to Come

Moon Girl executive producer and Emmy-winning actor Laurence Fishburne said the storyline of a smart, young African-American girl as a superhero provides an important character representation that has not been seen on television. He added that the production team is more than 50% female, which offers a unique voice and perspective to the project. 

“We haven’t seen a hero like Lunella Lafayette before, and I think it’s time that we did,” Fishburne said at TCA. “This is perfect for our time and for what’s going on right now.”

As networks and streaming services continue to roll out superhero-themed series, Berman cautions that the genre in general could eventually reach a ceiling in terms of its appeal. Indeed, The CW last month canceled Batwoman after three seasons and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow after seven campaigns. In 2021, the network ended Supergirl after six seasons. 

“Certainly, the genre brings out young audiences and resonates on social media, but how much of it can the market continue to absorb?” Berman asked.

At The CW’s upfront last month, chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz gave the genre a vote of confidence. “We are still very much in the superhero business,” he told advertisers. 

The continued diversification of characters and storylines could help distributors keep audiences engaged and tuned in, Unger added. 

“As the superhero genre becomes increasingly saturated with pressure to pull in huge box office and viewership numbers in a competitive content landscape, studios recognize that the genre needs to innovate to keep broad audiences engaged — across genders and generations,” she said. ▪️

HBO Max has renewed its superhero-themed series Peacemaker for a second season days before the show’s first-season finale, said the network.

The series, which stars John Cena and is based on a character from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad, will end its eight-episode first season on February 17, said network officials. Peacemaker follows the exploits of a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it, said network officials.

The series is executive produced by James Gunn, Peter Safran and Matt Miller. 

"The brilliance of James Gunn once again shines with Peacemaker," said HBO Max head of original programming Sarah Aubrey in a statement. "He took this character, brought to life by the inimitable John Cena, and created an exceptional series that’s simultaneously thrilling, hilarious and heartfelt, showcasing the humanity beneath this team of misfits living in a superhuman world."

Peacemaker also stars Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Chukwudi Iwuji, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick. ■

HBO Max has set a  Jan.13 premiere date for its latest DC Comics-based series, Peacemaker, the network said Saturday during the DC FanDome event.

The series stars John Cena as a superhero who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it, said HBO Max. The character was first portrayed in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad.

Also starring in the series are Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Chukwudi Iwuji and Robert Patrick.

The eight-part Peacemaker series is executive produced by Cena, James Gunn, Peter Safran and Matt Miller.

HBO Max has renewed two of its DC Comics-themed series, Titans and Doom Patrol, for fourth seasons, the streaming service said Saturday at the DC FanDome event.

Titans, which ends its third season on the streaming service Oct. 21, follows young heroes from across the DC Universe. The series, which moved to HBO Max for season three after its first two seasons were featured on the DC Universe streaming service, stars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Conor Leslie, Curran Walters and Joshua Orpin.

Doom Patrol, which is currently streaming its third season on HBO Max, reimagines one of DC’s most beloved groups of superheroes who all suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities, but also left them scarred and disfigured. Part support group, part superhero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of super-powered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them, according to the streaming service.

The series stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton, Skye Roberts and Michelle Gomez.

HBO Max has secured the rights to the third season of the DC Comics-based series Pennyworth following the show’s two-season run on Epix.

The series, which follows the life of Alfred Pennyworth prior to serving as Bruce Wayne’s butler, will debut its third season on the streaming service in 2022, HBO Max announced Saturday at the DC FanDome event. HBO Max has also secured rights to the first two seasons of the series, which aired on Epix.

The Warner Bros. Television-produced series stars Jack Bannon as Pennyworth, a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), before he becomes Bruce Wayne’s father. Season three begins after a five-year time jump: the civil war is over and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse — ushering in a new age of superheroes and supervillains, Epix said.

The series also stars Emma Paetz, Paloma Faith, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Ramon Tikaram, Harriet Slater and Simon Manyonda.

Pennyworth is executive produced by Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon and John Stephens.  

Epix will premiere its new original series Pennyworth on July 28, the network recently announced. 

The series follows Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) -- a former British SAS soldier in his 20s -- who forms a security company and goes to work with a young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), who’s not yet Bruce’s father, in 1960s London, said network officials.

Also starring in the series are Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ryan Fletcher (Outlander), Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (Eastenders), Emma Paetz (Gentleman Jack), Polly Walker (The Mentalist, Rome) and Emma Corrin (The Crown). 

Epix Friday released the first trailer for its DC Comics-themed drama series Pennyworth, which premieres later this summer.

The 10-episode series from Warner Horizon Scripted Television and based on DC characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon). Pennyworth is a former British SAS soldier in his 20s who forms a security company and goes to work with a young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), who’s not yet Bruce’s father, in 1960s London, according to Epix.

The series also stars Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ryan Fletcher (Outlander), Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (Eastenders), Emma Paetz (Gentleman Jack) and Polly Walker (The Mentalist, Rome).

The DC Universe subscription streaming service is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices as part of a distribution deal between the two parties.

The $7.99 per month service, which features original, live-action and animated series along with classic TV shows and films from the DC Comics video collection, can be accessed from the Fire TV Appstore on the Amazon Fire TV device, according to company officials.

“Giving the tens of millions of Amazon Fire TV users in the US the ability to view DC Universe’s highly acclaimed first original series Titans, and all of the amazing library shows and movies available on DC Universe, is a win for DC fans and Fire TV users alike,” said Sam Ades, senior vice president and general manager, DC Digital Services in a statement. “DC Universe offers fans the opportunity to explore the iconic characters, series and movies from DC, and we are excited to bring it to Fire TV users, not to mention digital comic books, a daily news show and a world of content made for the advanced features and voice functionality that Fire TV devices are known for.”

AMC takes a page out of the comic-book genre with the debut of drama series Preacher.

The series, based on a 1990s DC Comics title, follows Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), an unconventional, conflicted preacher in a small Texas town who drinks and struggles with his own faith in God. His return to head his father’s church is met with some reluctance from a few of the locals, but he looks to make the best of an untenable situation.

When an inebriated Jesse gets arrested for assaulting a wife-beating parishioner, he considers throwing in the towel on his ministry.

Soon after however, Jesse is visited in his church by an alien entity that takes over his body and spirit, giving him a new vision for his ministry. Fans of the comic series will recognize Custer’s sidekicks in his ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) — as well as two outsiders searching for the creature itself — but viewers unfamiliar with Preacher will have to watch later episodes to figure out their relevance to the main character and to the storyline.

The pilot’s first scene leaves no doubts that Preacher is not for the squeamish. The same entity that takes over Jesse literally explodes through several other spiritual leaders around the world as it searches for its ideal host.

At the same time, the series tames down the bloody action long enough to allow for the character development of Jesse and those surrounding him to the point where viewers will begin to care what happens to them in future episodes as Jesse’s search for God and his desire to heal the sins of those around him takes the series on an unpredictable journey.

Part Breaking Bad and part The Walking Dead, the series — executive produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin — will keep fans of both the drama and horror genres in the viewing spirit.

Boomerang will showcase DC Comics’s super heroines with its new special Super Hero High, the network said Monday.  

The special, which debuts March 19, features characters from "DC Super Hero Girls," the new franchise from Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and Mattel. Super Hero High centers on the the DC Super Hero Girls during their formative high school years—prior to discovering their full super power potential, said network officials.

The Super Hero High television special stars Anais Fairweather as Supergirl and Mae Margaret Whitman as Barbara Gordon, and features an all-star voice cast of DC Comics universe veterans, including Greg Cipes, Tara Strong, Ashley Eckstein, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny, Helen Slater and Dean Cain

In addition to the special, exclusive shorts inspired by the franchise are also now available to view on the Cartoon Network video app.

WGN America will add to its original scripted series lineup with the deveopment of two new shows, the network announced Monday.

The network has greenlit to pilot Roadside Picnic, a sci-fi series based on the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in which aliens have come and gone on earth, leaving humans to explore the mysteries left behind in the remains of the alien culture, said network officials. Jack Paglen (Transcendence, Alien: Covenant), Alan Taylor (Mad Men), Vivian Cannon (Preacher) and Neal Moritz (The Fast and the Furious) will serve as executive producers on the project.

Scalped, based on the DC Comics grahic novel series written by Jason Aaron, takes palce in the world of a Native American Indian reservaion led by an ambitious Chief who has to deal with a renegade who has returned home after years away from the reservation. Doug Jung (Banshee) and Geoff Johns (The Flash) will serve as executive producers on the project, said network officials.