Powerless (2017)

Hudgens is delightful as a young woman determined to show she can make a difference in the world even without superpowers. Pierson is only listed as recurring, and she needs to be upgraded pronto for her heroic, hilarious meanness. Pudi can do great things — he proved that on “Community”--one can only hope the scripts will give him a chance to soar.

On the basis of its pilot--the sole episode available for review--it's a pleasant show, a little on the old-fashioned side formally. With a quality cast that includes Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, Ron Funches, Alan Tudyk and Christina Kirk, it seems crafted to sit compatibly alongside the returning "Superstore."

The workplace comedy will have to be dialed up in the long run to maintain interest. But with Pudi and Tudyk--and even Hudgens--at the ready, that shouldn’t be a superhuman feat for Powerless.

Funny idea that doesn’t quite attain the level of “funny show,” but a good cast along with a few good lines indicate this superhero sendup will eventually get there.

I've seen one only episode, so it's hard to say where Powerless is headed. It has a good cast, though, and for all its comic-book trappings, its effort to find some fun in a fickle economy could make it a good fit with its lead-in, NBC's already terrific Superstore.

One, the cast is strong. Hudgens is likable; Pudi and Tudyk have excellent timing. Two, the concept is promising. While I’m a little worried that Powerless will repeat jokes, I’m more hopeful that the world of superheroes will just become background to a clever workplace comedy.

There’s a light, nimble humor to the show’s treatment of superpowers and heroic antics--a much needed respite from the angst and self-seriousness of so many superheroes on the small-screen, who are all so fixated on saving the world.

It’s a good cast--Hudgens is energetic and likable in the straight woman role, Tudyk can play this kind of obnoxious bro in his sleep, and Pudi and the others (including Christina Kirk as Van’s beleaguered assistant, Jackie) already have a solid handle on what differentiates each nerdy character from the others--and every now and then comes a scene or joke that lives up to the promise of showing an extraordinary world from the most ordinary point of view.

Netflix has been hit (“Master of None”) and miss (“The Ranch”) with its comedies. This one falls in the former category, and will leave you “hungry” for more episodes.

Powerless wants to be more than a typical workplace comedy, but its own premise (hey, isn't superhero fatigue hilarious?) is its kryptonite. [Feb 3/10 2017, p.101]

A show that was so much better than anyone ever dared give it credit for. Definitely flawed but definitely one of the better sitcoms. R.I.P.