1. It's a female superhero.
Growing up, I didn't really hear about superheroes that were girls. There was Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man... Besides Wonder Woman and Cat Woman, I didn't really grow up with strong, powerful superhero ladies to look up to. I grew up with female superheroes in skin-tight leather suits. The CW's version of Supergirl has a practical suit that works with her powers and gives her the freedom to save the day. I think it's really important that little girls have these positive role models. Melissa Benoist, who plays the title character, says, "I’m so grateful that I get to be in this position, playing someone people will look up to. Hopefully, I’ll help people escape from things they’re afraid of or be able to face the things they’re afraid of."
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2. They cast people of color (and not as the villains).
Far too often we see people of color cast as villains or killed off in a lame attempt to boost ratings with drama. In the CW's Supergirl , the cast is diverse and the deaths of any and all characters are not done lightly.
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3. It depicts women in various positions of power.
Because Supergirl isn't the only woman with power on this show. There's Cat Grant, the woman who built a media empire on her hard work alone. There's Lucy Lane, a female general in the United States Army. There's Alex Danvers, a hard-core secret government agent who's also a bioengineer and an expert at hand to hand combat. Then there's Detective Maggie Sawyer, a recent addition to the show. In addition to being a "non-white, non-straight girl" from Nebraska, she's a lead detective in an elite division of the National City Police Department. This show has no shortage of powerful ladies (thought Calista Flockhart, AKA Cat Grant, did just go on temporary leave, so I'm none too pleased about that).
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4. It deals with the issues that matter.
The CW show deals with issues of racism, xenophobia, and sexism in ways that make it easier for young people to understand, but also reminds its adult viewers that these things are indeed still issues today.
5. It shows an emotionally diverse cast.
In addition to being a racially diverse cast of actors, they have an emotionally diverse cast of characters. They are strong, but they show emotion. They get angry, they get disappointed, they get sad, they get happy, they get ambitious, they get jealous, they get bitter. We get to watch characters go through a range of emotions and deal with them in a healthy, but relatable ways. Whenever we turn on the TV, we see characters that get dichotomized in their emotions. The characters of Supergirl help us process through difficult emotions in our life.
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6. Viewers can empathize and identify with characters.
Okay, so this one is related to reason number five. We can relate to these characters because of their emotional diversity. But we can also relate to their personality. At some point, we've all been Winn Schott, who had an unrequited crush. Or Alex Danvers, someone who struggles to keep up with her parents' expectations. Or Lucy Lane who struggles to live up to the standard her older sibling has set. Or Maggie Sawyer, a girl who grew up ostracized for being a gay woman of color. These characters matter because they are relatable to the show's viewers.
I could go on and on about why I love this show, but I really think you should watch it and decide for yourself. The first season of Supergirl is on Netflix, and you can watch the current season on the CW channel, Mondays at 8/7central.
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