Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2010-11 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at an ill-fated genre play by NBC with The Cape!
The Details:
Premiered: January 9, 2011 on NBC
Starring: David Lyons, Keith David, Summer Glau, James Frain, Jennifer Ferrin, Ryan Wynott, Dorian Missick, Martin Klebba, Vinnie Jones
Created by: Tom Wheeler
What I Thought Then:
"It's certainly campy and plays like a mediocre action movie in terms of quality, acting, effects, etc. But it's not terrible."
"The setting of Palm City plays much like Gotham City in the recent Batman movies - full of corruption and cartoonish characters but still somewhat believable."
"David Lyons didn't do too much to establish himself as the central character."
"If you like comic books or comic book movies, this show is worth a shot. If you don't, it's probably too high on the camp level to be enjoyed."
What Others Said:
"The Cape is far more economical in its storytelling, far less weighted by its own mythologies and a much better time. Someone in network land has learned a lesson from Heroes." - Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times
"It's probably doomed to cult status but The Cape is primal fun." - Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
"While little about The Cape could be deemed fresh - from its noir-ish Dark Knight-esque color palette to the sometimes boilerplate dialogue - the show has several elements going for it." - Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe
"The Cape aspires to be "The Dark Knight" but unfurls more like the campy 1960s Batman TV series." - Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald
"It's a series that looks like a whole bunch of cooks decided to build the most creatively awesome and different kitchen imaginable, forgetting for a moment that none of them can really cook." - Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
What I Think Now:
This was a slog to get through in 2011 (I believe I watched the two hour premiere, which was actually the first two episodes but just reviewed the pilot). It was a slog to get through just one episode now. Now a full disclaimer that I am generally not into superhero shows or movies so it was a tougher hill to climb. But this was just silly. It was one of those shows that had a campy style (including the titles of each part of the episode and many of the costumes) but yet it took itself way too seriously to actually be campy. I think superhero shows can work as gritty, noir type dramas or silly campy shows but it has to pick a lane. Straddling both does not work. So there's a tonal dissonance and it was not nearly as fun as it could be. Instead, the pilot is actually quite glum in places. I was more intrigued by the first half of the episode when they were sort of presenting the origin story (even though I typically don't care about origin stories) but it really lost me as it went along. I was happy to not watch another hour of the show this time around.
What Happened to the Show:
The Cape premiered at a time when superhero properties were just starting to graduate from a nerdy subculture to mainstream pop culture. This was after Iron Man but before The Avengers. And on TV, this was before the DC shows started airing on CW so there weren't a ton of superhero shows (though No Ordinary Family was airing the same season). This show also felt very out of place on NBC despite them airing Heroes in the years prior. But they still were mostly known for upscale shows or polished versions of procedural dramas. Critics were not kind to the show (54 on Metacritic). The series premiered with a two hour pilot on a Sunday night and then repeated it the next night, which would be its regular slot (Mondays at 9pm) while The Event was on hiatus. The ratings were not bad for the pilot but it dropped pretty fast once it started airing on Mondays. It didn't help matters that Harry's Law was a surprise success airing after it at 10pm. The Cape saw its episode order cut from 13 to 10 - never a good sign - and was officially cancelled at Upfronts in May 2011. Star David Lyons returned twice to NBC with the two year run of Revolution and the short lived Game of Silence. He was more recently seen on the Apple TV drama Truth Be Told.
Final Episode: February 28, 2011
Episode Count: 9 + 1 aired online
Where to Watch: Roku Channel, available to purchase on DVD
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
