The Big Picture
- Powers, a 2015 show adapted from a comic series, attempted to put a procedural spin on the concept of a superhero program.
- The show suffered from unfortunate timing, premiering one month before Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix, which overshadowed its popularity.
- Powers was housed on the PlayStation Network, a platform that didn’t have the same confidence as Netflix, preventing it from gaining wider attention.
The era of Peak TV and all the companies that tried to get in on the prestige TV bandwagon is now firmly in the past. With that, the deluge of programs (which included hundreds of new programs each year) that emerged during this era are now a bit of a blur. Not every program can be an all-time classic or unforgettable misfire, some just were average programs that never went anywhere especially memorable. So it is with Powers, a 2015 show adapted from a comic series that attempted to put a procedural spin on the concept of a superhero program. Sharlto Copley headlined the project and the program aired on the PlayStation Network.
Yes, the PlayStation Network. In the mid-2010s, Sony made its one foray into launching a premium original streaming platform with Powers. Arriving two years after Netflix made its first big splash into the world of premium television programming, the PlayStation Network hoped to ride the wave of enthusiasm folks seemed to harbor for major streaming shows. That, of course, never happened, as Powers only lasted two seasons and the PlayStation Network’s forays into scripted original programming went nowhere. But just for a moment, it looked like Powers had the, well, power to change the world…or at least Sony’s place in the world of premium television programming.
What Is ‘Powers’ About?
Based on an Image Comics series that ran from 2000 to 2004 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, Powers is set in a world where superheroes exist and are called “Powers” (hey, that’s the name of the show!). Christian Walker (Copley) used to be one of those Powers, but once he had his abilities taken away, he opted for a career as a homicide detective. Powers chronicles the exploits of Walker working for the Los Angeles Police Department as he examines crimes based around super-powered individuals. Walker now utilizes knowledge from his old life to stop crime and save the day in a way that doesn’t involve leaping over tall buildings in a single bound.
One strange aspect about translating Powers to a high-concept TV show like this one was that the core concept of this adaptation seemed like a slightly better fit for network television or at least a cable show aimed at older audiences (like Suits). Folks love tuning in to watch lawyers/cops/other civil servants “get the bad guy” and wrap things up in a tidy fashion on a weekly basis. Those same viewers, who tend to be older, don’t often have much use for superhero mythology, graphic violence, and the other “edgy” material that made up this program. Powers wanted to be a combination of a CSI and The Boys, a concoction that required some creative chutzpah to pull off. The deluge of mixed reviews that greeted both seasons of the program suggests that Powers missed that mark slightly.
The reputation of Powers was undoubtedly forever hurt by its unfortunate timing, which saw the show premiering one month before Marvel’s Daredevil debut on Netflix. The spring of 2015 saw a showdown between gritty superhero streaming programs, and it was clear from the get-go which one would be the victor. Daredevil was based on a far more famous character and premiered on a streamer people were already habitually watching. Powers couldn’t hope to compete, especially since the debut season of Jessica Jones and the second season of Daredevil both premiered between the first and second seasons of Powers. The Marvel/Netflix series garnered so much enthusiasm from viewers that they took away the spotlight from Powers as the must-watch gritty superhero streaming show people had to watch.
Powers was also innately hurt by being housed on the PlayStation Network, a platform Sony never seemed to have a ton of confidence in as a place to launch original TV shows. While House of Cards was followed up a few months later on Netflix by other original programs like Hemlock Grove and Orange is the New Black, Powers was all by its lonesome on the PlayStation Network. There was nothing else on this streamer that could get people’s attention and remind them that this was now a place for original TV shows. Failing to commit to this platform sealed this project’s fate, even though it might’ve thrived in another era. After all, Sony Pictures Television would later have some significant success with a grimy realistic superhero show…
‘Powers’ Was the Right Show at the Wrong Time
Debuting a month before Daredevil, Powers arrived just a few weeks before a new golden age of gritty superhero shows would begin dominating the small screen. Four years later, that age would include The Boys, a project that originated from Powers production company Sony Pictures Television. Like Powers, The Boys was a cynical take on superheroes filled with adult material that was based on an earlier comic series. The difference here, though, was that The Boys was a lot more polished in its production values and really tapped into Trump-era cynicism about institutional power figures. Powers was, like many procedural dramas, about how homicide detectives can always help save the day, which didn’t quite gel with its snarky attitude towards powerful superheroes. The Boys, meanwhile, found a more successful outlet for “realistic” superheroes by going all-in on a dark tone and unlikeable protagonists. There were no reliable heroes, just lots of chaos and morally complicated characters people loved watching.
Even if the qualities that made The Boys a hit reinforced why Powers never took off as a pop culture phenomenon, one has to wonder if Powers was maybe just a few years early to hit its creative stride. If the show had launched in the wake of The Boys on a streamer people were actually watching, maybe it would’ve had a better chance of gaining momentum from the general public. With the Marvel/Netflix shows gone and cynicism at an all-time high for glossy superhero projects, a production like Powers could have an easier time standing out and touching a chord with viewers. Even its procedural impulses would fit in better in a modern TV era dictated by Suits reruns rather than the mid-2010s, when bolder projects like True Detective, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men were the go-to mold for prestige television.
We’ll almost certainly never know how Powers would fare in the modern pop culture landscape since there’s almost no chance of Sony Pictures Television taking a chance on a new version of its source material. After all, this unit now has a slew of The Boys TV shows and potential programs based on Spider-Man characters filling its superhero TV show quota. Plus, it’s hard to imagine what Powers would offer viewers that countless other ongoing dark and revisionist superhero TV shows don’t. Powers is destined to be just an odd relic from the mid-2010s, when every technology company thought it had what it took to be the next Netflix.
Powers is available for purchase on Prime Video in the U.S.
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