As CBM readers are well aware, the David E. Kelley pilot script and subsequent filmed version has received mixed reactions, with many criticizing his approach to the character.
Deadline muses on what happened: "People who have seen it describe it as
'ambitious' and 'well crafted'. But its screenings and testing were very mixed. 'The audience couldn't buy into the modernization,' one insider said. There were early signs of resistance against updating the classic franchise and the character when fans slammed the superhero's new, contemporary costume. 'It was a conceptual thing,' another insider said. 'Do we need a comic book hero?' While superheroes they have done gangbusters on the big screen, there haven't been successful recent comic book-based TV series except for the teen angst-filled Smallville, which was not a straight adaptation of the Superman comics but rather an original prequel....
"The question is whether the demise of Wonder Woman will give ABC a pause in their push to get on the air a superhero series from corporate sibling Marvel. The network has two high-profile comic-book shows in the works: Hulk with Guillermo del Toro and David Eick and AKA Jessica Jones with Melissa Rosenberg. One things is for sure: With Smallville ending its 10-season run, Fox canceling Human Target and NBC passing on Wonder Woman, there will be no comic book-based series on broadcast TV for the first time in a decade."
What are your thoughts on this, particularly the final point? Please share below.