Detectives Deena Pilgrim (left) and Christian Walker (right) respond to a call.
As drawn by Michael Avon Oeming for the cover of 'Powers' Vol. 4, "Supergroup"
Even with The Shield wrapped up, take a look at what's currently running on FX: Damages and Sons of Anarchy are two of the most visceral hourlongs on TV right now. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the funniest half-hours. And though the next two have suffered some creative slumps, cases can still be made for Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck. And now, their lineup has a chance to be a little more invincible: a pilot based Brian Michael Bendis's comic book Powers (which is drawn by Michael Avon Oeming, for those of you who are curious) is in active development in their house.
“I just handed in a draft to the network," Bendis tells MTV at the New York Comic Con, "and we’re getting our notes from the network as soon as this thing is over. So next week I’ll get the notes, and as long as they don’t involve sock puppets and some sort of orgy scene that I’m not interested in, then hopefully it will go in the right direction.”
So, what is Powers and why would FX be interested? Picture superheroes seen through the Homicide: Life on the Street filter. The books follow big city homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim as they work cases in a world where superheroes and vigilantes, while not a common sight, are a part of everyday life. When superpower-related homicides occur, they're brought in to regulate. (You'd think that this sounds a little bit like Heroes. I promise, Heroes this isn't.)
How likely is it that this will make it to air? Well, obviously FX isn't going to be able to set aside the kind of budget that NBC has for Heroes, but it won't really need it. The first arc of the book, "Who Killed Retro Girl?" (which you can read here), doesn't have much in the way of big-budget superhero/villain phenomena. It unfolds just like a gritty police procedural with just an occasional dash of mayhem to remind people that superpowers are in play. FX might need to throw a little more money at it than usual, but I can't see the price tag going out of FX's range.
What's really going to influence the decision to go ahead - and this is where I can tie this story in with my real job as a Movie Examiner - is Watchmen's performance at the box office. Like Watchmen, Powers takes a very adult view of superheroes. Granted, the view isn't as twisted and negative as it is with Watchmen, but there's still plenty of sex, language, and violence to go around. If Watchmen breaks out at the box office, it'll confirm that the mass market is ready for this sort of thing, and I can guarantee (with all the confidence of a man that went 4 for 8 on Oscar predictions) (I don't know why I would be proud of that either) that FX will be pushing it into production. A chance to show up Heroes AND cash in on a deconstruction craze? That's the kind of opportunity for FX that's so good, it just HAS to be fattening.
Either way, this is a "stay tuned" moment. I want to believe that Bendis can make it work, and that FX has the stone to take it to series.
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