UPDATE: Why the Powerpuff Girls pilot needs to be reworked, says CW boss

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

UPDATE: The CW boss Mark Pedowitz expanded on his decision to not take the Powerpuff Girls live-action pilot to series and why it will be redeveloped for future consideration. During The CW's upfront press call on Tuesday, via "Deadline", Pedowitz said "The reason we do pilots is sometimes things miss, this was just a miss. We believe in the cast completely, we believe in Diablo and Heather, the writers…in this case, the pilot didn't work." Pedowitz went on to explain that the interest and popularity around the original animated series made him realize that the new project needs to do that show justice. Pedowitz didn't say specifically what needed to be reworked but he does note that the pilot "might've felt too campy." Pedowitz concludes by saying "You learn things and you test things out. In this case, we felt let's take a step back and go back to the drawing board because it's a powerful property, it has engaged a lot of interest and we get to get it right before we put it out." 

The reveal of a network's fall schedule always has its fair share of surprises and this year was no different. Despite receiving considerable buzz, The CW has decided to not move their live-action Powerpuff Girls adaptation to series and will instead redevelop the pilot off-cycle. The property is said to be a big priority for the network which is why they're making moves to see if they can get it completely right.

The Greg Berlanti-produced pilot from writers Heather Regnier and Diablo Cody was a front-runner at The CW to land a spot in the schedule and the casting of Dove Cameron, Chloe Bennet, and rising star Yana Perrault helped solidify early buzz. Instead, when The CW's schedule was revealed for next season, Mark Pedowitz greenlit fellow frontrunner and Ava DuVernay’s DC Comics drama Naomi and a spinoff of The CW (and Netflix) hit All American to join straight-to-series entry The 4400 on the lineup.

Powerpuff Girls remains an important franchise for the network and the entire cast, including Donald Faison, remains attached. The only thing that is concerning if you were hoping this show would happen is that The CW has been trying to redevelop a Lost Boys series, based on the film, off-cycle for years and it still hasn't moved forward. That being said, Greg Berlanti has given the network many hits so that may give Powerpuff Girls an edge. Nancy Drew spinoff Tom Swift — which has yet to film a pilot — also remains in consideration, though it’s unclear if either will be for midseason 2021-22 or the 2022-23 season.

This project has always been a headscratcher for me because I just didn't see the concept working as a live-action series. I understood that it did gain a lot of traction when it was first announced but I think a lot of the "buzz" had to do with fans wondering how this would exactly work. I would say the reaction to the potential series has been pretty polarizing online but The CW clearly thinks that this could be a hit if it hits all the right marks creatively so I'm open to them giving it another shot.

Are YOU surprised that the Powerpuff Girls pilot is being redeveloped?