Development By September 2014,
Warner Bros. Television was looking to create a television series centered around
Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. Executive producers for the series include
Greg Berlanti (also a creator/producer for
Arrow and
The Flash),
Ali Adler, who were both writing the script, and
Berlanti Productions' Sarah Schechter.
DC Comics'
Geoff Johns was also expected to be part of the project. Titles under consideration for the series included
Super and
Girl. Berlanti confirmed the show shortly after, and stated it was in development and had yet to be pitched to networks. On September 20, it was announced that
CBS had landed
Supergirl with a series commitment, with an expected premiere in 2015 of the
2015–16 television season. On November 30, 2015, CBS ordered an additional seven episodes of
Supergirl, for a full season of 20 episodes.
Writing In January 2015, CBS Entertainment chairwoman
Nina Tassler revealed the show would be a procedural, saying, "There will be [crime] cases, but what [executive producers] Ali Adler and Greg Berlanti pitched was a real series arc for her. The beauty of it is now with shows like
The Good Wife and
Madam Secretary, you can have serialized story elements woven into a case of the week. She's a crime solver, so she's going to have to solve a crime." In July 2015, Adler spoke on how much influence
Superman would have on the show, saying, "Our prototype is the way the president is seen on
Veep. It's certainly [inspired by] so much of what
Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character goes through. Ultimately, this is a show about Supergirl and we really want to see it through her lens."
Casting For the role of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, the producers wanted a Caucasian actress aged between 22 and 26 years. In January 2015, it was announced by
The Hollywood Reporter that
Melissa Benoist would star as the character. Benoist later revealed that auditioning for the part "was a long, drawn-out, three-month process"; she was the first actress looked at for the role, although
Claire Holt and
Gemma Atkinson were also considered. In the same month,
Mehcad Brooks was cast as James Olsen, based on the character
Jimmy Olsen. In February,
Chyler Leigh was cast as
Alex Danvers, In the same month,
David Harewood and
Calista Flockhart were cast as
Hank Henshaw and
Cat Grant, respectively.
Filming In February 2015, it was announced that
Andrew Kreisberg, co-creator of
Arrow and
The Flash, had joined the series as a writer and executive producer; and
Arrow /
The Flash and
Smallville alum
Glen Winter was announced to be directing the pilot.
Principal photography for the pilot took place from March 4 to March 29, 2015. Filming locations included the Warner Bros. lot, where
Lois and Clark was shot. Each episode cost approximately $3 million to broadcast, which is one of the highest license fees ever for a first year show. Filming
wrapped in March 2016.
Music The score for the season was composed by
Blake Neely. ==Release==