Even among the fairly diverse run of show’s that fill The CW’s superhero roster—which range from straight vigilante dramas to whatever you want to call the time traveling, joyful nonsense of Legends Of Tomorrow—the upcoming Naomi seems different. Partly, it’s just a matter of pedigree: The show is based around a DC Comics character created by Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell, and comes to the small screen courtesy of Ava DuVernay.
But it’s also the promise of that simple, non-bombastic name, a trait the character shares with her comic book incarnation who, despite her powers, rarely uses any kind of superhero nickname. It’s grounded, in a way that it’s hard for a show called Supergirl or The Flash to be.
That’s certainly the impression given by the first-look teaser The CW released for the series today, introducing us to Kaci Walfall as its title character, who’s apparently enough of a comic book nerd that she skateboards toward a superhero battle featuring Superman, instead of away from it. (It’s some excitingly energetic skateboarding footage, too; Amanda Marsalis’ directing resembles very little of what we’ve seen from the Berlanti-verse superhero shows, typically workmanlike to the point of being generic, before.)
The footage—showed off today at DC’s FanDome event—is little more than a tease, ending when Naomi suddenly collapses after getting a mere glimpse at a caped figure flying overhead. But the promise of the series is palpable, despite the fact that we’re still waiting on a premiere date. (It’ll be some time in 2022, so don’t hold your breath, superhero stans.)
DuVernay—who’s working with Arrow’s Jill Blankenship on the project—has carved out a a very successful space in the world of TV production in recent years; Naomi joins a wide slate of shows bearing her creative imprint, most notably Queen Sugar on OWN.
