Yet, not even an upfront vet like Schweitzer was prepared for the astounding global reaction to CBS' trailer for Supergirl, one of fall's most eagerly anticipated new shows, after it debuted at the network's May 13 upfront. His group consulted with The CW's marketing and press teams who offered guidance on launching a superhero project. "We were warned that this thing would go viral quickly," said Schweitzer, and that's just what happened. Within two days, more than 5 million people had viewed the trailer online. A week after its May 13 debut, that number has risen to more than 10 million.
The 10 million figure eclipses the total views of all the other CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox upfront trailer combined. "It's unbelievable," said Schweitzer. "That's more than [the audience for] some of our shows."
The secret to the trailer's online success? "We wanted to make sure we captured three things: heroics, humor and heart," said Schweitzer. "Because, to us, that was the essence of Supergirl." With a running time of more than six minutes, it's also one of the longest upfront trailers CBS has produced. "But we really felt we wanted to show both sides, the relationship, emotion, female-empowerment side, and then action—hey, superhero fans, here's this, too," he said.
Still, it wasn't without its detractors, including some who compared its relationship-centric first half to Saturday Night Live's recent Black Widow sketch. Berlanti hopes skeptics will reserve judgment until they watch the pilot. "There is just as much or more action in Supergirl as there is in any show we have with a male lead," said Berlanti.
