SUPERGIRL: PILOT
Superman’s cousin is ready to fight evil.
Should You Watch It?
The Supergirl pilot is brisk, witty, and loads of fun from beginning to end. Melissa Benoist makes Supergirl especially likable, and the special effects are fantastic by broadcast television standards. The episode also gives its superhero story a strong family component and a clear moral struggle between good and evil.
The cost is action violence. Supergirl is strangled, punched, kicked, shot at, and set on fire, while a villain kills himself by stabbing himself in the chest. There are also five light profanities, romantic and feminist elements, and some revealing clothing.
If your family enjoys superhero stories and your older children can handle this level of action, the pilot is worth watching. For younger children, parents should use their own discernment.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESKara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, arrives on Earth 24 years later than planned and is placed with the Danvers family. In the present day, Kara finally accepts her powers and begins saving people as Supergirl.
She joins a secret government agency when an elite force connected to General Zod threatens National City. Kara must prove that she can face the powerful alien villains endangering her new home.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this pilot is highly entertaining and effective at what it sets out to do. It moves briskly, the cast is likable and witty, and Melissa Benoist stands out as Supergirl. The special effects are particularly impressive for broadcast television.
The episode also benefits from a strong family component and a clear moral worldview. Its main weakness is not in the craft but in the content concerns surrounding the action violence and a few romantic and feminist elements.
The Worldview
The pilot presents a strong moral worldview centered on good versus evil. Supergirl fights alien criminals, protects her family and city, and learns to use her powers for others rather than herself. The episode also extols sacrifice and fighting for family.
The moral message is somewhat softened by romantic elements, including a mother telling her daughter to stay true to herself rather than emphasizing tangible virtues. There are also light feminist elements, and a young woman is falsely thought to be a lesbian. These ideas and the episode’s revealing superhero costumes may require parental discernment.
At its center, the pilot values courage, sacrifice, and protecting others. Those themes connect with Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
<span style="font-weight: 400;"> (BB, C, RoRo, Fe, Ho, L, VV, S, N, A, M) Strong moral worldview of good vs. evil where female superhero seeks to thwart the evil alien criminals, extols sacrifice, and fighting for family, with strong Romantic elements where mother tells daughter to stay true to herself instead of extolling tangible virtues, plus some light feminist elements and a young woman is falsely thought to be a lesbian; five light profanities (OMG’s); moderate action violence with multiple fight scenes as Supergirl is strangled, punched, kicked, shot at, and set on fire, though she’s impervious to much of it, villain kills himself by stabbing himself in the chest; no depicted sex, but man thinks his friend is coming out as a lesbian when in fact she’s explaining she’s an alien; no explicit nudity except for the first choice of superhero suit baring Supergirl’s midrift and then settling on a tight fitting top and short skirt with leggings; light alcohol use; no smoking or drugs; and, alien criminals seek revenge not only on Supergirl but on National City for her mother’s role in their imprisonment, and greed as aliens seek to dominate planet Earth, though both are rebuked by the heroine.</span>
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Supergirl must decide how to use her powers. What responsibilities come with having abilities that can help others?
1 Peter 4:10 · Philippians 2:4The episode emphasizes sacrifice and fighting for family. What does loving and protecting your family look like in everyday life?
John 15:13 · 1 Timothy 5:8The story contrasts good and evil. How can you recognize evil without becoming consumed by revenge?
Romans 12:19–21 · Micah 6:8A mother tells her daughter to stay true to herself. How should that idea be tested against God’s Word?
Romans 12:2 · Ephesians 4:22–24The Final Word
The Supergirl pilot is energetic, likable, morally clear, and beautifully made for broadcast television. Its action violence and other content call for parental discernment, but older children and adults can find strong family themes and heroic purpose here. WORTH WATCHING — OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
