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Update (February 2nd, 2017): After this review was written, Powerless creator Ben Queen departed the series, which was given a complete overhaul, resulting in an almost entirely different first episode being shot. That being the case, this review is now of an episode only ever shown at San Diego Comic-Con! Click here for the review of the episode that ultimately aired on NBC.

At San Diego Comic-Con this week, NBC debuted the pilot to their new DC Comics-based comedy, Powerless.

With DC live-action adaptations already broken up into several unconnected universes -- the movies, the CW/Greg Berlanti-produced shows and Gotham among them -- Powerless adds yet another to the list with its depiction of a world positively jam-packed with DC heroes. There’s no chance this is happening in either the movie or CW series universes, as this is a world where Hawkman is on the cover of Rolling Stone, where you might suspect your coworker is Green Lantern, and where Wonder Woman’s exploits are a commonality.

Vanessa Hudgens stars as Emily Locke, who works at an insurance company who specialize in superhero-related claims. When her kindly boss is killed in – you guessed it – a superhero battle, Emily is none to happy to meet his replacement, Teddy (Alan Tudyk). Coldhearted and exploitive, every move Teddy makes infuriates Emily, who begins to push back hard.

Ultimately, Powerless is a workplace comedy – with the added twist of the amazing world it takes place in. The idea here is to focus on the normal office folk in a world where Superman might fly by the window, which is rather wonderfully illustrated (literally) in the opening titles, which take famous DC Comics covers and shift the focus to those people in the background watching the big fights take place. And yes, DC got one up on Marvel here by getting this show on the air before the similarly themed Damage Control got beyond the development stage.

Exit Theatre Mode

The cast are all likable, with Hudgens providing an appropriately plucky protagonist, surrounded by skilled comic actors in the form of Tudyk and the likes of Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, and Kate Micucci as Emily’s’s coworkers. (Ron Funches will join the series as a cast member in the second episode).

The jokes are frequent and while they don't all work, plenty of them are good. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and Powerless’ humor has a slight edge to it that’s appreciated, such as when Teddy’s insistence on standing desks -- because it’s healthier -- is backed by the line, “Every time you sit down, you might as well be smoking crack.” And another bit about Aquaman is rather notably lewd.

DC Comics fan meanwhile should enjoy a bevy of references to established characters from the comics, ranging from the most famous of superheroes and villains to some incredibly obscure ones. And there are a couple of amusing visuals, showing faces (and creatures) DC fans will recognize, all while the main characters go about trying to live their life, seeing these superheroes through a mixture of fame and tediousness.