# Powerless (2017)

> A new corporate research director in Charm City navigates the collateral damage of a superhero and villain war for a family-run security firm.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/59729

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 9
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, science fiction
- Created by: Ben Queen
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Vanessa Hudgens, Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, Ron Funches, Jennie Pierson, Corbin Bernsen, Matthew Atkinson
- TMDB rating: 6.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083928/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, sardonic, irreverent, comforting

## What critics say

Audiences rated the single season as mixed, with a playful superhero workplace comedy praised for its tone and cast but seen as uneven in its execution.

## Synopsis

Powerless (2017) is an American superhero workplace comedy created by Ben Queen for NBC. Vanessa Hudgens plays Emily Locke, an optimistic new Director of Research and Development at Wayne Security, a firm in Charm City that must protect ordinary citizens from the constant brawling of costumed heroes and villains. Alan Tudyk plays Van Wayne, the eccentric company head, while Danny Pudi, Christina Kirk, Ron Funches and Jennie Pierson fill out the office staff. Emily's goal is simple: make the company's products actually useful to people who live among superpowered chaos. Her obstacles are corporate egos, bureaucratic meetings and the damage left behind by every fight. Each standalone 22-minute episode pairs a small workplace problem with a superhero mishap, so the show plays as a single-season sitcom with a light ongoing thread. Its tone is breezy, sardonic and quietly warm, with a satirical eye on corporate life. Fans of Superstore, The Tick and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will find a similar mix of office absurdity and affectionate parody here.

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