‘Powerpuff Girls’ Fans Slam CW’s Live-Action Trailer as Worst Ever

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I rarely find myself cheering for a leaked trailer of a shelved project, but the unveiling of The CW’s series has been an exception. It’s been almost two years since the cancellation of the live-action adaptation of this beloved animated series, and while back then there was an uproar from Powerpuff Girls fans worldwide, now all I see are tears of joy – not because the “god-awful” series ever aired.

Travel back to 2020, when the initial word about a live-action Powerpuff Girls series sparked quite a buzz. The next year saw the main trio – Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault – being chosen for their roles as grown-up Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Diablo Cody and Heather Regnier had penned a script for the pilot episode at this point. But, only two months later, an unauthorized version of the script leaked online, causing fans to criticize it harshly, which may have led The CW to re-film the entire pilot from scratch. A year later, Chloe Bennet left the series, and in May 2023, it was ultimately cancelled.

Initially, due to copyright issues, content that earlier was hidden from viewers has now been made available. The response mirrors the feeling one gets when informed about a new COVID-19 strain. In an extended trailer, the main characters appear as disillusioned ex-superheroes, displaying behaviors such as vomiting in trash cans, speaking awkward dialogue, and resembling a hastily assembled college project. Unsurprisingly, fans of this franchise have been quick to express their gratitude towards the entertainment deities for sparing them from what could have been a series that not only ended the franchise but also The CW.

What Are Fans Saying About the ‘Powerpuff Girls’ Trailer?

Few TV shows or films are universally disliked, but the leaked trailer for The Powerpuff Girls might be an unusual case where almost everyone disapproves of its content. Criticisms span from poor dialogue to alterations in beloved characters – like transforming the franchise’s monkey villain Mojo Jojo into two ordinary men with one half of the name each – and culminate in questions about how this production made it out without anyone intervening, saying something along the lines of “Wait a minute, what on earth is this? Someone needs to put a stop to it.

After examining numerous posts about X following the release of the trailer, it’s evident that if the series had actually been aired, it would have been an unmitigated catastrophe. @Melothehm fiercely criticized it, stating, “For the first time in my life, a canceled show’s trailer has left me speechless. Initially, I couldn’t fathom how anyone could have believed that this live-action version of Powerpuff Girls would have had even a 1% chance of success.” This was followed by @Elvick, who was outraged at the prospect of the show ever being broadcast, expressing, “This is abysmal. I’m grateful to whatever power prevented this from happening. May it never see the light of day again. And may those who thought, ‘brilliant idea’, cease to work in their field. And hearing the ‘hurr hurr the cartoon whitewashed us hurr durr’ was more offensive than merely reading about it.

Some attempted to find something redeeming in the disheartening footage, yet all they managed was expressing regret for what might have transpired if an entirely different version had been produced instead of the one that existed. @TheMegaMitch expressed, “The idea of ‘adult Powerpuff Girls’ disillusioned with their superhero childhood’ isn’t inherently bad and could have been executed brilliantly – but goodness gracious, this is horrendous.

It appears that The CW managed to avoid a difficult situation in this case. Here’s hoping they won’t encounter such an issue again in the future.

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2025-03-07 03:33