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Thursday, January 6, 2011

"The Cape": Why can't TV do superheroes?

"The Cape": Why can't TV do superheroes?: There's something fundamentally unsatisfying about "The Cape," NBC's new superhero show about a former cop who becomes a costumed crime fighter in the mythical Palm City (Premiering Sunday, Jan. 9 at 9/8 Central; regular timeslot Mondays at 9/8 Central). The problem isn't lack of ambition. The series wants nothing less than to be the ultimate tribute to comic books -- an encyclopedia of modes that will satisfy everyone from young viewers weaned on graphic novels to grandparents that still pine for the days of black-and-white Saturday morning serials. No, the source of the show's downfall is more basic: It rushes through everything, pulverizing potentially engaging characters and story until the whole production starts to feel like a long trailer for itself.