Posted in: Cartoon Network, CW, TV | Tagged: Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, craig mccracken, powerpuff girls, the cw

The Powerpuff Girls: Craig McCracken on Why The CW Series Didn't Work

The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken offered his perspective on why The CW's series take on the animated series didn't work.

Published Sat, 18 Nov 2023 11:37:09 -0600

by Ray Flook

Last updated Sat, 18 Nov 2023 11:38:55 -0600

Comments

Article Summary

The live-action 'Powerpuff' series, a sequel to the original, was officially announced as no longer in development at The CW.
Creator Craig McCracken shares why he believes the live-action adaptation didn't work.
McCracken says making the Powerpuff Girls adults takes away from the original concept.
The original series is set for more animated adventures as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

It was a long, strange trip for Diablo Cody (Juno) and Heather V. Regnier's (Sleepy Hollow) pilot for Powerpuff, their modern sequel series take on the beloved animated series "The Powerpuff Girls." Chloe Bennet (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie), and Yana Perrault (Jagged Little Pill) were tapped to play Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in a modern, live-action take that found the pint-sized Powerpuff superteam now disillusioned twenty-somethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting but finding themselves needing to reunite to save the day one more time. Based on the Cartoon Network & Craig McCracken's The Powerpuff Girls, the project also starred Donald Faison (Scrubs), Nicholas Podany (Hart of Dixie), Robyn Lively (Light As A Feather), and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants). First announced in 2020, the next three years would see the project reworked, the pilot retooled, and casting shifts – with the project officially declared as being no longer in development at The CW back in May of this year.

Now, we're getting some perspective on why the series may have been doomed from the start – McCracken himself, who's working on a new round of animated adventures for the trio. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times in honor of the animated series' 25th anniversary, McCracken shared his belief that The CW's series attempt failed because it was taking away what made the series so special in the first place. "I had one meeting with them, and I told them, 'When you turn them into adults, they're no longer the 'Powerpuff Girls' because if they're adults, that's just three super girls who don't have to deal with being kids.' That's a completely different show," McCracken explained. Stemming from Warner Bros. Television, the pilot was executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden, with Erika Kennair producing and Maggie Kiley directing and executive-producing the pilot.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!