SNL’s Meyers Preps The Awesomes for MTV

Thursday, June 25, 2009
By: Thomas J. Mclean

MTV and Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers are developing a an animated half-hour superhero spoof series called The Awesomes.

According to MTV’s Splash Page blog, the series is about “an unassuming superhero and his cohorts as they battle evil villains, the paparazzi, and a less than desirable reputation as bumbling losers.”

Created by Meyers and his SNL colleague Mike Shoemaker, the duo will serve as co-writers series will be produced by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

Meyers has previous experience with superheroes, having co-written with another SNL colleague, Bill Hader, a story for Marvel Comics titled “Spider-Man: The Short Halloween.”

The series has yet to be scheduled to air on the cable channel.

Reader Comments

• Harvey H :

  Friday, June 26, 2009

  Why do comedians choose the \'loser\' tack so often? Because bumbling protagonists are easier to write than smart ones. Tina Fey\'s \"30 Rock\", stars a smart but flawed protagonist, while Amy Poehler\'s \"Parks and Recreation\", toplines a lovable loser. Which character would you rather spend time watching? Maybe Seth Myers will be sharp enough to avoid this obvious trap.

• Annie :

  Friday, June 26, 2009

  Because losers are sympathetic and winners are douchebags, Dr. Horrible\'s Sing-Along Blog being a case-in-point. Sometimes I think people also like watching losers because it makes them feel superior, as with most reality programming on television today. And also because it is losers (like me, like me...) who watch television, and winners are out living exciting lives and not over-investing in fictional characters (again, guilty).
  
  This sounds like a promising show, but I definitely would change the titles. The Awesomes sounds too much like The Incredibles, and then there\'s the superhero connection...
  
  And, for the record, Liz Lemon is not a loser, really, right? She\'s successful and \"smart but flawed\" -- but think about it. If our characters didn\'t have flaws, where would the dramatic conflict spring from?

• Annie :

  Friday, June 26, 2009

  Also, please check out my blog: currentlyinpreproduction.wordpress.com. I don\'t typically blog about animation, but I will if you ask me to.