Playstation Network doubles down on Powers, orders second season

By Steve Smith May 6, 2015

powers second season playstation newtwork — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Netflix’s critically-acclaimed Daredevil may be the “it” show in superhero-land, but it seems the first season of PlayStation Network’s Powers was strong enough to warrant a second one. The show has received a 10-episode order for its second season, set to premiere next year.

Based on the Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming comic, Powers stars Sharlto Copley as an ex-superhero turned cop who works for the Powers division of the police department. The division deals specifically with super heroes and villains, and the havoc that they wreak. The show also stars Susan Heyward, Eddie Izzard, Michelle Forbes and Noah Taylor.

Originally developed for FX (which went as far as having a pilot made) Powers was scooped up by Sony’s PlayStation Network instead. The series is the first scripted original drama launched specifically for the platform.

Powers had the most-watched series premiere on the PlayStation consoles, with the entire first season available to stream on the PlayStation Network and free for all PlayStation Plus subscribers. The show was released, however, to mainly lukewarm reviews, ranking at 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 51 out of 100 on Metacritic. Many critics seemed to feel that the acting and CGI were below average, while the world building showed great potential.

John Koller, VP of Platforms Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America said, “We believe original content will continue to be a key pillar as we broaden the value proposition for PlayStation Plus, and we’re excited for what’s to come with season two of Powers.”

Jamie Erlicht, President of Programming and Development at Sony Pictures Television, promises Season 2 will “broaden the Powers universe and bring even more of the fan-favorite characters and storylines to life.” It will be interesting to see this how this will play out, especially after the events of Season 1 ended on a very intriguing cliffhanger.

Season 2 has no specific release date yet, but it is slated to arrive sometime in 2016.

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