When it comes to updates and remakes, I'm usually not a fan. But oddly, in early 2001 when I heard that they were remaking "Electra Woman" with Markie Post, I was pretty stoked. A quick search on the net pulled back a photo of Post in costume and that heightened my enthusiasm. Unfortunately, when it came time for the networks to announce the new fall schedule, "Electra Woman" wasn't on it. The pilot episode, apparently, later made the rounds -- I just found it on YouTube. Man, the (now defunct) WB missed an opportunity with this one!
Since online videos have a short life expectancy, here's major SPOILERS: It begins at a carnival in the '80s. When an accident on a ferris wheel leaves a little girl hanging on for dear life, it's Electra Woman to the rescue! Cut to present day and the little girl, Judy (!), seeks out her heroine, and finds that Lori (Electra Woman) is now an alcoholic living in a run-down trailer. Judy tries to convince Lori to revive her act, but Dyna Girl has run off with Electra Woman's ex-husband. So Judy dons the Dyna Girl costume and books them a personal appearance at a "jewelry store" (that turns out to be a pawn shop). When thieves bust in brandishing a gun, they find their robbery attempt foiled by an out of practice Electra Woman and the new Dyna Girl! Soon Lori decides to finish college, so she imposes on Judy in her dorm room. Cut to cheesy animated wrap-up.
The pilot is pretty short, it runs around 13 minutes -- it's more of a pitch of what the show would be than your average full-length pilot. From the language alone (Post drops an f-bomb at one point), it's obvious that this version was never meant to be aired. While some purists complain that this version didn't have the family appeal of the cornball '70s series, I found that be one the pilot's strengths. Aimed at a more modern teen/young adult market, most wouldn't have been at all familiar with the '70s series. Much like the Deidre Hall version, this pilot didn't take itself too seriously, and it simultaneously payed homage to the original series and other superhero shows.
Since I've wanted to see this for more than 6 years, I figured it'd be a disappointment. But now that I've seen it, I'm even more disappointed that it didn't get picked up as a series...
Since online videos have a short life expectancy, here's major SPOILERS: It begins at a carnival in the '80s. When an accident on a ferris wheel leaves a little girl hanging on for dear life, it's Electra Woman to the rescue! Cut to present day and the little girl, Judy (!), seeks out her heroine, and finds that Lori (Electra Woman) is now an alcoholic living in a run-down trailer. Judy tries to convince Lori to revive her act, but Dyna Girl has run off with Electra Woman's ex-husband. So Judy dons the Dyna Girl costume and books them a personal appearance at a "jewelry store" (that turns out to be a pawn shop). When thieves bust in brandishing a gun, they find their robbery attempt foiled by an out of practice Electra Woman and the new Dyna Girl! Soon Lori decides to finish college, so she imposes on Judy in her dorm room. Cut to cheesy animated wrap-up.
The pilot is pretty short, it runs around 13 minutes -- it's more of a pitch of what the show would be than your average full-length pilot. From the language alone (Post drops an f-bomb at one point), it's obvious that this version was never meant to be aired. While some purists complain that this version didn't have the family appeal of the cornball '70s series, I found that be one the pilot's strengths. Aimed at a more modern teen/young adult market, most wouldn't have been at all familiar with the '70s series. Much like the Deidre Hall version, this pilot didn't take itself too seriously, and it simultaneously payed homage to the original series and other superhero shows.
Since I've wanted to see this for more than 6 years, I figured it'd be a disappointment. But now that I've seen it, I'm even more disappointed that it didn't get picked up as a series...