Greg Berlanti Talks Supergirl’s Ratings and much more

Supergirl executive producer Greg Berlanti spoke with Variety, on the success of Supergirl, the audience wanting female superheroes, the series getting picked up for full season and much more.

What was your reaction when you saw the “Supergirl” ratings?

I think you breathe about a minute’s worth of a sigh of relief, and then you start worrying about whatever your other problems are that day and next week’s episode. I found in the past, it’s isn’t until the season is almost done that you get a sense of what happened exactly. You’re in the climate of where there’s so much for people to watch, and we felt so supported by the networks. They really got behind the shows. They know how to sell their audiences, each of them.

Do you think “Supergirl’s” late October launch helped?

I think CBS’ whole plan for it (worked), from top to bottom — to reach out to people who like comics, people who don’t like comics, men, women. Their entire launch — where they placed it on the schedule, behind an episode of “Big Bang” — all of it was masterful. And all of it was why they’re so good at doing what they do. They were always, from the beginning, very precise at how they wanted to introduce her to the world. They did exactly what they told us in the very first marketing meeting. We walked out of it in awe, all of us, when they laid out exactly what they were going to do.

When do you think you’ll hear about a full-season pickup?

I have no idea. That’s another thing I can never predict. There was a read-through when the ratings came in. We all hung out and toasted, and (Warner Bros TV chief) Peter Roth came by. It was a special moment. Shows this size, it’s double the financial stakes for everybody. They are large things to pull off. You want them to work for everybody. It means years of livelihood for everyone. It was nice to get a nice start. It’s that great boost to get in the arm to keep going. That was the one challenging thing about premiering later.

To read the full interview head over to Variety.com.