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TV Media Weekly | October 21 - 27, 2017 By Kyla Brewer TV Media T elevision fans have long been fascinated with su- perheroes. Superman (George Reeves) flew onto the small screen in the 1950s, and Adam West's Batman "ba- tusied" in the campy TV series of the same name in 1966. Lynda Carter ruled the airwaves as Wonder Woman in the 1970s, and the fun has continued since then. A new kind of super-powered TV character emerges as Natalie Alyn Lind ("The Goldbergs") and Percy Hynes White ("Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," 2014) star as Lauren and Andy Strucker, teenage siblings with special abilities, in the latest comic book-themed series to hit the airwaves: "The Gifted," air- ing Monday, Oct. 23, on Fox. Set in Marvel's comic and cinematic X-Men universe, the series fol- lows the sister and brother who, along with their parents, struggle to evade nefarious forces. In an interview with Entertain- ment Weekly, creator Matt Nix ("Burn Notice") explained why he chose to focus the series on a single family: "We really get to see the devel- opment of powers and perspec- tives," Nix said, "and we give audi- ences who maybe aren't really fa- miliar with the X-Men a window into this world." The Struckers' adventure began when parents Reed (Stephen Moy- er, "True Blood") and Caitlin (Amy Acker, "Person of Interest") discov- ered that their children possess mutant powers. This was especially shocking considering the fact that Reed worked as a district attorney who specialized in prosecuting much-maligned mutants. Desper- ate to protect their children and keep their family together, Reed and Caitlin seek help from an un- derground network of mutants as they go on the run from a hostile government. The mutants in the new Fox dra- ma include characters from the comics and films, as well as brand- new mutants. For those familiar with the 2014 movie "X-Men: Days of Future Past," Blink needs no introduction. Also known as Clarice Fong, teleporting mutant Blink is portrayed by Fan Bingbing in the big-screen hit, but the role is played by Jamie Chung ("Once Upon a Time") in "The Gifted." Emma Dumont ("Aquarius") stars as Polaris/Lorna Dane, a loyal mutant with the ability to control magnetism. In the X-Men comic universe, Polaris is Magneto's daughter, and Nix recently con- firmed in an interview with CBR. com that would be the case in "The Gifted." Nix also pulled Thunderbird/ John Proudstar from the comics, and he's played by Blair Redford ("The Young and the Restless") in Fox's action adventure. A Na- tive American with superhuman athletic ability, the character serves as the leader of the mu- tant resistance. In contrast, Eclipse/Marcos Diaz was created specifically for "The Gifted." British actor Sean Teale ("Reign") tackles the role of the rebellious mutant who can absorb and manipulate photons. Likewise, Special Agent Jace Turner is origi- nal to the Fox series, not the Mar- vel X-Men universe. Coby Bell ("Third Watch") stars as Turner, a human who has worked for Senti- nel Services ever since his daugh- ter died during a mutant-related incident. Produced by 20th Century Fox in association with Marvel Televi- sion, the show about super-pow- ered mutants features some heavy hitters behind the scenes, begin- ning with Nix as showrunner and executive producer. Other execu- tive producers include Bryan Sing- er, Lauren Shuler Donner and Si- mon Kinberg, who all worked on at least one of the X-Men fran- chise movies. Marvel's Jeph Loeb ("Lost") and Jim Chory ("Dare- devil") are also on board as execu- tive producers. Loeb and Chory share a con- nection to a similarly themed se- ries: NBC's now defunct "He- roes," which also featured a sto- ryline with a super-powered teenage girl whose father works for an organization dedicated to keeping people like her in line. Like many other superhero series, including "The Gifted," those who are seen as different are seen as dangerous, leading to them being marginalized. Interestingly, "The Gifted" can also be compared to many other popular current shows as well. Su- perheroes abound in prime time right now, with CW's "Supergirl, "The Flash," "Arrow" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," as well as "Marvel's Inhumans" and "Mar- vel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." on ABC. Meanwhile, villains steal the spotlight in Fox's "Gotham." Streaming services have also got- ten in on the act with Netflix's "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones" and "Luke Cage" among others, and Hulu's upcoming "Marvel's Run- aways" is about to drop in No- vember. All of this indicates there's a big market for comic book-in- spired television, which bodes well for "The Gifted." With so much competition out there, Fox has done its best to put the series at the forefront of people's minds. The network cre- ated a buzz in September by in- stalling a vending machine at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif., that invited consumers to "Unleash [Their] Power" by using "teleki- nesis" to lift the vending ma- chine. Fans were treated to a spe- cial screening in L.A. in Septem- ber as well, and the Fox.com/ thegifted website features a number of Mutant Profiles so viewers could familiarize them- selves with the characters. Thanks to the success of such Marvel franchises as X-Men, Iron Man, The Avengers and Spider- Man on the big screen, the enter- tainment giant is having a big mo- ment right now. Find out if produc- ers can bring that excitement to its latest family adventure as Reed and Caitlin Strucker fight to keep their mutant children Lauren and Andy safe in a new episode of "The Gifted," airing Monday, Oct. 23, on Fox. Stephen Moyer stars in "The Gifted" Family of heroes: Mutants band together in 'The Gifted' 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charley's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" GVC Mortgage 5 x 2"

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