Caped Wonder Stuns City on CBS

Melissa Benoist as the Girl of Steel in the CBS series "Supergirl."

Well, CBS’s Supergirl is terrific. For one thing, it’s perfectly cast. Melissa Benoist brings that Chris Reeve goofy charm to Kara, and is winningly sunny without being sappy — no easy feat. The romantic comedy/heroic adventure mix seems to work well. And CGI has finally reached the point of being able to do justice to a Kryptonian on the tube.

The fact that Kara is Superman's “older” cousin, also sent from the doomed planet Krypton to protect him as a baby, is a nice touch from one of the comic book versions.

Trapped in the Phantom Zone at age 13, she arrives on Earth years later, after Superman is an established hero. He places her with foster parents, the Danvers, played by Dean Cain and Helen Slater, in another nice touch (They played Supergirl in the movies and Superman in Lois & Clark).

Kara has spent the years since trying to fit in, and works for Cat Grant in a Devil Wears Prada situation (alongside Jimmy Olsen, who has left the Daily Planet, having been sent by Superman to check up on her).

My single misgiving about the series is that, like Arrow and The Flash, it gives us yet another superhero “pit crew." Superheroes, by definition, are the last people who should need help. Or a lot of backchat. This show, Daredevil — I never thought we'd see superhero TV shows this good. And they’re poles apart in attitude and atmosphere, but both about genuine heroes.