Supergirl

Actor Benoist really sells this sometimes corny side story to the Man of Steel's tale, soaring into the role of Superman's kid cousin with candor, determination, and flashes of grace. It's hard not to like this fresh-faced addition to the billowing ranks of reimagined superheroes, and it's always exciting to have greater gender representation on the superhero panel. Some of the story's finer details are a bit fuzzy, and it sometimes leans too heavily on parallels to Superman's evolution. That said, Kara does well by the role, taking her lumps as an anonymous novice hero and long-suffering personal assistant to a demanding boss, but using those lumps to inspire improvements on both fronts.

Even though we only get blurry glimpses of Superman himself at first (this is Supergirl's story, after all, not his), he makes his presence known through James, who bridges their stories before Superman shows up for a superheroes vs. villains battle royale in Supergirl's second season. Speaking of that second season, when the show switched to the CW it also got more violent and intense: more battles, more drinking, and more far-out storylines, so parents should be ready for that shift. Nonetheless, Kara struggles to chart her own path in the shadow of her famous relative and her successful older sister, many viewers no doubt will relate to the rocky process of finding herself. As far as female heroes go, you could do worse than charismatic, determined Supergirl, even if she does cling tightly to her secret for fighting villains without getting so much as a hair out of place.