2021 superhero streaming television series
Superhero Kindergarten (also known as Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten) is a superhero streaming television series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Desiree Burch. The series is created by Stan Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Andy Heyward and co-produced by Genius Brands, POW! Entertainment, Oak Productions and Telegael Teoranta. Superhero Kindergarten premiered on April 23, 2021, on Genius Brands' streaming service Kartoon Channel.[1][2][3] The first season finale aired on October 22, 2021.[4] No further seasons were ever announced.
Premise
A former gym teacher turned superhero, Captain Fantastic, lost his superpowers in a battle with his nemesis, Dr. Superior. During this air battle, his superpower particles were transferred to six babies who were below. Five years later, the powerless Captain Fantastic, now known as Mr. Arnold, is called on to work "undercover" as a kindergarten teacher to raise a new generation of super-powered kids.[5]
Production
In May 2019, production began on the series, after Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast in the lead role as Arnold Armstrong / Captain Fantastic.[7] He served as a co-executive producer with Paul Wachter, CEO of Main Street Advisors and Fabian Nicieza, who was also the developer of the series.[5] On June 15, 2020, Amazon Prime Video acquired the series.[8][2] On June 20, 2020, John Landis signed on to direct and executive produce all of the episodes.[9] The season was to consist of 52 episodes.[10]
In July 2020, Genius Brands and Archie Comics published the late Stan Lee's comic book Superhero Kindergarten, in a multi-year partnership agreement.[11] As with other adaptations of his works, Lee made several cameo appearances in the series.[1][12][13] The series was the last project Lee personally worked on.[14] Discussing his work on the series, lead actor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "Superhero Kindergarten is near and dear to my heart, the greatest superhero to ever live. What an honor it was to collaborate with Stan Lee on the creation of the series, and I am absolutely thrilled that our new series has resonated so strongly with audiences right out of the gate".[1] In 2021, Steven Banks was revealed to have served as a writer on the series.[15]
During an April 2021 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Schwarzenegger stated that the idea behind the making of Superhero Kindergarten came from his desire "to do a sequel to Kindergarten Cop".[16] Schwarzenegger reiterated this in a May 2021 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, while adding that Stan Lee told him "[he had] an idea for an animated show. What about Superhero Kindergarten, where you're a kindergarten teacher for kids who have superpowers? You have been a superhero yourself (in the show) but you're now retired and teaching those kids how to be good contributors and how to save the world in the future".[17]
Release
The first two episodes of Superhero Kindergarten were released on the Kartoon Channel on April 23, 2021, with subsequent episodes to be released weekly.[1][18][19] The first episode premiered on January 29, 2021, which included an introduction from series star, Arnold Schwarzenegger.[20][21]
Reception
Critical response
Alessia Santoro, of PopSugar, gave a positive review, saying "it's the perfect show for superhero-loving parents and their kids to enjoy together".[22]
Ratings
The first two episodes were watched by over 2 million viewers.[15] By May 3, 2021, the first three episodes surpassed 9 million views.[17][23] Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO of Genius Brands, discussed the episodes' ratings, by saying "this breaks every record for us on the channel and goes beyond our wildest expectation for the series weekend debut. In the new world of streaming media, it's hard to compare apples to oranges, but if Superhero Kindergarten were a feature movie, we would be doing cartwheels with this 'opening weekend box office'".[1][24]
