Jupiter's Legacy (TV Series)
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''Jupiter's Legacy'' is an American
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
television series that premiered on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on May 7, 2021, based on the comic book series of the same name by
Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...
and
Frank Quitely Vincent Patrick Deighan (born 1968), better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as '' New X-Men'', ''We3'', '' All-Star Supe ...
, and published by
Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
. Produced by
Millarworld Millarworld Limited is a comic book company that was founded in 2004 by Scottish comic book writer Mark Millar as a creator-owned line. The imprint is best known for publishing the books '' Wanted'', ''Chosen'', '' The Unfunnies'', '' Kick-Ass ...
,
Di Bonaventura Pictures Di Bonaventura Pictures (also known as dB Pictures) is an American film and television production company founded in 2002 by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the ''Transformers'' films. History On September 3, 2002, Lorenzo ...
, and DeKnight Productions, the show was developed for television by
Steven S. DeKnight Steven S. DeKnight (born October 28, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the Starz series ''Spartacus'', including '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Spartacus: Gods of th ...
who initially served as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
, but was replaced by Sang Kyu Kim midway through production. It stars
Josh Duhamel Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' and later starred as Danny McC ...
, Ben Daniels,
Leslie Bibb Leslie Louise Bibb (born November 17, 1974) is an American actress and model. Bibb first appeared on television in 1996 with minor roles in a few series, and on film in 1997 with a small role in '' Private Parts''. Her first recurring TV role wa ...
, Andrew Horton, Elena Kampouris, Mike Wade and
Matt Lanter Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius'' and the television series '' Point Pleasant''. He went ...
. The series received mixed reviews, and was canceled after one season, with a spin-off continuation, a live-action adaptation of '' Supercrooks'', ordered to series. '' Super Crooks'', an
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation of ''Supercrooks'' set in the same
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
as ''Jupiter's Legacy'', preceding the additional live-action series, was released to Netflix in November 2021.


Synopsis

Shortly after his father's suicide in 1929, triggered by
Black Thursday Black Thursday is a term used to refer to typically negative, notable events that have occurred on a Thursday. It has been used in the following cases: *6 February 1851, bushfires in Victoria, Australia. *18 September 1873, during the Panic of ...
, former businessman Sheldon Sampson travels to an uncharted island in the Atlantic Ocean, where he, his brother, Walter and four others received superpowers. He then creates a superhero team called the Union of Justice and his guiding ideals - never kill anyone, never interfere in political matters - remain unchanged over the near-century of his adventures as the Utopian. However, the next generation of superheroes, including his children, struggles to live up to his rigid ideals and high expectations. When Sheldon's son, Brandon seemingly kills one of their greatest foes, it ignites a public debate over whether those ideals are still relevant.


Cast and characters


Main

*
Josh Duhamel Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' and later starred as Danny McC ...
as Sheldon Sampson / The Utopian, Grace's husband, Walter's younger brother, and the leader of the Union of Justice superhero team. He is the
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
archetype, with a similar powerset and morality. * Ben Daniels as Walter Sampson / Brainwave, Sheldon's older brother, possessing
psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psycho ...
abilities, along with flight and super strength. *
Leslie Bibb Leslie Louise Bibb (born November 17, 1974) is an American actress and model. Bibb first appeared on television in 1996 with minor roles in a few series, and on film in 1997 with a small role in '' Private Parts''. Her first recurring TV role wa ...
as Grace Kennedy-Sampson / Lady Liberty, Sheldon's wife and one of the most powerful heroes on the planet. Acting as Sheldon's confidant, advising him with regards to modern change and parenting, she always voices her opinions even if they conflict with his. * Andrew Horton as Brandon Sampson / Paragon, Grace and Sheldon's son, who struggles to meet his father's expectations. * Elena Kampouris as Chloe Sampson, Grace and Sheldon's rebellious daughter, who is absorbed in a life of drugs and modeling, becomes cold and ruthless such as dismissing the deaths of her friends, and attacking them when they begin questioning if she cared for them. * Mike Wade as Fitz Small / The Flare, one of the Union's most valued members, who has flight and can manipulate energy, now a retired paraplegic. A skilled engineer and inventor, he developed most of the tech that has aided the Union. *
Matt Lanter Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius'' and the television series '' Point Pleasant''. He went ...
as George Hutchence / Skyfox, Sheldon's closest friend and teammate before turning against the Union after breaking the Code. Since leaving the Union, he has not been seen.


Recurring

* Gracie Dzienny as Ruby Red, a superheroine who can create
psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psycho ...
armor around herself. She is also Brandon's ex-girlfriend. *
Tyler Mane Daryl Karolat (born December 8, 1966) is a Canadian character actor and retired professional wrestler, better known by the name Tyler Mane. He is known for playing Sabretooth in ''X-Men'', Ajax in ''Troy'', and Michael Myers in the remake of '' ...
as Blackstar, an extremely powerful supervillain seeking vengeance against the Sampsons, whose antimatter heart powers his exo-suit. Mane also portrays the Blackstar clone. * Meg Steedle as Jane, Sheldon's ex-fiancé who leaves as he starts the voyage that led to him becoming a superhero. * Richard Blackburn as Chester Sampson, Sheldon's and Walter's steel-magnate father who committed suicide on
Black Thursday Black Thursday is a term used to refer to typically negative, notable events that have occurred on a Thursday. It has been used in the following cases: *6 February 1851, bushfires in Victoria, Australia. *18 September 1873, during the Panic of ...
after leveraging pensions with credit. *
Tenika Davis Tenika Davis (born July 16, 1985) is a Canadian actress and model. Career Tenika Davis started her career on ''Canada's Next Top Model ''Canada's Next Top Model'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''CNTM'') is a Canadian reality show in which femal ...
as Petra Small / The Flare II, Fitz's daughter and a superheroine who shares her father's powers. Despite coming to question the Code after fighting Blackstar's clone, she remains steadfast with her friends. *
Tyrone Benskin Tyrone Benskin (born 29 December 1958) is an English-Canadian actor, theatre director and politician. He was elected Member of Parliament in the Jeanne-Le Ber riding, in Montreal, Quebec, in the 2011 Canadian federal election and served as an M ...
as Willie Small, Fitz's father and a worker at Chester's factory. He convinced Fitz to accept Sheldon's quest. * Aiza Ntibarikure as Sierra / Ectoplex, a superhero who had plasma-based abilities, survivor's guilt, and resents Chloe for breaking off from the team. *
David Julian Hirsh David Julian Hirsh (born October 26, 1973) is a Canadian actor. Early life Born and raised in a Jewish family in Montreal, Hirsh majored in criminology at the University of Toronto. He originally planned to become a lawyer until a summer acting ...
as Richard Conrad / Blue Bolt, a member of the original Union who first used the power rod. He was a Red Cross doctor found adrift, rescued by Sheldon's party before helping the group gain their powers through the trials. * Ian Quinlan as Hutch, George's son who uses Blue Bolt's teleportation rod to commit crimes with his crew, attaining materials to make a portal to find his father. *
Conrad Coates Conrad Coates (born July 12, 1970) is a British-born Canadian actor and teacher. He is best known for his roles as Morgan in '' The Dresden Files'' and in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' as Jimmy Brooks' father. Biography Early life Coate ...
as Captain Borges, the captain of the ship Sheldon uses to travel the Atlantic.


Guest

*
Sharon Belle Sharon Belle (born May 7, 1992) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role in the web series ''Carmilla'' and '' Couple-ish''. Early life Belle grew up in Keswick, Ontario. She later moved to Toronto and studied ''Acting on Film and Televi ...
as Iron Orchid, a supervillainess who uses a powered suit to rob banks. *
Stephen Oyoung Stephen Oyoung is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Mister Negative, Martin Li / Mister Negative in the 2018 video game ''Spider-Man (2018 video game), Spider-Man''. Biography Oyoung became interested in acting a ...
as Barry / Tectonic, a superhero with vibration and geo-kinetic powers, as well as Brandon's best friend. *
Gregg Lowe Gregg Lowe is a British actor born in 1986. Lowe is from Gorleston-On-Sea, Norfolk, and was educated at Cliff Park High School. In 2015, Lowe collapsed at the finish line after running the Toronto Marathon, he was dead for 3 minutes before bei ...
as Briggs / Flaming Fist, a superhero with pyrokinetic abilities and one of Brandon's long-time friends. * Kathryn Davis as Vera / Phase Out, a superhero with the ability to become invisible. * Humberly Gonzalez as Gabriella / Neutrino, a member of Hutch's crew who possesses electrokinetic abilities and Jacinda's lover. *
Jess Salgueiro Jess Salgueiro is a Canadian actress, known for her roles in '' The Boys'', '' Workin' Moms'', '' The Expanse'', ''Letterkenny'' and ''Orphan Black''. Salgueiro is set to appear in a starring role in the Netflix show ''Tiny Pretty Things'', based ...
as Jacinda / Shockwave, Gabriella's girlfriend who can emit shockwaves from her hands. * Morgan David Jones as Jack Frost, a cryokinetic member of Hutch's crew who owns a magic van that once belonged to a magical supervillain. * Kara Royster as Janna Croft / Ghost Beam, a friendly superhero who is old friends with Chloe. *
Robert Maillet Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999, where he performed under the ring name Kurrgan and was a member of ...
as Big Man, a super-powered crime lord whom Hutch used to work for before killing him. *
Kurtwood Smith Kurtwood Larson Smith (born July 3, 1943) is an American television and film actor. He is known for playing Clarence Boddicker in ''RoboCop'' (1987), Robert Griggs in ''Rambo III'' (1988), and Red Forman in ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), as ...
as Old Man Miller, a man with similar hallucinations as Sheldon's whom he encounters in Kansas after a long search. * Franco Lo Presti as Nick of Time, a man with time-warping abilities who seduces Chloe in hopes of getting into the Union. * Jake Lewis as Jay / Volcaner, a hero who can create and manipulate lava, who loses faith in the Code. *
Paul Amos Paul Roger Amos (born 6 March 1975) is a Welsh actor and web series producer, currently based in Canada. He is most noted for his recurring role as Vex in the television series ''Lost Girl'', and as the voice of Jacob Frye in the ''Assassin's ...
as Dr. Barnabas Wolfe, a man with flight and inorganic matter-warping abilities which is an old acquaintance of the Union. *
Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett (born 19 November 1949) is a British-Canadian actor, director, and writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series ''Forever Knight'', for which h ...
as Dr. Jack Hobbs, one of the Utopian's old enemies, now serving as his imprisoned therapist. *
Chase Tang Chia-Hao Tang (; born August 24, 1988), professionally known as Chase Tang, is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. After completing a degree in commerce from the University of Guelph, Tang gave up a corporate career and instead sought out training as an a ...
and Micah Karns as Baryon, a supervillain previously affiliated with Blackstar, who can create energy blasts. *
Anna Akana Anna Kay Napualani Akana (born August 18, 1989) is an American actress, filmmaker, musician, and YouTuber. She has appeared in TV series, films, and music videos that include ''Awkward'' (2011), ''Ant-Man'' (2015), ''Hello, My Name is Doris'' (2 ...
as Raikou, Walter's daughter, a vigilante/assassin possessing super strength and telepathy, who also uses ningato.


Episodes


Production


Development

On July 17, 2018, it was announced that
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
had given the production a series order for an eight-episode first season. The series was developed by
Steven S. DeKnight Steven S. DeKnight (born October 28, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the Starz series ''Spartacus'', including '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Spartacus: Gods of th ...
, who is credited as an executive producer alongside Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott. On September 16, 2019, it was confirmed that DeKnight departed the series as showrunner over creative differences in the midst of the production for the first season. In November 2019, it was announced that Sang Kyu Kim was taking over as showrunner, following DeKnight's exit from the series. On June 2, 2021, it was reported that series will not be an ongoing series as the cast has been released. Mark Millar, who is credited as an executive producer, also stated that he's confident they will "return to it later". Budget conflicts and replacing Knight as showrunner with Kim halfway through production were some factors in the series' decision to forgo a second season.


Casting

In February 2019, it was announced that
Josh Duhamel Joshua David Duhamel (; born November 14, 1972) is an American actor and former fashion model. After various modeling work, he made his acting debut as Leo du Pres on the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' and later starred as Danny McC ...
, Ben Daniels,
Leslie Bibb Leslie Louise Bibb (born November 17, 1974) is an American actress and model. Bibb first appeared on television in 1996 with minor roles in a few series, and on film in 1997 with a small role in '' Private Parts''. Her first recurring TV role wa ...
, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade and
Matt Lanter Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor and model. He began his modeling career in 2004. The same year, he acted in the film '' Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius'' and the television series '' Point Pleasant''. He went ...
would star in the series. In April 2019, it was reported that
Tenika Davis Tenika Davis (born July 16, 1985) is a Canadian actress and model. Career Tenika Davis started her career on ''Canada's Next Top Model ''Canada's Next Top Model'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''CNTM'') is a Canadian reality show in which femal ...
had been cast in a recurring role. In August 2019, it was reported that
Chase Tang Chia-Hao Tang (; born August 24, 1988), professionally known as Chase Tang, is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. After completing a degree in commerce from the University of Guelph, Tang gave up a corporate career and instead sought out training as an a ...
had been cast as a
supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
. In September 2020,
Anna Akana Anna Kay Napualani Akana (born August 18, 1989) is an American actress, filmmaker, musician, and YouTuber. She has appeared in TV series, films, and music videos that include ''Awkward'' (2011), ''Ant-Man'' (2015), ''Hello, My Name is Doris'' (2 ...
was cast in a recurring role.


Filming

Principal photography for the first season was scheduled to initially commence in May 2019. Filming for the first season commenced in Toronto on July 2, 2019 and ended on January 24, 2020. Additional reshoots occurred in January 2021.


Release

On February 24, 2021, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On April 7, 2021, Netflix released the official trailer for the series. The official trailer for the series features " Play God" by British artist
Sam Fender Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is known for his high tenor voice and thick Geordie accent, layered over music characterised by a roots-orientated rock approach. Fender's sound relies ...
. The series premiered on May 7, 2021.


Reception


Critical response

Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
assessed 52 reviews and determined 38% of them to be positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite some truly epic fights, ''Jupiter's Legacy'' is simply too overstuffed and slow-moving to land many narrative punches." According to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the series received "mixed or average reviews", based on a weighted average score of 45 out of 100 from 15 critic reviews. David Griffin of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
described ''Jupiter's Legacy'' as good, rating it a 7 out of 10, and writing that it "delivers plenty of exciting superhero action, compelling stories, and memorable characters."


Viewership

''Jupiter's Legacy'' was the most-watched show on any streaming service during the week of May 3–9, 2021, garnering 696 million minutes of viewing for the whole season per
Nielsen Corporation The Nielsen Corporation, self-referentially known as The Nielsen Company, and formerly known as ACNielsen or AC Nielsen, is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City, United States. Regional headquarters for ...
. The runner-up was ''
The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which h ...
'' with 690 million minutes of viewing. The show however ranked below the premiere of Netflix's last major series ''
Shadow and Bone ''Shadow and Bone'' is a young adult fantasy adventure and debut novel written by Israeli-American author Leigh Bardugo. It was published by Macmillan Publishers on June 5, 2012. The novel is narrated by Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows ...
'', which garnered 721 million minutes of viewership during the weekend it was released. ''Jupiter's Legacy'' also topped the week of May 10–16, 2021, with 1.019 billion minutes viewed. It was followed by '' StartUp'', which garnered 760 million minutes of viewing. The series suffered a decline of 60% for the week of May 17–23, with 405 million minutes being viewed. It was the third most-streamed
original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...
and occupied the tenth spot overall in streaming rankings, including both films and TV shows. In the week from May 24–30, the series ranked seventh overall in streaming rankings for shows with 214 million minutes viewed.


''Super Crooks'' spin-offs


Anime

In March 2019,
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
announced that a '' Supercrooks''
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation was in production with Studio Bones in March 2019, and the series was ready for its world premiere at the
Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...
in June 2021. At its premiere, director Motonobu Hori revealed that the series would be set in the same
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
as the live-action series ''Jupiter's Legacy''.


Live-action series

In June 2021, simultaneously with the series' cancellation, a spin-off continuation of ''Jupiter's Legacy'', a live-action ''Super Crooks'' adaptation separate from the anime series of the same name, was ordered to series for a 2021–2022 release.


References


External links

* * {{Mark Millar, type=none 2020s American drama television series 2021 American television series debuts 2021 American television series endings American superhero television series English-language Netflix original programming Television series about families Television series based on Image Comics Television shows filmed in Toronto