While Adrianne Palicki may be best known nowadays for her role as Bobbi Morse on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., she very nearly became the star of a DC Comics TV series. Palicki was cast as Wonder Woman in the 2011 prospective series on NBC, but the show got the axe after only the pilot was filmed, and the pilot itself was not aired. Now, Palicki has spoken out about the failed Wonder Woman pilot, saying this:
I was devastated when the pilot didn't go. But I also look at it, like, I got paid to wear that costume. And that is one of the coolest moments of my life running down Hollywood Boulevard. Like, that was so cool. And I was -- how lucky am I. And you know, everything for a reason. It led me here. You know what I mean? So as dark as those moments were back in the day, I'm happy and so glad that somebody else gets to wear that costume. I'm so glad that [Gal Gadot is] rocking it.
Not too many people were surprised that Wonder Woman never made it to series, as there was quite a lot of negative buzz, but Adrianne Palicki was clearly upset by the project getting cancelled before it got the chance to get off the ground. Judging by her comments to THR, she is grateful that she had the chance to play Wonder Woman, even if only for a little bit, and her career obviously turned out just fine without Wonder Woman. She became a popular part of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and was slated to star in the spinoff, although that never materialized. She currently stars with Seth MacFarlane in Fox's The Orville, which got off to a strong start in the ratings.
All things considered, a hit Wonder Woman series would probably have been difficult back in 2011, no matter how the pilot was handled. The original Wonder Woman series was beloved, and the new era of small screen superheroes that really kicked off with Arrow in 2012 hadn't yet started. Audiences may just not have been ready for a project about Wonder Woman.
That's obviously no longer the case, given how well Wonder Woman performed in the box office over the summer. The movie starring Gal Gadot was setting and breaking records, and critics responded well to it, especially after Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad weren't quite the critical hits that DC was undoubtedly hoping for. Wonder Woman got her introduction in Batman v Superman, so fans already knew what they were getting with Gal Gadot in the role. There was a recipe for success that led to a hit movie, and it was a recipe that was absent for the pilot back in 2011.
You can catch Adrianne Palicki in new episodes of The Orville, which air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. There has been no news if she could reprise her role as Bobbi on the new season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but our fingers are crossed. For you other viewing options, take a look at our fall TV guide.
