'Supergirl' Series Premiere & Recap: New CBS Show Celebrates Girl Power, Female Superheroes

The newest superhero flying on television is not a bird, not a plane and it's not even a man. She's Kara Danvers (aka Kara Zor-El), otherwise known as "Supergirl." She is played by former "Glee" actress Melissa Benoist.

Benoist is currently enjoying how fans are warming up to her character and she even elicited a reaction from U.S. presidential hopeful Jeb Bush this week, according to Daily Mail. The politician thought that the new superhero "looked pretty hot" and Benoist could only shyly say she's glad Bush is excited for the show.

The actress believes it's about time "Supergirl" hits the small screen. "I wish there were more of a pattern and more of a consistency to there being really strong female-driven stories," the actress said, according to Vanity Fair.

At the last San Diego Comic Con, the "Supergirl" panel was one of the most attended by the participants. Fans don't seem to mind that the lead is not the usual strong man, but an overzealous young girl. Even her co-star Calista Flockhart acknowledges that it's exciting to work in a superhero series that's led by a woman. "I think it's refreshing and really important for young girls to have role models to look up to," said Flockhart, according to People.

While Kara is the superhero in disguise, Flockhart's character, Cat Grant, is the more obvious strong female type as head of a business empire. "She can be really nasty at times, but I don't want to cross over into the world of making people not like her. We want to keep a likable and sassy as possible," Flockhart added in the People report.

Chyler Leigh, who plays Kara's adopted sister Alex, also expressed excitement over "Supergirl" especially since she can enjoy it with her young daughters. "For them to see a character like this, a girl that is as herself and not necessarily in the Supergirl part but as Kara—she's flawed, you know?" Leigh told Comic Book. "And she's working and she's trying to figure out who she is and she's still growing up," she added.

Despite all the emphasis on the show being female-centered, Benoist hopes that eventually viewers will see more than just the gender difference. "I'm very proud to be a woman. But I do think focusing on it so much that you forget that it's a story about humanity and what it means to be saving people's lives," she told Vanity Fair.