Rounding out the core cast is Mia Sara, of Legend and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fame, as Dr. Serving as the love interest for our Huntress but largely a Drake-in-distress is the ubiquitous Shemar Moore. Dinah/Black Canary is played by Rachel Skarsten, who went on to play Alice in the Batwoman series on The CW, a truly inspired choice of casting. Barbara/Oracle is played by Dina Meyer, of Starship Troopers and Johnny Mnemonic fame. Her portrayal of Helena as a wounded soul still grieving the loss of her mother at a murderer’s hands and only discovering after her passing that Batman is her father is sensitive, powerful, and alluring all at once. Lead actress Ashley Scott is known these days for her voice and motion-capture role as Maria Miller in Naughty Dog’s acclaimed game The Last of Us. The most dominant factor for the rewatchability of Birds of Prey is its cast. The show celebrated heroism through classically regarded feminine lenses such as empathy, nurturing, and fierce loyalty. Though their abilities and tenacity are admirable and enviable, it is truly their ability to support and aid one another that set them apart from the primarily male-dominated hero team-ups until that point. Dinah has a form of telepathy and telekinesis, allowing her insight into others and even the ability to manipulate matter at the mere suggestion. Helena, also known as Huntress, possesses meta-human abilities that give her beastly control over her body, allowing for increased agility, leaping, and superhuman sight. Undaunted, she continues to affect positive change in her city by combating crime as Oracle, a tech-savvy mastermind who serves as the nerve center for the Birds of Prey. Barbara Gordon had once soared alongside Batman as Batgirl, but an attack by the Joker has left her paraplegic. What the show did well, however, was give the female leads agency within their world. However, it's unclear if they stuck with this by the time of the show's release. Part of this design could have also been inspired by the fact that the original trailers and opening credits featured Michael Keaton's Batman and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman as Helena's parents, making Birds of Prey a part of the Tim Burton Batman movies. The music, fashion, and even romantic interests of the chief characters were plucked to the exact same cadence as Felicity, Dawson’s Creek, and Everwood. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Angel informed the overall design and execution of Birds of Prey far more than the Emmy Award-winning animated programs of Batman’s world had. While it debuted with situational comedy and kids’ programming, it quickly pivoted to pseudo-edgy teen dramas. The WB was tumultuous at best in the early aughts. As Birds of Prey took place in something like Gotham and hooked in viewers with the lore of Batman and his rogue’s gallery, it seemed a surefire hit. Elsewhere, on the television landscape, Fox’s The Tick had already shriveled up, and it seemed viewers wanted to see things they were familiar with. Based on the comic series that started in 1996, the series was a perfect addition to the WB’s superhero slate which already featured Smallville in its second season. Birds of Prey debuted on the WB on October 9, 2002, achieving the network’s highest ratings at that point for its pilot episode.
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