The word is out … After several failed attempts to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen (grrrrrrr), Warner Brothers and DC Comics are developing a new Wonder Woman television show. And, with producer David E. Kelley (of Ally McBeal and Boston Legal fame) hinting at plans to take our favorite Amazon princess into “new and unexpected” directions, I’m apprehensive and frustrated.

So, at the risk of sounding like an entitled fanboy, I’ve put together a list of recommendations for this new show (assuming the show ever gets the green light).

1. Don’t turn Wonder Woman into a cheesy teen drama or a campy retro remake.

1. -This can’t be another Smallville or Birds of Prey. Even Smallville fans admit that the show is pretty absurd, having constructed a fictional universe based more on teenaged romance than on believability. And Birds of Prey failed because it felt like a shoddily-written and poorly-acted Gilmore Girls with capes and batarangs. A show cannot survive on it’s geeky fanbase alone - it has to have wider appeal and real-world relevance, which is a big challenge for any show about superheroes. I think viewers are more likely to accept certain absurd elements (like superpowers) when they are written and delivered convincingly.
   

2. -While we all have a special place in our hearts for the colorful, simple-minded and goofy adventures of Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, nostalgia can’t carry a show very far. I want to see Wonder Woman as a gritty and captivating serial drama, full of flawed characters reaching for something greater and fighting for their beliefs.
   

3. -Fans need to see high production values, innovative and skillful writing, character-driven story arcs, solid acting, and lots of ass-kicking. If WB and DC refuse to give fans a Wonder Woman motion picture, they’d better pour their best resources into making this a top-notch television show, worthy of Wonder Woman’s name.
   

2. She’s Diana, (Warrior) Princess of Themiscyra. Pick the right actress.

1. -She’s got to be tall. At least 6 feet.
   

2. -She needs to have muscle and brains. She can’t be a scrawny runway model or a squeaky Hollywood starlet. She needs to be able to pick up a big-ass sword and hack sh*t up … then sit down with world leaders and confidently debate foreign policy.
   

3. -Honor the source material and find an actress who has ethnic roots in the Mediterranean. And a Greek accent would be a nice touch, too!
   

4. -She needs to naturally convey inner strength, courage, curiosity, and compassion.
   

5. -I prefer a young, wide-eyed Diana to an older, battle-worn Diana. It’s somehow more compelling to me to see our strange world through an outsider’s eyes. And having a protagonist who is occasionally challenged to evaluate her values and beliefs is much more interesting than a character who’s unwaveringly righteous.
   

6. -As much as I love the classic costume, Wonder Woman’s look needs to be updated for new television audiences. Jim Lee’s recent revamp (above, sans star-studded shoulder pads) is a start, but I think it deviates in some unnecessary and distracting directions.
   

3. Keep the magic alive, but keep the Goddesses and Gods mysterious.

1. -Natural magic and science are one in the same for the Amazons. This could be really fascinating to explore without the show becoming campy or totally fantastical.
   

2. -I think one of the weaknesses of the Wonder Woman comic book is its over-use of the Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses as characters. It was totally awesome when I was a mythology-obsessed twelve-year-old, but now it just makes Diana’s universe cumbersome and confusing. However, having these near-omniscient and capricious beings constantly manipulating things in the background of the story and only occasionally making themselves known through subtle signs and omens may add an element of suspense and mystery to the show.
   

4. Treat Amazon society as a rich culture of resistance and liberation.

1. -They’re lady-loving militant separatists and pagan traditionalists. Embrace it. Celebrate it. And don’t make them all into crazed man-haters, either – that type of characterization is lazy and sexist. Separatism as a reaction to sexism and gender oppression is much more complicated than that. Research it.
   

2. -In the comic book, the Amazon’s culture is advanced in many ways (militarily, scientifically, and magically), but they’re also somewhat limited by their traditionalism and isolation. I think the inevitable cross-cultural exchanges and clashes as they encounter U.S. society would be really cool to write and watch.
   

3. -The Amazons are Diana’s home and heart, not some silly finishing school she attended. Sisterhood as an anti-sexist resistance strategy is central to Diana’s identity.
   

5. Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and love …

1. -If the new writers have Diana fawning over and submitting to Steve Trevor, I’m seriously going to dropkick my TV. While I’m okay with the show including sexual tension between Steve and Diana, I’d hate for the show to become a glorified romcom. Everyone, of course, needs friendship and intimate companionship, but suggesting that the most powerful woman on Earth (or any woman, for that matter) needs a man to make her happy is utterly insulting.
   

2. -Diana’s notions of sexuality would be very, very different from our ideas of sexual identity (because she’s grown up on an ancient island of immortal women). We might label her a “lesbian” or “bi,” but she’d probably find such labels inaccurate or limiting.
   

3. -While I much prefer the gentle, older Col. Steve Trevor that George Perez introduced in the late 80s, I also think the younger, womanizer-with-a-heart-of-gold Lt. Steve Trevor from the recent Wonder Woman animated movie may be an interesting angle. The playful machismo of a younger Steve would be a nice juxtaposition to the empowered, self-sufficient and idealistic Diana. The banter and situational humor could provide comic relief and expose the complexities and frailties of traditional gender norms. It would also be fascinating to watch Steve gradually move into an anti-sexist way of being/thinking as he begins respecting Diana as a friend and peer instead of as a sexual object.
   

4. -Including Army Lt. Etta Candy as Diana’s new best friend in “Patriarch’s World” would also provide the story with another compelling exploration of gender construction and resistance. And keeping Etta a badass and beautifully full-figured woman is essential here. Etta’s determination and indomitable spirit gives Diana (and all of us) hope as Etta struggles against a sexist society, within a hypermasculine career field.
   

6. In general …

1. -If the show wants to create a realistic world for its characters and viewers, the story should openly include same-sex relationships among the Amazons and among Wonder Woman’s off-island friends and acquaintances. The show should also include a wide range of interesting and realistic (i.e. not token) characters from different races and with different gender expressions.
   

2. -A secret identity is unnecessary – it’s an over-done superhero trope and doesn’t make sense for Wonder Woman. The “Agent Diana Prince” persona is silly and outdated. Diana’s the embodiment of the human struggle for truth and justice … why would she lie to people and hide her powers behind a pair of dorky glasses?
   

3. -Don’t make this a show for and by straight dudes. You need an awesome writing staff (both women and men) who aren’t afraid to write complicated stories about complicated characters who live in a complicated world of domination, resistance, and liberation.
   

4. -Finally, Wonder Woman’s story is inherently political and, flawed as it is, she’s become a global feminist icon. She’s an beacon of hope for those of us who wish to use our hearts, minds, and bodies in the pursuit of gender equality and social justice. It would be an egregious mistake to bring Wonder Woman to television without revering the character’s power to inspire social change.