Melissa Benoist

Actress Melissa Benoist is set to star in “Supergirl,” CBS’ new one-hour drama, the latest in a flurry of TV shows based on comic book superheroes.

The series will be written and executive produced by “No Ordinary Family” team Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash”) and Ali Adler (“Chuck,” “Glee”), with Sarah Schechter (“Pan”) also executive producing.

Supergirl, comics fans know, is Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El. Like Kal-El, Kara escaped Krypton before it was destroyed and arrived on Earth after her cousin, with whom she shares an array of superhuman abilities. The show will focus on a 24-year-old Kara who is ready to stop hiding her powers and become a hero.

On television, Benoist is best known for her work on “Glee”; she can be seen currently on the big screen in the Oscar-nominated film, “Whiplash.” Later this spring, she will be featured in Fox’s “The Longest Ride.”

It won’t be Supergirl’s first time on screen; Helen Slater played the character in the critically panned 1984 film “Supergirl,” which also starred Faye Dunaway. More recently, Laura Vandervoort portrayed Kara Zor-El in “Smallville,” the Superman origin series on the CW.

With the new series, Supergirl is joining a plethora of DC Entertainment characters to land their own TV shows. “Gotham,” which follows Batman universe characters and focuses on Gotham City Police Department Detective James Gordon, is on Fox; “Arrow” and “The Flash” are on the CW.