In 2023, The CW's live-action Powerpuff Girls series faced cancellation after production troubles. A leaked teaser, since removed by Warner Bros. Entertainment from the "Lost Media Busters" YouTube channel, offers a glimpse into the show's potential. The three-and-a-half-minute trailer depicts the now-adult Powerpuff Girls—Blossom (Chloe Bennet), Bubbles (Dove Cameron), and Buttercup (Yana Perrault)—navigating adulthood's challenges. Blossom is stressed and burnt out, Bubbles struggles with alcohol, and Buttercup embraces rebellion and challenges gender norms.
The CW confirmed to Variety that the footage is authentic but was never intended for public release.
Initially announced in 2020, the series faced setbacks, including a rejected pilot and Bennet's departure. CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz explained the pilot's failure, stating, “The reason you do pilots is because sometimes things miss, and this was just a miss…Tonally, it might’ve felt a little too campy. It didn’t feel as rooted in reality as it might’ve felt. But again, you learn things when you test things out. And so in this case, we felt, let’s take a step back and go back to the drawing board.”
