DC Studios and HBO Max have ordered DC Crime, an innovative true crime mockumentary spinoff centered on Jimmy Olsen, the earnest Daily Planet photographer from James Gunn’s 2025 Superman film, played by Skyler Gisondo. The series presents Jimmy Olsen as the host of an in-universe investigative docuseries examining DC Universe’s most peculiar metahuman criminals and supervillains, with the first season focusing on Gorilla Grodd, the telepathic super-intelligent gorilla best known from The Flash mythology. The creative team behind the project includes Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the acclaimed creators of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated mockumentary American Vandal, who will write, executive produce, and showrun the series. James Gunn and Peter Safran from DC Studios will executive produce, with Galen Vaisman overseeing production. The series represents an unprecedented creative swing within the DC Universe, blending superhero mythology with sophisticated genre parody that treats the absurdity of superpowers as genuinely serious subject matter worthy of investigative journalism.
DC Crime: Series Overview
DC Crime represents a groundbreaking creative direction for DC Studios. Rather than focusing on superheroic action, the series positions Jimmy Olsen as an investigative journalist hosting an in-universe true crime documentary examining metahuman crimes and supervillains through a satirical documentary lens. The series intentionally applies the aesthetic, pacing, and investigative methodology of popular true crime documentaries like Making a Murderer, Dateline, and Serial to DC Universe’s most bizarre supervillains and metahuman phenomena.
The concept is deceptively simple yet brilliantly executed: What if Superman existed in a universe where serious journalists reported on supervillains with the same gravity and investigative rigor as true crime reporters? Jimmy Olsen becomes the perfect narrator for this approach—he’s traditionally portrayed as an eager young photographer or cub reporter at the Daily Planet who has witnessed extraordinary events firsthand yet remained largely peripheral to Superman’s grand narratives.
Cast and Characters
Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen (Host/Lead): Gisondo reprises his role from James Gunn’s 2025 Superman film, transitioning from enthusiastic photographer to investigative docuseries host. Gisondo, known for his work in Booksmart, The Righteous Gemstones, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, possesses both the earnestness necessary for documentary formats and comedic timing for increasingly absurd situations. His casting is inspired—the character finally receives the serious journalistic focus long overdue for Superman’s traditionally sidelined pal.
Daily Planet Staff: According to The Hollywood Reporter, other Daily Planet reporters will appear throughout the series, with the implication that regular journalists cover metahuman stories as everyday occurrences. Notably, Clark Kent (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) will not feature prominently, allowing the series to examine the DC Universe from ground-level journalists’ perspectives rather than from Superman’s viewpoint.
Gorilla Grodd (Season 1 Focus): The first season investigates Gorilla Grodd, the super-intelligent telepathic gorilla supervillain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino in 1959 Flash comics. Grodd represents the ideal subject for investigative treatment—he’s powerful, tragic, violent, and strange in ways that suit the mockumentary approach. The series will examine Grodd not as simple villain but as phenomenon: Where did he come from? How does society respond to his existence? What does his presence reveal about humanity’s fears and limits?
Creator and Creative Team
Created By: Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault | Roles: Writers, Executive Producers, Showrunners | Previous Major Work: Netflix’s American Vandal (2017-2018, Emmy-nominated, Peabody Award winner) | Other Notable Projects: Paramount+’s Players (eSports mockumentary), CollegeHumor spoofs including “Rocky IV: 30 for 30” parody
Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault are mockumentary auteurs, having created one of streaming’s most inventive comedies with American Vandal. The series brilliantly spoofed true crime’s dead-serious investigative style by applying that format to absurd high school pranks—first investigating who spray-painted penises on 27 school cars, then examining a cafeteria lemonade contamination incident called “The Brownout.” Their sensibility suggests DC Crime will be sophisticated satire rather than broad comedy, treating DC Universe’s absurdity as legitimately serious because, in that universe, the absurd genuinely exists.
Executive Producers: James Gunn and Peter Safran (DC Studios co-chiefs) | Production Oversight: Galen Vaisman (DC Studios) | Studio: Warner Bros. Television
Series Format and Multiple Season Potential
DC Crime is designed as an anthology series, with each season investigating a different DC Universe villain or metahuman phenomenon. Season 1 focuses on Gorilla Grodd, but the format allows for unlimited expansion across DC Comics’ vast rogues gallery. Future seasons could examine other iconic villains including Lex Luthor, Reverse-Flash, Killer Frost, or other metahumans from across the DC Universe. This approach provides creative flexibility and ensures longevity for the mockumentary format.
Project Status and Development Timeline
While neither HBO Max nor DC Studios has made official announcements, Yacenda and Perrault essentially confirmed the project by sharing trade reports on their respective Instagram accounts on November 10, 2025. Specific production timeline and premiere date remain unannounced, though development is expected to proceed relatively quickly given the creative team’s established track record with mockumentary formats.
DC Universe Expansion Strategy
DC Crime represents just one of several projects James Gunn and Peter Safran are developing to build a cohesive DC Universe across film, television, and multimedia properties. Following the success of 2025’s Superman, DC Studios is aggressively expanding with interconnected television series including Peacemaker and Creature Commandos. Upcoming theatrical releases include 2026’s Supergirl starring Milly Alcock (of House of the Dragon fame).
Gunn and Safran have differentiated themselves from traditional studio approaches by granting creators more artistic control rather than enforcing cookie-cutter house styles. Gunn has stated: “I’m excited about one TV project in particular… I don’t know why we’re not greenlighted on that already” regarding DC Crime, suggesting the project represents his personal passion within the DC rebuild.
Where to Watch
DC Crime has not yet premiered and remains in development. No premiere date has been officially announced. Interested viewers should monitor HBO Max and DC Studios official announcements for production updates and premiere date confirmation. Following its HBO Max debut, international streaming availability will be determined by Warner Bros. distribution strategy across various regions.
