A new television series set in the DC Universe, DC Crime, is officially moving forward and will feature Jimmy Olsen as its host and investigator, with the first season centered on the villain Gorilla Grodd. The project brings together the creative team behind a popular satire series and the executive producers guiding the new DC film and television universe.
The series is developed as a fictional true-crime docuseries, similar in style to investigative documentary shows. Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role as the intrepid Daily Planet photographer from the 2025 Superman film. The show will follow Jimmy Olsen and other Daily Planet reporters as they examine cases involving super-powered villains, with Lois Lane and Clark Kent not being central to the reporting team.
The Creative Team and Showrunners
Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda have been hired to write, executive produce, and act as showrunners for DC Crime. They are best known for creating the critically acclaimed Netflix series American Vandal, a satirical mockumentary that parodied the true crime genre. Their involvement signals the series will blend documentary-style storytelling with the established world of DC superheroes.
The duo later created the Paramount+ mockumentary Players, set in the world of eSports. Yacenda has also worked on series like Chad Powers at Hulu and Dave at FX.
DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran will also serve as executive producers on the project, with Galen Vaisman overseeing for DC Studios. Warner Bros. Television is the production studio.
Skyler Gisondo Returns as Jimmy Olsen
Skyler Gisondo is set to star as Jimmy Olsen, the host and guide for the true-crime docuseries. Gisondo first portrayed the character in James Gunn’s Superman film, released in July 2025. In his review of the film, IGN’s Tom Jorgensen noted that Gisondo fulfilled the traditional comic-relief duties of Superman’s pal while also factoring into the plot in a satisfying way.
In DC Crime, Olsen’s role expands significantly. He will anchor the series, acting as narrator and investigator who leads the audience into the more unusual and dangerous parts of the DC Universe. His focus will be on metahuman mysteries and the societal impact of super-powered crimes, rather than typical criminal cases.
Gorilla Grodd as the First Season’s Subject
The first season of the series will put a spotlight on the DC supervillain Gorilla Grodd. The character is a super-intelligent, telepathic gorilla who is traditionally a key antagonist for The Flash.
Grodd is a member of a highly intelligent society of gorillas that gained psychic powers and other abilities after contact with an alien spaceship. The character was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino, first appearing in The Flash #106 in 1959.
While Gorilla Grodd is a well-known enemy of The Flash and has a history in animation and the Arrow-verse, this series will mark the character’s live-action debut within the new DCU. Grodd previously made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the animated series Creature Commandos.
The series will treat Grodd as a complex phenomenon for its in-depth analysis, exploring his backstory and the public reaction to his existence, rather than presenting him as a simple villain.
The Concept and Format of the Show
DC Crime is described as a true-crime docuseries hosted by Jimmy Olsen. The core concept centers on Olsen and other Daily Planet reporters who take on cases involving super-powered villains.
This approach will allow the series to explore the DC Universe from a ground-level, journalistic perspective, examining how the existence of superhumans and metahumans affects society. The show will mix the surreal physics of the DC world with the structured format of a true-crime documentary.
The project is in development for HBO Max. As of now, no premiere date has been announced. The series is in its early stages, and according to reports, James Gunn has a policy of not greenlighting DCU projects until their scripts meet a specific standard of quality.
Also Read: Nice to Not Meet You Episodes 1-2 Recap: A Rivalry Ignited by Embarrassment and Ink
