In this space, I’ve mentioned many, many, many times before what a huge Batman and Superman fan I’ve always, always, always been … and, likely, forever will be.
Psychologically, I’ve come to realize a great deal of that interest is the natural human predilection to both crave and embrace nostalgia. I grew reading DC Comics as a little guy back in the early 1970’s; and, during my youth, one could always find the late 1950’s Adventures Of Superman TV show (1952-1958) on a channel after school as often as was the somewhat goofy and less interesting Batman (1966-1968). Being surrounded by superheroes I considered the big two, I grew to honor and respect the best they had to offer individually; and I often wished one or the other would make a big, triumphant return to the Boob Tube in live action format just so that I could continue enjoying what tickled my fancy most. As it was, mid-to-late 1970’s television pretty much belonged to a few of those popular Marvel Avengers (which I watched as well), but I still missed Big Blue and the Bat.
1989’s Batman movie certainly reinvigorated Pop Culture as to what cinematic Superhero stories could look like, and – as tends to happen when franchises show Hollywood where the money is waiting to be earned – TV iterations sprung up. CBS invested in a somewhat dark and gothic looking incarnation of The Flash (1990-1991), but it wasn’t until ABC saw what was happening with Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the pages of the Superman comic book that studio executives saw possibilities with newfound love in the air. You see, in a 1991 installment of the printed serial, Big Blue broke the news privately to his longtime gal pal that he, indeed, was Clark Kent – and/or vice versa – and this groundbreaking moment swung the doors open for a whole new world in storytelling, at least so far as readers were concerned.
Lo and behold, this ‘good thing’ inspired Deborah Joy LeVine to develop Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, bringing the Man of Steel back to broadcast television with a formula that endeared a contingent of female viewers – ones tuning in for far more relationship storytelling than they were the heroic efforts – to join the widening fold of superhero fandom. It was billed more as a Romantic Comedy than it was an action series, and the modest rebranding seemingly worked: its two leads – Dean Cain as Supes/Clark and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane – won over both audiences and critics with their never-ending quest for truth, justice, the American Way, and a healthy bit of relationship chatter. The series lasted for four thrilling seasons, an opus that’s finally getting a home video upgrade with the release of The Complete Series on Blu-ray compliments of Warner Bros.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the television series IMDB.com page citation:
“In addition to fighting evil, Superman has a burning romance with Lois Lane in both of his identities.”
If nothing, I’ve been told my many that – as a reviewer – I can be honest to a fault.
I was there watching Lois & Clark during its original run. In fact, I very much recall sitting in front of the set, taking in all of the show’s prominently-advertised series premiere. I braved that first, impactful episode; and I distinctly remember coming away from it more than a tad … disappointed. It’s a bit difficult to surmise my exact feelings on the matter because – as I recall – I didn’t dislike what I saw in any way. I think it’s perhaps best to sum up those feelings by admitting that even though I was and remain one of Superman’s staunchest online allies this version of Big Blue just wasn’t exactly the one I wanted to tune in regularly for.
Because of Lois & Clark’s preferred format, Clark and his alter-ego were always a bit swooning over his fellow reporter. Teri Hatcher arguably did a fantastic job bringing her own bit of sass to the part; and while I agree that Cain and his co-star were a solid match for patrons into that sort of ongoing romantic entanglement this formula just didn’t endear me to either character much less the various situations they found themselves in whenever I tuned in on the action. (I wasn’t a faithful viewer, but I did follow the announced episodes and dialed it up when something sounded of interest, which was decidedly on and off.) Even though their budding relationship always made perfect narrative sense and was a rather brilliant extension from what was happening in the comics (yes, I was an avid reader through most of the 1990’s), this just wasn’t quite the Superman I wanted to see on a weekly basis.
Psychologically, I’ve come to realize a great deal of that interest is the natural human predilection to both crave and embrace nostalgia. I grew reading DC Comics as a little guy back in the early 1970’s; and, during my youth, one could always find the late 1950’s Adventures Of Superman TV show (1952-1958) on a channel after school as often as was the somewhat goofy and less interesting Batman (1966-1968). Being surrounded by superheroes I considered the big two, I grew to honor and respect the best they had to offer individually; and I often wished one or the other would make a big, triumphant return to the Boob Tube in live action format just so that I could continue enjoying what tickled my fancy most. As it was, mid-to-late 1970’s television pretty much belonged to a few of those popular Marvel Avengers (which I watched as well), but I still missed Big Blue and the Bat.
1989’s Batman movie certainly reinvigorated Pop Culture as to what cinematic Superhero stories could look like, and – as tends to happen when franchises show Hollywood where the money is waiting to be earned – TV iterations sprung up. CBS invested in a somewhat dark and gothic looking incarnation of The Flash (1990-1991), but it wasn’t until ABC saw what was happening with Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the pages of the Superman comic book that studio executives saw possibilities with newfound love in the air. You see, in a 1991 installment of the printed serial, Big Blue broke the news privately to his longtime gal pal that he, indeed, was Clark Kent – and/or vice versa – and this groundbreaking moment swung the doors open for a whole new world in storytelling, at least so far as readers were concerned.
Lo and behold, this ‘good thing’ inspired Deborah Joy LeVine to develop Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, bringing the Man of Steel back to broadcast television with a formula that endeared a contingent of female viewers – ones tuning in for far more relationship storytelling than they were the heroic efforts – to join the widening fold of superhero fandom. It was billed more as a Romantic Comedy than it was an action series, and the modest rebranding seemingly worked: its two leads – Dean Cain as Supes/Clark and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane – won over both audiences and critics with their never-ending quest for truth, justice, the American Way, and a healthy bit of relationship chatter. The series lasted for four thrilling seasons, an opus that’s finally getting a home video upgrade with the release of The Complete Series on Blu-ray compliments of Warner Bros.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the television series IMDB.com page citation:
“In addition to fighting evil, Superman has a burning romance with Lois Lane in both of his identities.”
If nothing, I’ve been told my many that – as a reviewer – I can be honest to a fault.
I was there watching Lois & Clark during its original run. In fact, I very much recall sitting in front of the set, taking in all of the show’s prominently-advertised series premiere. I braved that first, impactful episode; and I distinctly remember coming away from it more than a tad … disappointed. It’s a bit difficult to surmise my exact feelings on the matter because – as I recall – I didn’t dislike what I saw in any way. I think it’s perhaps best to sum up those feelings by admitting that even though I was and remain one of Superman’s staunchest online allies this version of Big Blue just wasn’t exactly the one I wanted to tune in regularly for.
Because of Lois & Clark’s preferred format, Clark and his alter-ego were always a bit swooning over his fellow reporter. Teri Hatcher arguably did a fantastic job bringing her own bit of sass to the part; and while I agree that Cain and his co-star were a solid match for patrons into that sort of ongoing romantic entanglement this formula just didn’t endear me to either character much less the various situations they found themselves in whenever I tuned in on the action. (I wasn’t a faithful viewer, but I did follow the announced episodes and dialed it up when something sounded of interest, which was decidedly on and off.) Even though their budding relationship always made perfect narrative sense and was a rather brilliant extension from what was happening in the comics (yes, I was an avid reader through most of the 1990’s), this just wasn’t quite the Superman I wanted to see on a weekly basis.
Now, I can say this, which is a surprise: as I’ve been slowly rewatching a few of these early episodes for the purpose of this review, I am enjoying it much more now that I’m presumably older and wiser. This effect doesn’t happen to me all that often, frankly, so I wanted to highlight here suggesting that maybe I didn’t exactly fall into the series’ target demographic in the early-to-mid 1990’s. I can see much more clearly now how this he/said she/said back and forth echoed the zeitgeist of creativity taking place across other programs; and that’s honestly something that just kinda/sorta flew right by me (faster than a speeding bullet, if you will) at the time, so – in all seriousness – color me surprised.
What I did always like about the show regardless was the fact that I think it was one of the last great weekly genre serials to make some rather impressive use of a growing guest star roster. Back in the days of my youth, networks had a solid track record of plucking some of the older stars from movies – the type of folks whose wattage had somewhat waned at the box office – and cast them in a one-off or recurring spot in order to capitalize on their talent alone. Names like Bronson Pinchot or James Earl Jones or even Raquel Welch weren’t the ones appearing on any corner marquee at the cineplexes; but here they were turning in some fabulous work – sometimes campy, sometimes not – for a brief bit of time in the Superman universe. Respectfully, this is the kind of thing that I wish might make a welcome return to the broadcast dial as it occasionally elevated some lesser script into something a bit more special; so, kudos to the movers and shakers behind-the-scenes at Warner Television for pulling off some of the surprises they did.
Succinctly, I think the only substantive statement I can make about Lois & Clark’s entire run is that maybe – just maybe – you weren’t the kind of Superman fan I made myself out to be back in the day; and yet the show continued on its course for four fun-filled seasons delivering exactly the kind of spirited yarns that makes for safe and secure family-type viewing. It was good-natured. It was occasionally heartfelt. And, yeah, it was romantic. Clark and Lois were a bit on-again off-again here and there, but the mechanics of relationships ever-changing – especially in a weekly serialized format – often requires breakups in order to facilitate a bit of melodrama now and then. Even if I didn’t appreciate it as much those few decades ago, I’m still thankful I enjoyed the goodness (and goofiness) it had to offer … and, as I said, I’m enjoying much more on second viewing.
The other bit of respect I have to throw out to the creative folks is that – to my delight – the screenwriters continued keeping up to a small degree with what was taking place in the comic books themselves. While the characterizations varied significantly – sometimes more than I liked – the writers still picked up the minor players and/or circumstances here and there and brought them to life on the small screen. The CW’s Smallville (2001-2011) did this largely to better effect – with greater special effects given the technological developments of its respective era – but it was this kind of ‘fan service’ that kept bringing me back to the show even after I had accepted that, tonally, it just wasn’t for me. By the time Season 3 and 4 hit the airwaves, I was still impressed with their ability to rope me in … romance be damned!
To the show’s credit, Lois & Clark went on to receive an incredible five Primetime Emmys Awards nominations along with a 1994 big win at the Saturn Awards in the category of ‘Best Genre Television Series.’ Those achievements alone might suggest that the program deserves a second look to casual viewers looking for something from the past worthy of a significant investment in time (in lasted an impressive four seasons and, sadly, ended on a rather massive cliffhanger that’s never been resolved) and money. While the effects and some of the occasionally hammy acting may not hold up well, there’s still a wholesomeness to the storytelling – morality plays about good versus evil where good understandably wins the day – and a welcome bit of banter between the talented principals.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: The Complete Series (1993-1997) was produced by December 3rd Productions, Gangbuster Films Inc., Lorimar Television, Roundelay, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Warner Bros. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure you that the provided sights and sounds (to those episodes I’ve made it through thus far) are pretty impressive overall. I have read online that there may’ve been minor issues here and there with respect to locating some source materials for restoration (???), but I’m not seeing anything unusual at this juncture. There are some special effects sequences a bit half-baked – TV production being what it was over three decades ago – but I’ll still chalk that up to charm of the era. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? It’s looking like everything that was produced for the original season DVD set releases are included here; having not had the time to even dip into them at this point, I can’t honestly attest to their quality but I’ll keep my fingers crossed on that count as well.
Recommended.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray set of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: The Complete Series by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
What I did always like about the show regardless was the fact that I think it was one of the last great weekly genre serials to make some rather impressive use of a growing guest star roster. Back in the days of my youth, networks had a solid track record of plucking some of the older stars from movies – the type of folks whose wattage had somewhat waned at the box office – and cast them in a one-off or recurring spot in order to capitalize on their talent alone. Names like Bronson Pinchot or James Earl Jones or even Raquel Welch weren’t the ones appearing on any corner marquee at the cineplexes; but here they were turning in some fabulous work – sometimes campy, sometimes not – for a brief bit of time in the Superman universe. Respectfully, this is the kind of thing that I wish might make a welcome return to the broadcast dial as it occasionally elevated some lesser script into something a bit more special; so, kudos to the movers and shakers behind-the-scenes at Warner Television for pulling off some of the surprises they did.
Succinctly, I think the only substantive statement I can make about Lois & Clark’s entire run is that maybe – just maybe – you weren’t the kind of Superman fan I made myself out to be back in the day; and yet the show continued on its course for four fun-filled seasons delivering exactly the kind of spirited yarns that makes for safe and secure family-type viewing. It was good-natured. It was occasionally heartfelt. And, yeah, it was romantic. Clark and Lois were a bit on-again off-again here and there, but the mechanics of relationships ever-changing – especially in a weekly serialized format – often requires breakups in order to facilitate a bit of melodrama now and then. Even if I didn’t appreciate it as much those few decades ago, I’m still thankful I enjoyed the goodness (and goofiness) it had to offer … and, as I said, I’m enjoying much more on second viewing.
The other bit of respect I have to throw out to the creative folks is that – to my delight – the screenwriters continued keeping up to a small degree with what was taking place in the comic books themselves. While the characterizations varied significantly – sometimes more than I liked – the writers still picked up the minor players and/or circumstances here and there and brought them to life on the small screen. The CW’s Smallville (2001-2011) did this largely to better effect – with greater special effects given the technological developments of its respective era – but it was this kind of ‘fan service’ that kept bringing me back to the show even after I had accepted that, tonally, it just wasn’t for me. By the time Season 3 and 4 hit the airwaves, I was still impressed with their ability to rope me in … romance be damned!
To the show’s credit, Lois & Clark went on to receive an incredible five Primetime Emmys Awards nominations along with a 1994 big win at the Saturn Awards in the category of ‘Best Genre Television Series.’ Those achievements alone might suggest that the program deserves a second look to casual viewers looking for something from the past worthy of a significant investment in time (in lasted an impressive four seasons and, sadly, ended on a rather massive cliffhanger that’s never been resolved) and money. While the effects and some of the occasionally hammy acting may not hold up well, there’s still a wholesomeness to the storytelling – morality plays about good versus evil where good understandably wins the day – and a welcome bit of banter between the talented principals.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: The Complete Series (1993-1997) was produced by December 3rd Productions, Gangbuster Films Inc., Lorimar Television, Roundelay, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Television. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Warner Bros. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure you that the provided sights and sounds (to those episodes I’ve made it through thus far) are pretty impressive overall. I have read online that there may’ve been minor issues here and there with respect to locating some source materials for restoration (???), but I’m not seeing anything unusual at this juncture. There are some special effects sequences a bit half-baked – TV production being what it was over three decades ago – but I’ll still chalk that up to charm of the era. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? It’s looking like everything that was produced for the original season DVD set releases are included here; having not had the time to even dip into them at this point, I can’t honestly attest to their quality but I’ll keep my fingers crossed on that count as well.
Recommended.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Warner Archive (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray set of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: The Complete Series by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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