"Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993) TV series 1993-1997

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creators:

Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegel

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

12 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In addition to fighting evil, Superman has a burning romance with Lois Lane in both his identities.

Plot Keywords:

Superman | 1990s | Shrinking | Kryptonite | Superhero

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Dean Cain	...	Clark Kent / ... (87 episodes, 1993-1997)
Teri Hatcher	...	Lois Lane (87 episodes, 1993-1997)
Lane Smith	...	Perry White (84 episodes, 1993-1997)
Justin Whalin	...	Jimmy Olsen (65 episodes, 1994-1997)
Eddie Jones	...	Jonathan Kent (48 episodes, 1993-1997)
K Callan	...	Martha Kent (48 episodes, 1993-1997)

Also Known As:

"Lois & Clark"
"The New Adventures of Superman" (UK)

Runtime:

60 min (88 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Iceland:L (some epiosodes) | USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Pacific Mutual Building, Newport Beach, California, USA

Company:

December 3rd Productions

Trivia:

Batman is referenced three times during the run of the series.

Quotes:

Lois Lane: You still think I'm crazy?
Clark Kent: I think you're brilliant. But there is a fine line between brilliance and lunacy.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Science Fiction: A Journey Into the Unknown (1994) (TV)

A fun take on the Superman franchise

'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' was one of the better sci-fi shows to come out of the Nineties and it was probably one of the first attempts to give the comic franchises a modern twist.

During the four seasons it aired for, the familiar Superman characters were brought out and given a Nineties touch. While Lois is still very much her tenacious self, Clark Kent was now a confident, well-adjusted guy and was a far cry from the bumbling Clark of the films and comics. His mother Martha is the one who sews his uniform for him while she and husband Jonathan are always on hand to give their adoptive son advice on his love life. Lex Luthor is far more charismatic and he and Lois even have a fling. However, Perry and Jimmy are in usual form and Superman is ever the hero he's always been, fighting for truth, justice and the American way.

Dean Cain made an excellent Clark, portraying the loyalty and strength of the character as well as his uncertainties over Lois and his path as Superman. While Christopher Reeve gave us a very heroic Superman, Cain gave us a hero who was heavily influenced by his Earth upbringing making him very human at times and it does work for this series. Teri Hatcher depicted a beautiful, career-driven Lois who vacillated between arrogance and being insecure, and this softer edge made her a likable character. And John Shea's Lex Luthor was wonderfully evil and intriguing as the almost James Bond-like villain who had fine tastes and minions to do his dirty work.

The story lines were almost always fun and engaging, often capturing a nice balance between drama, action, humour and romance. And unlike the 'Smallville' series, where episodes are very formulaic ((ie, mutant-of-the-week attacks and Clark saves the day so he can get back to his brooding over Lana), this series avoids that plot hole by covering different villains and plots. The only problem, that eventually saw the show's demise, was when Lois and Clark married as this lead to it becoming too soapy and cavity-inducing although it did serve as a lesson to future TV show producers that you should always pair your leads together in the finale, not half-way through the series.

'Lois and Clark' was never meant to be a deep, dark insight into Superman's history but instead just an entertaining show aimed at both young and old, and I think it succeeds. Newcomers to the show should check out the first three seasons to see it at its best.