Superman Performances No One Discusses Anymore - John Newton & Gerard Chistopher

[SecretWarrior]

What are your thoughts on their performances in the Superboy show that ran from 1988-1992?

[Jim Kelly]

Having rewatched ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, LOIS & CLARK and SMALLVILLE, I've been meaning to do a rewatch of SUPERBOY; however, the cost of getting the complete series is prohibitive. If I ever win the lottery, this is one I'll buy (after I get the complete DARK SHADOWS).

[superduperman]

What little I've seen of it is based on all of a handful of episodes I watched as a kid and the few clips on YouTube. The acting and budget wasn't great but they had good story ideas. And they had the best live action suit. My understanding was that the show was doing well ratings wise but DC ordered the show pulled on the grounds that they wanted to make L&C. I've read that DC didn't want the show made at all because, of course, they were trying to sell the idea of the "new" universe that had no Superboy in it. And when the opportunity to pull the plug on it came along, they took it. I don't know all the legal hangups but apparently the Salkinds (the producers and showrunners) lost the license rights and that's when it was pulled. This is also given as the reason why it took so long to release the DVD collections and probably why they are so hard to come by even today.

[Jim Kelly]

It's curious that in the last two seasons of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, Kent and Lang go to work at the Bureau for Extra-Normal Matters, investigating paranormal activities and aliens for the government. A dark-haired man and a red-haired woman handling files of the extraordinary. And the series ends in 1992. Then in 1993, a dark-haired man and a red-haired woman handle the X-FILES for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Seems like a conspiracy theory that Mulder and Scully should have looked into.

[Sacred Knight]

Gerard Christopher was lit and I stand by that it was my favorite tv adaptation of Superman...err boy.

[Jon Clark]

I'd love to find some other universe's where this Superboy series and Lois & Clark had come to natural ends - both to see the additional episodes and to put them next to Smallville and see which would have been the better remembered once it was out of the public eye.

To my mind for all its faults the Superboy TV show has the best takes on Lana, Bizarro and Mxyzptlk in live action. Gerard Christopher is second only to Christopher Reeve for embodying the character. And while Sherman Howard's Luthor has some series specfic issues that keep him from being the definitive Luthor- he definitely created a unique and enjoyable character.

[DABellWrites]

Well, they're Superboy.

I've only watched the first two episodes, and they're something. A real acquired taste, especially Lex Luthor. The first and last hurrah of Clark as Superboy in live-action in the suit.

[DABellWrites]

What little I've seen of it is based on all of a handful of episodes I watched as a kid and the few clips on YouTube. The acting and budget wasn't great but they had good story ideas. And they had the best live action suit. My understanding was that the show was doing well ratings wise but DC ordered the show pulled on the grounds that they wanted to make L&C. I've read that DC didn't want the show made at all because, of course, they were trying to sell the idea of the "new" universe that had no Superboy in it. And when the opportunity to pull the plug on it came along, they took it. I don't know all the legal hangups but apparently the Salkinds (the producers and showrunners) lost the license rights and that's when it was pulled. This is also given as the reason why it took so long to release the DVD collections and probably why they are so hard to come by even today.

Can also explain why they're on TubiTV and not HBOMax.

[Digifiend]

What little I've seen of it is based on all of a handful of episodes I watched as a kid and the few clips on YouTube. The acting and budget wasn't great but they had good story ideas. And they had the best live action suit. My understanding was that the show was doing well ratings wise but DC ordered the show pulled on the grounds that they wanted to make L&C. I've read that DC didn't want the show made at all because, of course, they were trying to sell the idea of the "new" universe that had no Superboy in it. And when the opportunity to pull the plug on it came along, they took it. I don't know all the legal hangups but apparently the Salkinds (the producers and showrunners) lost the license rights and that's when it was pulled. This is also given as the reason why it took so long to release the DVD collections and probably why they are so hard to come by even today.

It also ended about a year before a new Superboy debuted in the comics (the Metropolis Kid, later given the names Kon-El and Conner Kent).

[Jeffrey2]

James Gunn would do well to watch some Superboy eps. The series was serious but also fun. The suit was the best ever live action adaption. The series did effectively Red Son a decade before that comic came out. Bizarro was incredible. Staci was great as Lana and Gerard and Staci had on-fire chemistry together. The budget was small but the FX better than those of L%C. Cary Bates was writing a Superman film script featuring Brainiac which was to come out after the series ended and possible starring GC.

[Jeffrey2]

I'd love to find some other universe's where this Superboy series and Lois & Clark had come to natural ends - both to see the additional episodes and to put them next to Smallville and see which would have been the better remembered once it was out of the public eye.

To my mind for all its faults the Superboy TV show has the best takes on Lana, Bizarro and Mxyzptlk in live action. Gerard Christopher is second only to Christopher Reeve for embodying the character. And while Sherman Howard's Luthor has some series specfic issues that keep him from being the definitive Luthor- he definitely created a unique and enjoyable character.

Reeve remains my fav, but GC and TH are close seconds in their portrayals of Superman. Fun fact - when GC debuted as Superboy he was older than TH, CR, DC, HC and BR when they first debuted as Superman.

BTW GC and SH were the original Clana - a decade before TW and KK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ift55ZO63i8

[superduperman]

Gerard Christopher was lit and I stand by that it was my favorite tv adaptation of Superman...err boy.

Visually he was the most eye candy version of Superman. And he's aged well. In some ways he was almost too boyish to play SuperMAN. If I could give myself the perfect body, I would probably give myself his face.