Best and Worst Superman Television Shows

[misslane]

Tom Welling was overshadowed by pretty much every male actor/character who ever appeared in that series. He's got not acting range at all. Other than showing off abs and pecs there is.

I respectfully disagree and request that perhaps all these anti-Welling rants would be better suited to an IMDb forum rather than a thread about the broader topic of entire television series.

[daBronzeBomma]

Nope, your analogy still doesn't work.

Disagree with everything you just said regarding SMALLVILLE's ending.

You'll never convince me (and many others) that SMALLVILLE didn't botch their ending. Just like I'll never convince you (and many others) that they did.

So, yes, agree to disagree.


Moving on ...


If we're counting Super animated cartoons (but not serials since they weren't aired on TV; i.e. can't count the 1940s live-action Superman serials and the Fleischer cartoons, neither of which was initially shown on TV but rather in day-theaters) as well as Super live-action tv, we have, in chronological order:

1. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1950s live-action series)
2. SUPERMAN/SUPERBOY (1960s animation series)
3. IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN (1970s live-action adaptation of the namesake play)
4. SUPERMAN (1980s animation series)
5. SUPERBOY (1980s live-action series)
6. LOIS & CLARK (1990s live-action series)
7. SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1990s animation series)
8. SMALLVILLE (2000s live-action series)

9. SUPERGIRL* (2010s live-action series)
* - scheduled to debut 2015, Superman's presence (if any) on this tv show is entirely unknown at this point

Out of the 8 known quantities, I've seen #4 through #8 enough to form an opinion on each of them. I've only seen a couple full episodes of TAOS, maybe an episode of Filmation's Super-cartoon and never seen the TV adaptation of IT'S A BIRD ...

Has anyone seen all 8 Super-TV projects so far? Particularly, the TV adaptation of the play?

[Jon Clark]

Moving on ...


If we're counting Super animated cartoons (but not serials since they weren't aired on TV; i.e. can't count the 1940s live-action Superman serials and the Fleischer cartoons, neither of which was initially shown on TV but rather in day-theaters) as well as Super live-action tv, we have, in chronological order:

1. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1950s live-action series)
2. SUPERMAN/SUPERBOY (1960s animation series)
3. IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN (1970s live-action adaptation of the namesake play)
4. SUPERMAN (1980s animation series)
5. SUPERBOY (1980s live-action series)
6. LOIS & CLARK (1990s live-action series)
7. SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1990s animation series)
8. SMALLVILLE (2000s live-action series)

9. SUPERGIRL* (2010s live-action series)
* - scheduled to debut 2015, Superman's presence (if any) on this tv show is entirely unknown at this point

Out of the 8 known quantities, I've seen #4 through #8 enough to form an opinion on each of them. I've only seen a couple full episodes of TAOS, maybe an episode of Filmation's Super-cartoon and never seen the TV adaptation of IT'S A BIRD ...

Has anyone seen all 8 Super-TV projects so far? Particularly, the TV adaptation of the play?

I've seen most if not all of them. By that I mean I might have missed some episode or two that I'm unaware of for the pre-1970 stuff. I even found the 1960's Superboy pilot online and watched it.

The TV adaptation of the play was something I saw but never really had a strong memory of (except that as a kid it was the first time I stayed up that late). I found a bootleg of the thing at a convention years later and decided it was a traumatic memory I deliberately blocked. I'd still be willing to see the play live if I got the chance, but between the cheap effects and bad acting the TV version wound up losing the charm of 1960's camp the play embodied without finding anything to replace it.

[megaharrison]

Superman: The Animated Series is what I grew up on and I still love it. Yes they downgraded his powers a bit but that never bothered me

[Jim Kelly]

I saw the TV version of IT’S A BIRD…IT’S A PLANE…IT’S SUPERMAN, when it first aired in 1975 on ABC, and I fell immediately in love with Lesley Ann Warren--the most perfect Lois Lane I could imagine.

You can find it on youtube. And I've watched it a few times on there, much more recently. It was never the greatest story or interpretation of Superman--played by David Wilson, he's not much to write home about. However, the performances by Kenneth Mars, Loretta Swit and David Wayne are all good. And Lesley Ann Warren lights up the screen. There are a few good songs sung well and the show doesn't take itself too seriously.

Adapted from the stage play, I think the main problem is that it doesn't feel like the comiic book was taken into account, even though it invokes the style of a comic book. Written by David Newman and Robert Benton--who would doctor the script for SUPERMAN THE MOVIE--they seem to be mocking the George Reeves TV show or maybe the Kirk Alyn movies. By 1975, it was already an anachronism.

But I had a good time watching the movie back in 1975 and it still has a special place in my heart . . . Lesley Ann Warren (sigh).

[daBronzeBomma]

Found a screenshot from the 1975 TV adaptation:



Wow, Lois Lane with curly hair?? That's a damn good look! Good first impression, Leslie Ann Warren!



Uh, that is the least Super-looking Superman I've ever seen (yeah, including Tom Welling). Sorry, David Wilson.


Wow, this trailer does makes it seem like the 1975 TV adaptation was nothing but a parody of the character.

[The Darknight Detective]

Found a screenshot from the 1975 TV adaptation:



Wow, Lois Lane with curly hair?? That's a damn good look! Good first impression, Leslie Ann Warren!



Uh, that is the least Super-looking Superman I've ever seen (yeah, including Tom Welling). Sorry, David Wilson.


Wow, this trailer does makes it seem like the 1975 TV adaptation was nothing but a parody of the character.

Yeah, it's closer to Adam West's Batman, except the latter is still fun to watch.

[The Darknight Detective]

But I had a good time watching the movie back in 1975 and it still has a special place in my heart . . . Lesley Ann Warren (sigh).

Love Lesley Ann since she starred on Mission: Impossible during the Mr. Spock years.

[Jim Kelly]

Of course, the musical is a parody. I thought everyone would know that. But as a parody, it's gentle. I don't think it's as hard-edged as the BATMAN TV show. And Superman's struggle with self-doubts isn't that far off from the Sand Superman Saga.

I think they must have cast David Wilson because he can jump and kick and do all the physical stuff that a better actor probably couldn't do so well. Even though it's a show about Superman, he's not the one who carries the story. It's actually Max--played by Kenneth Mars on TV and by Jack Cassidy on Broadway--who is supposed to be the leading man.

Of course, this being '70s television, the show has the production values of a skit from the SONNY AND CHER SHOW. But, it's fun to see those stock character actors singing and dancing--it's clear that they had a background in musical theatre.

[Powerboy]

Of course, the musical is a parody. I thought everyone would know that. But as a parody, it's gentle. I don't think it's as hard-edged as the BATMAN TV show. And Superman's struggle with self-doubts isn't that far off from the Sand Superman Saga.

I think they must have cast David Wilson because he can jump and kick and do all the physical stuff that a better actor probably couldn't do so well. Even though it's a show about Superman, he's not the one who carries the story. It's actually Max--played by Kenneth Mars on TV and by Jack Cassidy on Broadway--who is supposed to be the leading man.

Of course, this being '70s television, the show has the production values of a skit from the SONNY AND CHER SHOW. But, it's fun to see those stock character actors singing and dancing--it's clear that they had a background in musical theatre.

I didn't see it when it aired but, judging only by the Lesley Anne Warren song and keeping in mind it's from 1975, it seems clearly a parody of the "Running on a treadmill" nature of comics at the time, specifically the never going anywhere Superman/ Lois relationship of that era which even showed up in the second Chris Reeve movie later with the Amnesia Kiss. Of course, in 1975, in the minds of most people, George Reeves was their image of Superman and the stories of that era were their image of his "reality".

[Jim Kelly]

I think that some ideas were taken from the 1948 Kirk Alyn serial--at least for the TV special, if not the stage play. Lesley dresses like Noel Neill from that serial--the hats and the hairstyle in particular. In the SUPERMAN serial, Noel had big hats and curly hair. Later in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, Noel had short hair and small hats Also, Kirk Alyn was a lanky Superman like David Wilson.

This is in keeping with the tendency to mock the serials. The BATMAN TV show was inspired by the Batman serials from the '40s. The 1980 FLASH GORDON was a parody of the '30s Flash Gordon serials--with Lorenzo Semple, Jr. writing the screenplay for that movie as he did for BATMAN.

I like the longer curly or wavy hair for Lois Lane. Bob Oksner was doing a lot of the Superman covers at the time, as well as inking Curt Swan's pencils inside the comics, and his version of Lois was quite similar.

I also wonder if Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin might have drawn on this story for their "Who Took the Super Out of Superman?" 4 parter (SUPERMAN 296 - 299), as Clark and Lois get romantic and there's a simlar identity crisis for Clark/Superman in that story.

[The Lonely Man]

I'd give my vote to Lois and Clark, although the show dipped in quality as it progressed I think season 1 was as close to perfection as it gets for the Superman of that era. The mid 90's comics version of Superman was captured to a tee in that first season.
Clark being the focal character for once instead of Superman, Clark having a real life with friends, great job, loving parents, basically Clark being a real person for instead of a disguise.
Yep, I loved the first season, it did dip away after the Levine's left and by the time the show ended I wasn't sorry, it had had run it's course.

I was never a massive fan of Smallville. it was decent, but after 10 years I did feel really let down by the ending. We were promised that we were going to get what we wanted, I don't think the producers delivered on that promise.

[jroccoxlr]

smallville was both best (season 1-5) and worst (season 6 - comic) for me...

[Powerboy]

smallville was both best (season 1-5) and worst (season 6 - comic) for me...

For me, the opposite. I thought season 7 was when it started getting more interesting to me and especially seasons 8-10 and the comics.