DC History Club: 1990s DC TV Double Feature: Lois and Clark

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman aired on ABC from September 12, 1993, to June 14, 1997, for a total of 87 episodes, including an hour and half pilot episode.

TV writer and producer Deborah Joy LeVine was the creator of Lois and Clark. She was the showrunner for Season.1 only.

As the title of the series indicates, the show was originally intended to be more about the relationship between Lois Lane (played by Teri Hatcher) and Clark Kent (played by Dean Cain) than it was about Superman himself. As LeVine recalled to Larry Tye in his excellent book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero:

“Just doing a show about a heroic guy who helps people was not that interesting to me. I was much more interested in what his problems were emotionally, how he falls in love with Lois, who is pretty horrible to him. I told ABC I didn’t want to do Superman but I would love to do a show that was a love story between this alien and this Earth woman he knows he probably never will be able to have a real relationship with. I wanted to do it as a romantic comedy…”

In a lot of ways, LeVine was echoing the changes that John Byrne had made to the Lois and Clark dynamic when he led the reboot of the Superman titles in the mid-1980s. So in that sense, her take on Clark and Lois was not dramatically different than what fans were somewhat used to already (and it was not like Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder’s interactions were not already key parts of the Superman series of films).

This three week topic will cover all four seasons of this show.

The first week concentrates on Season 1.

7 Likes

Polls

  1. Favorite Clark Kent/Superman
  • Brandon Routh
  • Christopher Reeve
  • Dean Cain
  • George Reeves
  • Henry Cavill
  • Kirk Alyn
  • Tom Welling
  • Tyler Hoechlin

0 voters

  1. Favorite Lois Lane
  • Amy Adams
  • Elizabeth Tulloch
  • Erica Durance
  • Kate Bosworth,
  • Margot Kidder
  • Noel Neill
  • Phyllis Coates
  • Teri Hatcher

0 voters

  1. Character/ Actors you liked in this show
  • Clark Kent
  • Lois Lane
  • Perry White
  • Cat Grant Season 1
  • Jimmy Olsen.Season 1
  • Jimmy Olsen other seasons
  • Martha Kent
  • Jonathan Kent
  • Sam Lane (Harve Presnell)
  • Ellen Lane.(Beverly Garland)
  • Lex Luthor
  • Dr. Bernard Klein Starlabs
  • Tempus
  • H G Wells

0 voters

  1. Martha and Jonathan Kent improved the show in many ways
  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

  1. Amount of Superman in show
  • Too little
  • Just Right
  • Too much

0 voters

  1. Special Effects
  • Good for its time
  • Very limited

0 voters

  1. The Romance
  • Often forgotten but always chemistry between the two
  • Always building
  • Often reverted to prior state of partner at job
  • Too slow

0 voters

1 Like

Quiz

  1. How Many seasons did show have
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

0 voters

  1. Ages of Lois and Clark in Season 1
  • Early twenties
  • Mid twenties
  • Late twenties
  • Early thirties

0 voters

  1. Villian not appearing in series
  • Brainiac
  • Lex Luthor
  • Metallo
  • Mister Mxyzptlk

0 voters

  1. When did Clark get his super powers
  • Baby
  • Ten years old
  • Teenager
  • 21 years old

0 voters

  1. Lex Luthor is
  • scientist
  • business man

0 voters

  1. Their First date was in what season
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

0 voters

  1. Their Marriage was in what season
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

0 voters

  1. What did NOT happen to Lois
  • Got replaced by Clone
  • Had Amnesia
  • Put on trial for murder
  • Got pregnant

0 voters

  1. What did NOT happen to Clark
  • Went to New Krypton
  • Switched bodies
  • Time Travelled
  • Lost Secret Identity

0 voters

  1. NOT an Easter Egg to Earlier TV Adventures of Superman
  • Mother of Lois at Lex Luthor Wedding is Phyllis Coates
  • Original Jimmy Olsen appeared as older Jimmy in episode
  • Episode where Meteor going to destroy earth gives Superman Amnesia
  • Perry White saying Great Caesar’s Ghost

0 voters

Bonus

  1. Guest Star that did NOT appear in show
  • Lynda Carter
  • James Earl Jones
  • Raquel Welsh
  • Adam West

0 voters

Answers

  1. 4 seasons
  2. Mid twenties
  3. Brainiac
  4. Teenager
  5. Business man
  6. Season 2
  7. Season 4
  8. Got Pregnant
  9. Lost Secret Identity
  10. Perry White
  11. Lynda Carter
3 Likes

Wiki Links

Introduction

Tropes

Review

Cast

Original Jimmy Olsen

Opening

Funniest Scenes

Final scene for Season.4

Fifth Season that did not happen

Best Episodes

https://www.reddit.com/r/superman/comments/hf8qmh/best_episodes_of_lois_and_clark_the_new/

Guest Stars

Richard Belzer

https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/profile/richard-belzer/

Special effects

Old superman

Fred astaire

History of the 4 seasons

http://www.redboots.net/tnaos/lnc_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc2_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc3_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc4_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc5_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc6_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc7_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc8_history.htm

http://www.redboots.net/history/lnc9_history.htm

From Season.3 Episode 6
Don’t Tug on Superman’s Cape

Dream Sequences

Some funny Lois and Clark parodies of famoue tv shows

James Bond

4 Likes

This is a list of the episodes for each season. Click to get short description of episode

Note

This list breaks the pilot in Season 1 into two episodes
Our library does not.

Therefore
Add 1 to.episode number
For season 1
In our library
To get
Appropriate
Corresponding
Description

3 Likes

@Lincolnfan78
Had previouly created
A topic on this

4 Likes

Of the 21 episodes

The first three are the beginning of the arc for the season.

The last two episodes are the end of this arc.

Episodes 2 8 and 16 are the Krypton episodes. Clark knows nothing of his origin when the series begins.

Remaimder of episodes do not affect the main narrative a lot. They are always Lois and Clark scenes and at least a Superman cameo.

All Shook Up is based on the Adventures of Superman story where Superman has amnesia after destroying a large asteroid.

Season 2 episode 12 Panic in the Skies in George Reeves series.

Comparison

4 Likes

What characters and actors did you like in this series?

1 Like

Cat Grant in season 1! Yes, she was a product of that time, but I still laugh at her over-the-top personality on the show.

Also, I liked Perry White and his obsession with Elvis.

And I liked Dean Cain’s portrayal of Superman and Terri Hatcher is a legend to me as Lois.

4 Likes

In episode 2
When Clark. s hiding in
Cat’s apartment
She decides to dress casual
To better suduce Clark
She looked way more attractive to me
Even her hair looked more normal

Another Cat moment
In All Shook Up
She is confesding to a priest
Saying she is all alone
As the world ends
Then can’t help herself
And tries to seduce the priest.

In Smart Kids episode
Which you will either like
Or dislike intensively
The kids are broadcasting
A cartoon
And then analyzing it
It is way over Cat’s head
And she admits it.

Also
Cat dressing ‘like a librarian’
To attract a billionaire
In another episode.

These were great moments

2 Likes

I am not ashamed to say Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is my Superman. This show debuted when I was 11 going on 12. I was the perfect age for this show.

Tracy Scoggins was the perfect actress to bring Cat Grant to life and to this day I get excited when Cat Grant appears. It is all because of this show that I have that kind of appreciation for a lesser-known comic book character.

Yes, I have seen the original series with George Reeves and then Superman: The Movie before this show appeared but Dean Cain was and is the actor I compare all actors who put on the red cape. He comes across as an extremely nice guy, even when people are going after him for his political beliefs on social media. I get the feeling he understands that he is still Superman to many people so he seems to go above and beyond. Check out Comic Book Men Season 3 Episode 9 to see Dean Cain serve cake to everyone at a party to celebrate Superman’s 75th Anniversary. (This is currently streaming on Amazon Prime).

Teri Hatcher is the perfect Lois Lane. She is believably conceded and full of her self as I have always seen Lois as. I do not mean this be a slight on Teri Hatcher because she also comes across as extremely likable. However, she also seemed way too comfortable in Lois’s skin. Demanding and indecisive while being romantic and working hard for what she wants. Margot Kidder was good as Lois but I will admit that she never fit my image of Lois. After I saw Teri Hatcher on that Sunday I knew I have found the Lois that I was looking for.

Lane Smith. Not enough can be said about Lane’s portrayal of Perry White. He was a hard boss to work for but he loved the business and the people even more. One moment he can be scolding Jimmy about doing something dimwitted and the next he can be reciting an anecdote about Elvis. All the while, his love of the character shone through in every scene he was in.

I might have fond memories of watching the 1950s show with my grandmother but Lois and Clark are where I confirmed my love of Superman. To this day, I maintain that Superman comics are only as good as the supporting characters and this show is what helped mold that opinion.

While I am here, I will share a photo of the trade paperback that I shared in @Lincolnfan78’s original topic.

Quick note: I have not checked if the missing comics have been added since I had originally made this post.

3 Likes

@D4RK5TARZ

Great comments

I liked all the actors/characters initially very much except for
Cat and Jimmy
But I liked them very much
By the end of the first season.

Sad that these two actors
Did not continue
To the second season.

My favorite were the Kents

I remembered the line
About nobody looking
At Clark’s face.

I also remember
The Kents
Throwing Clark
Off the roof
But
I didn’t remember why.
It is in the Shook Up episode.

Superman
Is better

When Jonathan and Martha
Are alive

He can talk to them freely
About his thoughts and fears

It make him more human
And approachable.

He can’t do this with
Bruce Diana or Kara
Only to Lois when they are married
(If the writer remembers to do this)

2 Likes

At The end of first season of Lois & Clark, Phyllis Coates who played Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman first season, played Lois’ mother.:slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

Phyllis Coates450

Lois_and_Ellen_Lane

4 Likes

The scene with her facing the mob shows what a strong character Lois was in the Superman and Mole Men movie

1 Like

Also Phyllis Coates is the last surviving cast member from the Adventures Of Superman.

Also Jack Larson who played Jimmy Olsen would guest star on Lois & Clark as the old Jimmy Olsen later in the series!

2 Likes

I agree 100%. This goes back to my theory that the comic is only good as its supporting cast. You can tell the writers that have figured this aspect out and the writers who haven’t. Jurgens and Byrne are writers that come to mind that have figured it out.

4 Likes

Watched the season 1 episode 18 Vatman on the treadmill tonight. Picked it because I saw a doppleganger Superman and that’s alway fun. My quick thoughts.

Theme music is really nice. Very Supermanesque.

Chemistry between Cain/Hatcher & Clark/Lois is perfect. You believe these two are rivals, but friendly rivals. Lois actually thinks Clark is both her friend and someone who looks out for her. This makes their eventual romance more convincing.

Comedy. Nice light comedy touch. A small moment, Clark is just back from Paris and he runs into Lois and offers her a baguette and she makes a face because it’s so good. It’s a little thing but nice.

Easter eggs. Lois tells Clark he gets a pin if he joins the Superman fan club.

Bizzarre (without the O this time) made a great protagonist, and Lex is spot on as the soulless arch enemy.

So, what season 2 show should I watch next time I’m running in my basement?

3 Likes

I am partial to season 2 episode 21. I think you will enjoy the cameos. I also remember this being a fun episode but the cameos sold me on it.

2 Likes

Okay, I went and started it so it’ll be marked for my next run. These shows work well to fill most of my four miles, then over to something else for the last ten minutes.
Watch a lot of these with my wife, we enjoyed the show but I’m sure we missed a bunch. We moved to japan in Aug 93. Armed Forces Television then got everything about 6 months later, then we moved back to the States in July 96, so we probably missed a most of season 3.

3 Likes