Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

This article is about 1990s live action TV series. For other similar titles, see Adventures of Superman.
Lois & Clark:
The New Adventures Of Superman
Also known as The New Adventures of Superman
Genre Superhero
Drama
Romance
Based on Superman by Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster
Developed by Deborah Joy LeVine
Starring Dean Cain
Teri Hatcher
Lane Smith
Eddie Jones
K Callan
Michael Landes
Justin Whalin
Tracy Scoggins
John Shea
Theme music composer Jay Gruska
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Deborah Joy LeVine
Robert Singer
Eugenie Ross Leming
Brad Buckner
David Jacobs
Robert Butler
Camera setup Single camera
Running time approx. 45 minutes
Production company(s) December 3rd Productions
Gangbuster Films Inc. (pilot)
Roundelay Productions (season 1)
Warner Bros. Television
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network ABC
Original release September 12, 1993 (1993-09-12) – June 14, 1997 (1997-06-14)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (commonly known simply as Lois and Clark and known in the UK simply as The New Adventures of Superman) is an American television series based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Superman and Action Comics. It stars Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The series aired on ABC from September 12, 1993 to June 14, 1997.[1]

Developed for television by Deborah Joy LeVine.[2] The series loosely followed the modern origin of Superman, established by writer John Byrne—where Clark Kent is the true personality and Superman a disguise. As the show's title suggests, the series focused on the relationship and romance between Clark and Lois as much as the adventures of Clark's alter-ego, Superman.[3]

The series spawned several tie-in young adults novel and a full-length adults novel, Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel (1996), written by C. J. Cherryh. The show was shot entirely in California.

Overview

Plot

On May 17, 1966, Jonathan and Martha Kent (Eddie Jones and K Callan) witness the crash-landing of a small spaceship in Shuster's Field outside of Smallville, Kansas. When they investigate, they discover the baby Kal-El, decide to raise him as their own, and name him "Clark Jerome Kent". Throughout the series, Clark proudly states his mother made his Superman costume for him. Clark often consults Jonathan and Martha, either by telephone or in person after impromptu Superman flights to Smallville, about personal and moral concerns and dilemmas.

The series opens twenty-seven years later, on the day Clark moves to Metropolis and interviews for a job at the Daily Planet under editor Perry White (Lane Smith). Clark becomes acquainted with photographer Jimmy Olsen (Michael Landes in Season One, Justin Whalin thereafter) and gossip columnist Cat Grant (Tracy Scoggins). Soon after being hired, Clark is partnered with star reporter Lois Lane. Within minutes of Clark getting a job, he and Lois are given an assignment together. Clark falls in love with Lois at first sight, but she considers him to be little more than a rookie slowing her down. When Superman saves her from a space shuttle disaster, Lois instantly becomes infatuated with Clark's alter-ego.

Superman's first mission interferes with the illegal dealings of Lex Luthor (John Shea), a secretly evil Metropolis business giant and benefactor. After Luthor's plot has been stopped, Clark (as Superman) lets him know he is watching him and will be there to foil his criminal plots, and the two become archenemies. Clark respects Luthor's life, even surreptitiously using his superpowers to save Lex from bleeding to death. Lex himself, sees Superman as a worthy opponent, ultimately discover his weakness to kryptonite, along that he has a secret identity and vows to learn it in hopes of making the hero's life difficult. Luthor develops an interest in Lois Lane and through most of the first season tries to woo her; although Lois is receptive to his romantic advances, she remains infatuated with Superman. Lois also has developing feelings for Clark, although most of the time she inhibits or denies them. Luthor eventually proposes marriage to Lois. Clark sees he may lose Lois and knows Luthor is evil but cannot convince Lois. Clark tells Lois that he is in love with her; she replies that she is not in love with him but cares for him deeply as a friend. Lois asks Superman if there is any chance of a romance between the two of them. Superman turns her down and Lois accepts Luthor's proposal. Luthor decides to coincide his nuptials with the death of Superman, who he traps in a kryptonite cage in the wine cellar of Luthor Tower, which also contains the chapel where the wedding will occur. As the wedding approaches, Lois realizes she loves Clark, and she says no to Lex at the altar.

Clark had been working with Perry and Jimmy to expose Lex and they have enough evidence to get the police to interrupt the wedding to arrest Lex. He eludes the police and jumps from his penthouse office to his apparent death. Superman has escaped the cage and, as Clark, rejoins Lois. However, his powers have been diminished by kryptonite and he cannot stop the villain from falling to the pavement. Newspapers report that Lex's body has been stolen from the morgue and hint he may not be dead. Clark, fearing his unrequited love for Lois may damage their relationship, tells her he is not really in love with her and told her so because he would have done anything to protect her from Lex. Lois was about to tell Clark that she loves him too, but she keeps it to herself and their relationship remains a friendship.

In Season Two, Clark and Lois begin to date but are interrupted by Mayson Drake (Farrah Forke), a district attorney who takes a romantic interest in Clark but has a total lack of regard for Superman. Mayson dies as Lois and Clark have their first date. In the next episode, a federal agent named Dan Scardino (Jim Pirri) becomes a rival to Clark for Lois' affections. Lois decides she likes Clark more than she likes Dan, and they begin dating more seriously. In the season finale, Clark comes close to telling Lois his secret, but does not because of his uncertainty about her reaction and interruptions by people plotting to expose his identity to the world. At the end of the episode, Clark proposes to Lois.

In the third season premiere, Lois has discovered Superman's secret identity. Initially she resents Clark not telling her. During their courtship, Lois dates a man who is plotting to kill her in a sacrificial ritual, and she and Clark carry out assignments where they either pose as a married couple or are alone together for an entire weekend. Lois finally accepts Clark's engagement ring after acquiring his powers and temporarily becoming a superhero named Ultra Woman. Lois suffers a bout of amnesia and hallucinates their wedding. Once she recovers, Lois and Clark are back still engaged when two other Kryptonians come to Earth, one of whom is Clark's wife. They insist Clark go with them to save their world, New Krypton, from domination by an evil tyrant; Clark leaves Lois, taking her wedding ring to remember her and as a promise to return as quickly as possible. While committed to each other, they both doubt he will ever return.

The fourth season starts with Clark heading toward New Krypton, while the evil tyrant has instead invaded Earth, so Clark returns. A villainous conqueror from New Krypton, Lord Nor, takes over Smallville. He and Lois neutralize the tyrant and persuade the New Kryptonians to allow Clark stay on Earth. After another failed wedding ceremony, Lois and Clark get married. Evil forces continues to assault them, delaying their honeymoon, but eventually the couple move into a new home. Throughout the season they strengthen their bond, despite some disagreements and villains trying to destroy them. The newlywed reporters discover that Clark cannot father a child with Lois, but at the end of the last episode a child mysteriously appears. In an interview, series writer and executive producer Brad Buckner said the planned story was that the child "was Kryptonian royalty, stashed by his mother to keep him safe from assassins."[4]

Production

Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain.

After Season One, series creator Deborah Joy LeVine left the show as a producer, and a new production team took over the show. Coinciding with this change, episode plots gradually shifted from those in which Lois, Clark, and Superman often only became involved with criminal elements or dangerous situations through their own initiative to more fantastic plots often centered on comic-style villains who specifically targeted Lois, Superman, or Clark from the beginning, rather than endangering the protagonists as a reactionary measure when they became threats to other criminal plans. Whereas many of the stories of season one involved normal human criminals using advanced and powerful technology and/or involved in large and dangerous conspiracies—most, if not all, of the Lex Luthor stories of season one are examples—later plots, especially after season two, much more frequently revolved around villains with special super-human powers and abilities.

Lois & Clark was the second effort to break tradition and mirror John Byrne's retcon of Superman, which included making Clark Kent more assertive and less clumsy. Dean Cain's Clark gradually becomes a well-regarded and highly competent reporter, even beating out Lois for a Kerth award (much to her consternation). A few episodes directly emphasized that Clark was the unequivocal "dominant" personality, not Superman. Following this theme, an innovation unique to the series was the depiction of Clark Kent and Superman's traditional hairstyles being reversed – here it is Superman whose hair is slicked-back, and Clark whose fringe falls more naturally.

An additional element that reflected the post-Byrne comics was the portrayal of Lex Luthor (at least initially) as a corrupt corporate tycoon, rather than the more traditional mad scientist.

In this series, with the exception of Lois, Clark's parents, Wayne Irig, H.G. Wells, and four villains (Mister Mxyzptlk, Diana Stride, Jason Mazik and Tempus), everyone who has found out Superman's true identity has either been killed or had his/her memory erased. A subplot that was never truly resolved before the series ended dealt with the shadowy government agency, Bureau 39, which possessed the spacecraft which brought Superman to Earth as an infant, and may have connections with Intergang.

Series history

John Shea as Lex Luthor.

Season One

The first season (1993–1994) was a moderate success; the cast—especially Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain—received critical praise for their performances.[5] Lane Smith was a huge success, breathing life and humor into the Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White. John Shea also received positive reviews for his portrayal of Lex Luthor. Michael Landes' modern-day portrayal of Jimmy Olsen gained a cult following, as did Tracy Scoggins' comedic portrayal of Cat Grant, at the time a recent addition to the Superman mythos. Lex Luthor's death in the season finale occurred after disagreements between Shea and the producers over the actor's strenuous commute between New York and Los Angeles. No longer a regular cast member, he reappeared sporadically; once in Season Two, twice in Season Three, and once in Season Four.[6]

Season Two

In Season Two (1994–1995), the character of Cat Grant was dropped, and Michael Landes was replaced with Justin Whalin as Jimmy Olsen. The official reason, according to Landes, was that he looked too similar to Dean Cain.[7] On the show, the explanation is that he has changed with age. Series creator Deborah Joy LeVine and the entire first-season writing team were also dismissed. The new producer, Robert Singer, planned a stronger focus on action;[8] the show also shifted its focus onto the budding romance between Lois and Clark.

Lex Luthor returned in one episode and other villains from the comics, such as The Prankster, Metallo, the Toyman and the criminal group known as Intergang, began to appear. The show featured new love interests for the ace reporters: Dan Scardino (Jim Pirri), a government agent interested in Lois, and D. A. Mayson Drake (Farrah Forke). This season also featured the debut of fan-favorite villain Tempus (Lane Davies) and H. G. Wells appeared as a time-traveler. Wells' younger self was played by Terry Kiser, and the older Wells was played by Hamilton Camp. Season Two started out uncertainly but became a success and garnered higher ratings in its initial airings, ending the season in 58th place.

Season Three

Season Three (1995–1996) was the most successful of Lois & Clark's run. The show averaged at least 15 million viewers per episode, and ranked 44th for the season. In the premiere episode, Lois reveals that she knows Clark's secret identity, and in the seventh episode, "Ultra Woman", she accepts Clark's proposal. ABC announced that the wedding would occur on Valentine's Day weekend; with ABC sending heart-shaped "wedding invitations" to ABC News staff. A controversy erupted, when ABC presents the viewers with a bogus wedding, with Clark unwittingly married a clone of Lois.[9] This was the start of a five-part story, in which Lois is kidnapped by Lex Luthor, replaced by a clone, the real Lois suffering from amnesia, and Clark trying to find the real Lois Lane.

Season Four

Lane Smith as Perry White.

The fourth and final season (1996–1997) had several two-part episodes. It began with the resolution of a cliffhanger involving a previously unknown colony of Kryptonians. Lois and Clark finally wed in the third episode of the season entitled "Swear To God, This Time We're Not Kidding". The same week, DC Comics released Superman: The Wedding Album, featuring the long-awaited marriage of Lois and Clark. The series ended on a cliffhanger in which Lois and Clark find an infant in Clark's old bassinet, along with a note that claimed the child belonged to them. This mystery was never resolved in the television series; however Brad Buckner, executive producer and writer for the third and fourth seasons, later said that the infant was Kryptonian royalty hidden with Lois and Clark so they could protect him from assassins.[10]

During the fourth season, ABC had announced a fifth season of the show; its producers and writers were unprepared when ABC later decided that no new episodes would be produced. The series had weakened in its Sunday 8:00 pm timeslot and had been shifted to 7:00 pm in January, and was moved to Saturdays in the spring.[11] The ratings dropped even further, and the show finished its last season at 104th place. It was removed from the schedule in May 1997.[11] ABC made up for its commitment to Warner Bros. by ordering thirteen episodes of a Debra Messing drama called Prey. In November 2013 fans named Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain as the best Lois and Clark combination ever covering both TV and Superman films.

In other media

Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel, by science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh, is a novel based on the television series. The work is an example of the superhero fantasy literary subgenre and, because of the romance between Lois Lane and Clark Kent, could be considered a work of romantic fantasy. The book was published in 1996 with a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover edition and a paperback edition by Prima Publishing.[12]

Other novels based on the series include:

Cast

Principal cast members of the first season, with Michael Landes as Jimmy Olsen, Tracy Scoggins as Cat Grant, and John Shea as Lex Luthor. Not pictured are Eddie Jones and K Callan who portray Jonathan and Martha Kent.
Principal cast members of the rest of the show's run, with Justin Whalin replaced Landes, and Scoggins and Shea left the show after the first season's finale.

Regular cast

Actor[16] Character Seasons
1 2 3 4
Dean Cain Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman Main
Teri Hatcher Lois Lane/Lois Lane Kent Main
Lane Smith Perry White Main
Michael Landes[17][18] Jimmy Olsen Main
Justin Whalin[19] Main
Tracy Scoggins Catherine "Cat" Grant Main
K Callan Martha Kent Main
Eddie Jones Jonathan Kent Main
John Shea Lex Luthor Main Guest Guest Voice

Special guest stars

Guest cast

International broadcasters

The series premiered on BBC One on Saturday 8 January 1994, with repeat showings until 2002. The BBC renamed the series "The New Adventures of Superman". The BBC held the rights to premiere the first three seasons. It also aired on CBBC's Saturday Aardvark strand and later known as Planet Saturday at 8:30am before Live and Kicking at 9.15am. BBC Two have also repeated the series at teatimes alongside The Simpsons, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and many others. Sky One held the premier rights to the fourth season in 1997, which it broadcast under the full title. The BBC broadcast the episodes a few weeks later. Sky One broadcast Seasons One, Two and Three just before the premier of Season Four in early 1997. UK Gold, Sky Living and ITV2 have also repeated the series.

DVD releases

Warner Home Video has released all four seasons of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4.

Complete Season Ep# Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 21 June 7, 2005[20] July 5, 2006[21] June 14, 2006[22]
2 22 January 17, 2006[23] July 5, 2006[24] June 14, 2006[25]
3 22 June 20, 2006[26] September 6, 2006[27] November 1, 2006[28]
4 22 November 14, 2006[29] December 6, 2006[30] November 1, 2006[31]

Soundtrack

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (Original Television Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Jay Gruska
Released November 4, 1997
Length 57:58
Label Sonic Images

All music composed by Jay Gruska.

Track listing
No. Title Length
1. "Main Title Theme"   1:06
2. "Mothership"   2:02
3. "Lois & Clark Courting"   3:13
4. "Final Proposal"   2:02
5. "Clark in the Country"   1:45
6. "Final Battle"   4:36
7. "Lois' Big Band"   1:14
8. "Clark's Salsa"   1:47
9. "Superman Says Goodbye"   4:25
10. "Lois & Clark's New Home"   2:53
11. "Baby Dreams"   3:12
12. "Villains"   7:27
13. "Superman Flies Home"   1:26
14. "Lois & Clark's First Love Theme"   1:36
15. "Virtual Reality"   2:37
16. "Tez Arrives"   1:06
17. "Zarah & Ching"   3:51
18. "Tempus"   2:46
19. "Clark Fun"   1:25
20. "Playing the Game"   1:19
21. "Main Title Theme (Extended Mix)"   5:38
Total length:
 57:26

See also

References

  1. ↑ Du Brow, Rick (May 11, 1993). "At ABC, Life Goes On With 11 New Series". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  2. ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (September 11, 1993). "Lois & Clark Soars, and So Does Townsend". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  3. ↑ O'Connor, John J. (April 9, 1995). "TELEVISION VIEW; That Man In a Cape Is Still Flying". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  4. ↑ "Lois & Clark Interviews: Executive Producer Brad Buckner - 2003". Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman". Entertainment Weekly. December 8, 1995. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  6. ↑ "TV's 'Superman' Undergoing a Planetary Shift". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  7. ↑ On the DVD commentary for the pilot of Lois & Clark, Dean Cain said that he and Landes looked as though they could be related.
  8. ↑ "History of Lois and Clark – Part 1". Redboots.net. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  9. ↑ Chris Ruppenthal(writers) & Jim Pohl (director) (Feb 11, 1996). "I Now Pronounce You...". Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Season 2. Episode 15. ABC.
  10. ↑ "Interview". Kryptonsite.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  11. 1 2 Allstetter, Rob (August 1997). "'Lois & Clark' Meets Kryptonite". Wizard (72). p. 119.
  12. ↑ Cherryh, C. J (August 1996). Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel. Prima Lifestyles. ISBN 0761504826.
  13. ↑ Friedman, Michael Jan (April 1996). Heat Wave. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061010618.
  14. ↑ Friedman, Michael Jan (May 1996). Exile. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061010626.
  15. ↑ Friedman, Michael Jan (June 1996). Deadly Games. HarperCollins. ISBN 0061010634.
  16. ↑ Tucker, Ken (January 17, 2015). "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ Meisler, Andy (October 16, 1994). "A Familiar Name, but I Can't Place the Face". The New York Times. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  18. ↑ "A Younger Jimmy Joins `Lois & Clark'". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  19. ↑ Mendoza, N.F. (March 26, 1995). "As ABC's second assigned Jimmy Olsen, Justin Whalin hits the newsroom running". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  20. ↑ Gord Lacey (March 14, 2005). "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an announcement". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  21. ↑ "Season 1 (Region 2)". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  22. ↑ "Season 1 (Region 4)". JB Hi-Fi Online. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  23. ↑ Gord Lacey (October 11, 2005). "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Season 2 news and artwork". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  24. ↑ "Season 2 (Region 2)". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  25. ↑ "Season 2 (Region 4)". JB Hi-Fi Online. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  26. ↑ Gord Lacey (March 1, 2006). "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – "Superday" concludes with Lois & Clark, Season 3". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  27. ↑ "Season 3 (Region 2)". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  28. ↑ "Season 3 (Region 4)". JB Hi-Fi Online. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  29. ↑ Gord Lacey (August 16, 2006). "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – A Super Wedding Happens This November – Season 4 Announced". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  30. ↑ "Season 4 (Region 2)". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  31. ↑ "Season 4 (Region 4)". JB Hi-Fi Online. Retrieved 2007-08-19.

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