DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season 4

 

+++Warning, this will contain mild spoilers from the prior season, but no major giveaways from season 4.+++

Season four ended up being the final season of Lois and Clark. It was not intended to be the final season, but the show was canceled after the season had already aired, so the writers were not able to really give it a proper wrap-up. The season starts with two episodes that resolve the new krypton storyline that acted as the season three cliffhanger and then in the third episode resolves the "fake" wedding from season three. The series mostly keeps the story of the week format, but there are many storylines that play out over the course of two episodes this season. The show does bring back the best villain who is not Lex, Tempus (played wonderfully by Lane Davies), and John Shea does return to voice Lex in a couple of episodes but does not make an in-person appearance. The show also introduces Mxyzptlk (played by Howie Mandel) in the Christmas episode. There are several recognizable guest stars including Delta Burke, Jack Larson (who played Jimmy in the 1950s series), Drew Carey, William Christopher (from M*A*S*H), and Harry Anderson (from Night Court), among others. The series ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that, of course, was never paid off because of the cancelation, so it really does feel incomplete.

For those who get the DVD set, the only extra is a trivia game. There are no behind-the-scenes material or commentary tracks, or any other bonus features similar to what was included in the prior season releases. So, if you only get the physical discs when there are a lot of extras, that is something to keep in mind.

Overall, the season was okay, but not great. Definitely not as good as the first two seasons (which, in my opinion, were the best seasons of the show), or even as good as the third. The ancillary characters like Jonathan, Martha, Perry, and Jimmy were relegated even more to sidekick status than they were originally, and I think the show hurt from the lack of a "main" bad guy. They tried to turn Tempus into that main foil by bringing back Lane Davies multiple times, but I think not having Lex (or someone like Lex) every week causing trouble took something away from the show. Ending the season on a mild cliffhanger was not ideal, but the cliffhanger worked about as good as one in a series finale could. But, it is obvious that the writers intended it to lead into the fifth season. I do think it is worth watching, especially for those of us who were fans when it aired on TV, as long as you temper your expectations for the season knowing that it does not get a proper finale.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season 3

 

+++Warning, this will contain spoilers from season two, but no major season three giveaways+++

The third season of Lois and Clark picks up immediately after the screen faded to black at the end of season two, with Clark proposing to Lois. Her answer to the question has reverberations throughout the rest of the season. It is not really a spoiler to say that she does not give an immediate yes or no answer to the question. The season has some self-contained episodes but even those do have some of the serial arcs that run throughout the season. The big one is Lois and Clark's relationship status (of course things cannot go off without a hitch) and then toward the end of the season a version of the "new krypton" storyline in which Clark finds out he is not, in fact, the last Kryptonian. There are a lot of notable guest stars this season including Peter Boyle, Bruce Campbell, Jessica Collins, Julian Stone, Jonathan Frakes, Genie Frances, Shelly Long, Fred Willard, Tony Curtis, and Justine Bateman. This is also the final season in which John Shea physically appears as Lex Luthor, in a multi-episode story arc in the second half of the season. There was a mild controversy during the season about Teri Hatcher cutting her hair (not nearly as big a deal as Kerri Russell cutting her hair during Felicity), that was kind of dumb. Although, I admit that I liked her hair better in the first two seasons than I did the shorter hairstyle.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include a featurette on the romance story between Lois and Clark, a trivia game hosted by Dean Cain, sporting a ridiculous-looking hairdo (speaking of haircuts), which is quite hilarious now that he does everything he can to pass himself off as a buttoned-up conservative commentator, and an excerpt of the documentary "Look, Up in the Sky" that was produced by Bryan Singer and Ken Burns, telling the history of the Superman character that was made when Singer was making Superman Returns. It is a portion of the same documentary that is an extra feature with the Superman Returns DVD and Blu-Ray (and the Superman Collection disc release) and the same except that was included as an extra on one of the Smallville season sets.

Overall, the season is good, but in my opinion, not as good as the prior seasons. I don't think the villains were as good in this season (aside from Tempus, Luther, and the Church gang) as they had been in the earlier seasons, and I think a lot of the tension that the writers were trying to keep in the Lois and Clark relationship (to keep viewers interested) was a bit forced. That said, it was still Superman and was the only live-action superhero show on the air at the time. Because it was on ABC, and trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible to keep ratings up, it is a bit more of a soap opera than it would have been on one of the smaller networks. That said, it is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 1, but no major spoilers from the second season+++

Season two of Lois and Clark is, in my opinion, the best season of the series, and definitely, the high point after which the show started to decline. It picks up down the line from the events of the first season finale in which Lex had jumped off his building and Clark told Lois he just wanted to remain friends. Of course, even though John Shea had left as a series regular, Lex was still a presence. Still, there are several episodes that involve him and introduce new characters such as his ex-wife played by Emma Samms, and his doctor played by Denise Crosby. There was more cast turnover with Michael Landes leaving the show as Jimmy and Justin Whalen took over that role. I don't think Whalen did a bad job, but I preferred Landes in the role.

This season also introduced new characters such as The Prankster (played by the wonderful Bronson Pinchot), and Professor Emil Hamilton (played by John Pleshette). One of the best episodes of the show involves H.G.Wells and a fugitive from the future named Tempus who knows that Clark is Superman and involves a trip to the past to save Superman as a baby. There is also a great slate of recognizable guest stars including Raquel Welch, Sherman Hemsley playing the Toymaster, and Isabel Sanford as his assistant, Cindy Williams, Peter Scalari, Melora Hardin, and the great Bruce Campbell. The season ends on a massive cliffhanger that sets up season three.

The DVD extras include a commentary track on the episode "Season's Greedings" by Dean Cain (who also wrote the episode, a making-of featurette on the making of season two, and a featurette about the fans of the series. So, a good amount of material if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the season is very good even with some of the cast departures like Landes, Shea, and Tracy Scoggins. To me, Hatcher really carries the show as Lois, even more than Clark/Superman does. Lane Smith is great in pretty much every scene he is in, and K Callan and Eddie Jones are wonderful as Clark's Earth parents. So, if you are a fan of the Superman story, this is definitely worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 1

 

Lois and Clark was an attempt in the mid-1990s to revive the Superman character on network television on a major broadcast network (ABC). It starred Dean Cain as Clark Kent and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane and really launched both of their careers. The first season was an origin story for Clark's transition to Superman, beginning with Clark coming to Metropolis and trying to get a shot at The Daily Planet. The show does mix out the story as it is in the comics and was seen in the movies, for example, not using the fortress of solitude, or having Clark "trained" by Jor-EL. The first season does establish Lex as the main villain (played wonderfully by John Shea) and has a great supporting cast including Lane Smith as an Elvis-loving Perry White, Eddie Jones as Jonathan Kent, K Callan as Martha Kent, Michael Landes as Jimmy Olsen, Tracy Scoggins as Catherine "Cat" Grant. Landes does a great job as Jimmy and Tracy Scoggins steals nearly every scene she is in.

The season is a blend of a case-of-the-week procedural with a serial arc (basically involving Superman and Lex and which will "win" both in terms of whether Luther will be brought to justice, but Lois' love. Of course, Lois is clueless as to who Clark really is, but fawns after Superman. The season builds perfectly to what is essentially a two-part season finale. It does not end on a cliffhanger, probably because John Shea left the show as a series regular after season one.

The extras include a commentary track on the pilot episode, a making-of documentary, and a featurette on the visual effects, and a conversation with Cain and Hatcher. So, while not a ton of extras, still a good amount for the people who like watching the bonus material. It is weird that now years later Dean Cain has turned out to be a right-wing nutjob (although usually not as big an asshole as some of the celebrity right-wing nutjobs are), and Terri Hatcher has a reputation of being awful to people because neither gave off that kind of vibe in their Lois and Clark days. 

Overall, the show is very good with some great moments. Teri Hater is absolutely great as Lois (I actually preferred her take on the character over Margot Kidder's), but the writing and acting all around are very good. The special effects were good for the time thanks to the larger budget. This was, however, pre-matrix and the big CGI revolution that came after that, so the effects can definitely be cheesy at times. The show also got a great slate of guest stars including Ben Vereen, Elliot Gould, David Warner, Penn Jillette, and Phyllis Coates, who played Lois in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, and during Season 1 of The Adventures of Superman television series.