Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was an action comedy american television series based on the DC comics superhero Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It was aired on the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) network and produced and distributed by Warner Bros television from 1993-1997.
It starred Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane.
It was loosely based on the origin of Superman established by writer John Byrne where Clark Kent is the true personality and Superman a disguise.
Plot
On May 17, 1966, Jonathan and Martha Kent 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. Clark becomes acquainted with photographer Jimmy Olsen and society columnist Cat Grant. Soon after being hired, Clark is partnered with star reporter Lois Lane. 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.
Season 1
Superman's first mission interferes with the illegal dealings of Lex Luthor, a secretly evil Metropolis business giant and benefactor. After Lex'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 arch-enemies. Clark respects Lex's life, even selflessly using his superpowers to save Lex from bleeding to death.
Lois and Clark in Season 1
Lex himself, sees Superman as a worthy opponent, ultimately discovers 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. Lex also 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. Lex eventually proposes marriage to Lois. Clark sees he may lose Lois and knows Lex 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 Lex's proposal. Lex decides to coincide his nuptials with the death of Superman, who he traps in a Kryptonite cage in the wine cellar of LexCorp 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.
Season 2
Lois and Clark in Season 2
In the second season, Clark and Lois begin to have a more intimate relationship, though they hide it from each other at first.
Their decision to start dating is interrupted by a resurrected Lex Luthor who wants Lois back and Superman dead, but Superman foiled his plans and sent him to prison.
Whenever they have a moment of talking alone, Clark keeps getting interrupted by someone calling for help or someone terrorizing Metropolis and he has to leave Lois whilst giving a poor excuse for doing so, which makes Lois angry.
Their relationship is also interrupted by Mayson Drake, 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 and Superman brings Mayson's murderer to justice. Soon afterwards, a federal agent named Dan Scardino 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.
Season 3
Lois and Clark in Season 3
In the third season premiere, Lois has discovered Superman's secret identity. Initially she resents Clark not telling her. During their courtship, Lois dates Patrick Sullivan an antiques dealer who is plotting to kill her in a sacrificial druid 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 superheroine named Ultra Woman. During this time, their wedding is interrupted by Lex Luthor who escapes from prison, kidnaps Lois and replaces her with a clone. Though Lex is later defeated for good, Lois suffers a bout of amnesia and needs special treatment to recover. However, her doctor Maxwell Deter wants Lois for himself, but Lois eventually gets her memories back.
Once she recovers, Lois and Clark are back still engaged when two other Kryptonians come to Earth, one of whom is Clark's wife by the Kryptonian law. They insist Clark go with them to save their world, New Krypton, from domination by an evil tyrant named Lord Nor. 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.
Season 4
Lois and Clark on their wedding day in Season 4
The fourth season starts with Clark heading toward New Krypton, while Lord Nor has instead invaded Earth, so Clark returns. He and Lois neutralize the tyrant and persuade the New Kryptonians to allow Clark to stay on Earth. After another failed wedding ceremony, Lois and Clark finally get married, this time for real.
Evil forces continue 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.
Season 5?
A fifth season was in development, but due to Teri's pregnancy with her daughter Emerson Rose, she was unable to work, so it never came about. Years later however, Dean said in an interview for 7 News Sydney that it still needed a fifth season and he and Teri were willing to put it into effect to conclude the cliffhanger. They both said the same during a interview at a New York Comic Convention that was a celebration of the show's 25th anniversary. Further acknowledgements about it are yet to be revealed.
Cast
Dean Cain
Teri Hatcher
Lane Smith
Eddie Jones
K Callan
Seasons
(1993-1994)
(1994-1995)
(1995-1996)
(1996-1997)
DVDs
Four DVD sets of each of the four seasons were released, each one with Special Features.
Season 1
The Special Features on it were:
- From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois & Clark (A Retrospective Documentary)
- Taking Flight: The Visual Effects of Lois & Clark (A Behind-the-Scenes Featurette)
- Commentary on the Pilot episode by Dean Cain, Executive Producer Deborah Joy LeVine and Director Robert Butler
- Original Pilot episode presentation by Deborah Joy LeVine
The US version also included another feature:
- Interviews with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher
Season 2
The Special Features on it were:
- Two Featurettes:
- Lois & Clark: Secrets of Season 2
- Marveling Metropolis: The Fans of Lois & Clark
- Commentary on the Season's Greedings episode by Dean Cain
Season 3
The Special Features on it were:
- Lois & Clark: A History of Romance (Documentary)
- The Man of Steel Trivia Challenge (Hosted by Dean Cain)
- Look Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (Excerpts from the new documentary produced by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns)
Season 4
The Special Features on it differed from each other in the UK and the US:
UK Special Features
- International Hero Trailer
US Special Features
- Kryptonian Kryptology (An Interactive History of Superman Timeline hosted by Dean Cain)
Complete Series
Each of the separate Special Features that had originally been in each Season set were included.