Years before she was a resident on Wisteria Lane, and even before she was a notorious Bond girl, Teri Hatcher played Lois Lane on the New Adventures of Superman. Along with Dean Cain who played Clark Kent (aka Superman), these two actors brought the traditional story (unlike the recent Smallville) of superman once again to the small screen. Although Cain has not been able to reach the recent success that Hatcher has, the pair did share good chemistry on this show – creating an enjoyable television ex…erience.
”Casting a fresh look on a timeless legend, this exciting, action-packed update of the DC Comics Superman captures the daring exploits of the mysterious visitor from another planet and brings the city of Metropolis to life. Originally aired in the 90’s on ABC, this humorously romantic action/adventure hour-long series puts a modern twist on the time-honored, legendary superhero, bringing to life the comic book characters Clark Kent (Dean Cain); his superhuman alter-ego, Superman; and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher), fiction’s first lady of the press, in the most unrequited romance of all time.” – Warner Home Video
Video
The originally broadcast 1.33:1 full frame transfers are hit and miss on this release. There is some noticeable grain, along with some washed out colors; at least these issues are not present throughout all episodes. Besides these issues, the episodes do look pretty good for the most part. The colors and contrast have moments of brilliance, and the overall look is clean. Not the best looking transfer, but it will do.
Audio
It would have been nice to see a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on this release, but all we get here is a basic 2.0 audio mix. That being said, the audio track is still pretty good. The dialog, sound separation, and score all come across quite nicely. The surrounds and LFE channels could have been more active, but that is where the 5.1 would have been nice. For what we are offered, these discs still do the job.
Special Features
Warner Bros. has packed a nice collection of extras onto this release. First up is an audio commentary on the pilot episode by Deborah Joy LeVine (creator/executive producer), Dean Cain (“Clark Kent/Superman”) and Robert Butler (director/executive producer). This track is somewhat informative and mildly entertaining… worth a listen.
Next up is a Pilot Presentation (19:43) where Deborah Joy LeVine talks about the presentation she gave on the pilot (go figure) to sell the show at ComicCon. From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois & Clark (25:51) is an informative featurette that features a number of interviews discussing the making of the show – including all aspects of the production. Also included on this release is aTaking Flight: The Visual Effects of Lois & Clark (6:36) featurette, along with a bonus episode of Smallville: “Crusade” (season 4 premiere).
Final Thoughts
This is a good show, presented in decent quality, along with a good chunk of extra material. For those of you who are a fan of this show, this will be worth owning. For the casual viewers out there, give this a rent to see if it is worth your while.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary on the Pilot
- From Rivals to Romance: series retrospective documentary
- “Taking Flight: The Visual Effects of Lois & Clark”
- Original pilot presentation introducted by Deborah Joy LeVine
- Interviews with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher
- Limited-quantity commemorative bonus disc containing the never-before-released-on-DVD Smallville episode “Crusade”
