Lois & Clark: As Novas Aventuras do Superman

Dean Cain is nothing less than perfect in the role as Clark Kent (CK). That goes for Teri Hatcher as well, her portrait of Lois Lane is just...SUPER!

The different directors and screenwriters have done an excellent job of bringing Clark Kent back to the screen. The idea of giving Clark Kent a full background and some real space to act in, is just ingenious. Lane Smith and Justin Whalin are also worth mentioning - they are both excellent in their roles as Perry and Jimmy.

Now, why haven't this fantastic series come out on DVD?

Yesterday I watched a VHS released by "Warner do Brasil" with the pilot episode of this TV series. The story begins with Clark Kent (Dean Cain) arriving in Metropolis and being hired by Perry White (Lane Smith) to work in the Daily Planet with Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) and Jimmy Olsen (Michael Landes). Meanwhile, Clark misses his parent Jonathan Kent (Eddie Jones) and Martha Kent (K Callan) and is harassed by his colleague Catherine "Cat" Grant (Tracy Scoggins). However, he has a crush on Lois Lane. Meanwhile, a spacecraft explodes and a scientist, considered mad by his community, advises that there was a sabotage on the launching. Along the story, it is disclosed but never proved that Lex Luthor (John Shea) was the responsible for the explosion. Clark becomes the Superman, and Lex Luthor his greatest enemy. I was not a regular viewer of this series on TV, but I liked most of the episodes that I have seen. This VHS is excellent, introducing the characters of "Superman" in a delightful story. The beauty of Teri Hatcher would be enough to support this movie, but the chemistry between the handsome Dean Cain and the gorgeous Teri Hatcher is also a wonderful attraction. "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" is a great and charming entertainment for children and adults. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Lois & Clark: As Novas Aventuras do Super-Homem" ("Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman")

'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' was one of the better sci-fi shows to come out of the Nineties and it was probably one of the first attempts to give the comic franchises a modern twist.

During the four seasons it aired for, the familiar Superman characters were brought out and given a Nineties touch. While Lois is still very much her tenacious self, Clark Kent was now a confident, well-adjusted guy and was a far cry from the bumbling Clark of the films and comics. His mother Martha is the one who sews his uniform for him while she and husband Jonathan are always on hand to give their adoptive son advice on his love life. Lex Luthor is far more charismatic and he and Lois even have a fling. However, Perry and Jimmy are in usual form and Superman is ever the hero he's always been, fighting for truth, justice and the American way.

Dean Cain made an excellent Clark, portraying the loyalty and strength of the character as well as his uncertainties over Lois and his path as Superman. While Christopher Reeve gave us a very heroic Superman, Cain gave us a hero who was heavily influenced by his Earth upbringing making him very human at times and it does work for this series. Teri Hatcher depicted a beautiful, career-driven Lois who vacillated between arrogance and being insecure, and this softer edge made her a likable character. And John Shea's Lex Luthor was wonderfully evil and intriguing as the almost James Bond-like villain who had fine tastes and minions to do his dirty work.

The story lines were almost always fun and engaging, often capturing a nice balance between drama, action, humour and romance. And unlike the 'Smallville' series, where episodes are very formulaic ((ie, mutant-of-the-week attacks and Clark saves the day so he can get back to his brooding over Lana), this series avoids that plot hole by covering different villains and plots. The only problem, that eventually saw the show's demise, was when Lois and Clark married as this lead to it becoming too soapy and cavity-inducing although it did serve as a lesson to future TV show producers that you should always pair your leads together in the finale, not half-way through the series.

'Lois and Clark' was never meant to be a deep, dark insight into Superman's history but instead just an entertaining show aimed at both young and old, and I think it succeeds. Newcomers to the show should check out the first three seasons to see it at its best.

This version of Superman has always excited me because Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain have such awesome chemistry with each other. Dean Cain makes expert display of Clark Kent's restraints and clumsiness and Superman's authority as a Metropolis savior and his playfulness as the keeper of Lois's affections. We can see his turmoil between being who he has to be and being who he wants to be...with lots of comedy in between. Hatcher, in my opinion, is by far the best Lois to date. She has strength and class and isn't afraid to take chances with her character. She'll sing, she'll dance, she'll turn on the baby-voice...and she gives Lois a persona so stubborn, only Superman can get her to see the truths about herself and the people around her. Add in Lane Smith, who's so ridiculously funny in his Elvis-ized Santa suit and you have pure comedy. Lane Smith is the wise man of the group, fostering Justin Whalen through his mishaps and growth as a photographer and a young man. Justin Whalen's Jimmy Olsen has a certain naiveté' necessary to balance the complex personalities and tensions of Lois and Clark. Michael Landes, who played Season One's Jimmy Olsen, is equally as entertaining...making it difficult to choose who is more deserving of that role. If one invests in such a purchase, it would be hard to be disappointed.

As a loyal fan of L&C, I have to say that I loved most things about the show. Teri Hatcher turned in my favorite portrayal of Lois Lane to date. Lane Smith's attitude as Perry White was usually enjoyable. Most importantly, Eddie Jones and K Callan set a new standard as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Originally billed as recurring characters, their efforts on screen were just too wonderful to be denied and became a staple of the show through its many ups and downs.

Dean Cain was solid as Clark--and the idea that Clark was a person with problems and goals and insecurities of his own and that Superman was the convenient guise he used to help people always appealed to me. I know that most of the die-hard fans are of the opposite opinion, but humanizing Kal-el and focusing on his relationships with his family, his friends, and the love of his life was one of Deb Joy Levine's truly masterful ideas. The ensemble cast of the first season with Michael Landes as Jimmy Olsen and Tracy Scoggins as Cat Grant worked superbly together onscreen. John Shea turned in a respectable performance with a good mix of glitz and sinister ambition for a '90s Lex Luthor. I loved almost all the episodes that first season and one of my abiding regrets is that the show's writing staff and cast changed for the second season. Nonetheless, the first two seasons were both solid (even if the alternating introduction of competing love interests became grating after awhile).

Much as I hate to admit it, the show didn't end too early. The wheels came off in the third season with the much-despised clone-amnesia arc and the disturbing introduction of the concept of New Krypton. By the close of the fourth season, a consistent villain was nowhere to be found and the idea of Lois's possible pregnancy, of a Superfamily, wasn't strong enough to help the show recover from a disastrous newlywed phase.