Entertainment
10 Greatest Superhero Shows Even Diehards Haven’t Seen
Superhero television may be a dime a dozen these days, but there was a time when that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t so long ago that shows like the Adam West-led Batman series from the ’60s or the 1977 The Incredible Hulk TV show were considered the most popular comic-to-screen programs, though that started to change come the 21st century. Now, we have everything from Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins to DC Comics prequels to comic book deconstructions like The Boys that have flooded the superhero-on-TV market, but that wasn’t always the case.
Before the Arrowverse erupted on The CW in the 2010s and the MCU moved from the big screen to the small with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was slim-pickings for superhero fans. Smallville ruled (and still does) as the longest running live-action superhero series out there, but even that show wasn’t fully committed to tights and flights until the very end. Along the way, you’ve probably forgotten about some of the more unique superhero shows that aired for a brief time on television, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have potential on their own.
‘Flash Gordon’ (2007–2008)
After he was killed off on Smallville, Eric Johnson bounced around for a few years before landing a superhero role of his own in the short-lived Flash Gordon reboot. Now, admittedly, Flash Gordon has a rough first few episodes. The show struggled to find an audience because the quality of this 21st-century take on the retro space opera failed to live up to the hype. It wasn’t great at first, but as the show progressed, it actually grew into a capable superhero series with genuine potential — it’s almost a shame it was canceled.
Flash Gordon follows its title hero as he’s transported to the world of Mongo and pitted against the tyrannical ruler, Ming the Merciless (John Ralston). As Flash builds alliances with those on Mongo and the series slowly pivots from Earth to the alien homeworld, Flash Gordon eventually finds its voice. However, it was all too little, too late. Audiences stopped watching after a boring batch of initial episodes, and Flash Gordon was put down before it ever had the chance to soar.
‘Legends of the Superheroes’ (1979)
If you’ve never heard of Legends of the Superheroes, that’s probably because DC has tried to bury the live-action debut of many of its superhero characters, including Green Lantern (Howard Murphy), The Flash (Rod Haase), Hawkman (Bill Nuckols), Black Canary (Danuta Wesley), and the Huntress (Barbara Joyce). This two-episode television special took place in the same world as Adam West’s Batman, as the Dynamic Duo appeared alongside the rest of this “Justice League.” And boy, is this a time capsule.
What makes Legends of the Superheroes “great” isn’t that it’s actually good, per se. It’s really not. But in addition to being a Batman reunion special (alongside Adam West and Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin also returns as The Riddler), the second part is actually a celebrity roast. It’s a superhero parody at its most strange, complete with the same flavor of humor that made Batman a national phenomenon — though perhaps not as grand as Batman‘s best TV heists. If that’s your style of superhero television, you probably won’t be disappointed.
‘Black Scorpion’ (2001)
Based on not one but two made-for-TV superhero comedy movies by Roger Corman (seriously), Black Scorpion was a single-season superhero series that briefly aired on Syfy (then Sci-Fi Channel) in 2001. As Angel City police detective Darcy Walker realizes that the badge isn’t always enough, she moonlights as the Black Scorpion to fight crime after dark. Though Joan Severance played the character in the previous TV movies, Michelle Lintel took over the role for the 22-episode television series.
Black Scorpion is a bit of a fever dream. It’s like if WB’s likewise short-lived Birds of Prey (a near-perfect DC show few remember) had an older cousin to learn from her poor choices. The titular heroine had a rogues’ gallery that included villains played by none other than Adam West and Frank Gorshin of Batman fame, as well as Cobra Kai antagonist Martin Kove. The bulk of the episodes were written by co-creator Craig J. Nevius, and serve as a largely enjoyable mix between the ’60s Batman series and Tim Burton’s ’80s Batman movie, albeit with a female protagonist.
‘My Secret Identity’ (1988–1991)
Perhaps the most beloved entry on this list, My Secret Identity has been all but forgotten by everyone except those who watched the original program back when it aired on syndication (or the later Sci-Fi Channel reruns). Starring Jerry O’Connell as teenage comic book enthusiast Andrew Clements, the show follows his adventures after he suddenly gets superpowers from a beam shot by his friend Dr. Benjamin Jeffcoate (Derek McGrath). Knowing what he must do, Andrew chooses the responsibility of a hero.
As the title suggests, Andrew hides his secret identity from everyone in his life, save Dr. Jeffcoate. A fun blend of adventure, science fiction, and comedy, My Secret Identity ran for three seasons and 72 episodes. With a killer theme song that will stay in your head for hours (trust us), this show is the perfect binge for those looking for some superhero-lite superhero TV. Funny enough, O’Connell would later voice Superman in his career, and it all started back in ’88.
‘Who Wants to Be a Superhero?’ (2006–2007)
From the mind of Stan Lee, this superhero-centric reality television series is actually a competition show. Who Wants to Be a Superhero? pits several contestants against each other to discover whose idea for an original superhero character would win the heart of Stan “The Man” himself. The winner would not only get their character turned into a Stan Lee-penned Dark Horse comic book, but would also be included in live-action in a Sci-Fi Channel original movie — Mega Snake being the first.
Although Who Wants to Be a Superhero? only ran for two seasons, the concept itself was an ingenious way to capitalize on the growing mainstream superhero craze. Unfortunately, the show aired about a decade too early, with Matthew Atherton‘s Feedback and Jarret Crippen‘s The Defuser being the only superheroes created from this short-lived phenomenon. It may not deliver everything you want from the superhero genre, but it was a unique idea that could only come from the mind of Stan Lee. ‘Nuff said!
‘Automan’ (1983–1984)
From Glen A. Larson, the mind behind the original Battlestar Galactica, came the Tron-inspired Automan. Somehow, this ’80s sci-fi comedy still holds up as it follows an artificial superhero, “the Automatic Man” (Chuck Wagner), created by police programmer Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz Jr.) to fight the crime that the cops cannot. Long before AI is what we know it as today, the potential seemed limitless, and the idea of turning a computer program into a superhero just made sense.
If you can get past the basic Tron comparison, Automan was loads of fun. However, the show only lasted a dozen episodes on the air before it was unceremoniously axed by ABC. Evidently, the program was too far ahead of its time — perhaps it would have done better in today’s market. (Call Ronald D. Moore, we have another Larson series he needs to update!)
‘Electra Woman and Dyna Girl’ (1976)
If you’ve never heard of Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, that’s not exactly a surprise. This superhero series was a part of the larger umbrella program The Krofft Supershow that was aimed specifically for kids. Deidre Hall played Electra Woman opposite Judy Strangis‘ Dyna Girl, as the pair of super-heroines fought crime when not working as newspaper journalists. Their bulky “ElectraComs” could do almost anything, and for 8 episodes (and 16 different 12-minute segments) they tackled some of the strangest villains.
The original Electra Woman and Dyna Girl series is a wholesome gem that has gone down in pop culture infamy. The WB even tried to make an “edgy” updated satirical superhero series in the style of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (albeit, in live-action) in the early 2000s, though the pilot was so terrible that the network ultimately passed. Likewise, a web-series revival made its way to screens starring a pair of YouTubers, but nothing quite beats the earnestness of the original ’70s program.
‘M.A.N.T.I.S.’ (1994–1997)
Before Carl Lumbly would voice Martian Manhunter in the Justice League animated series, he starred in M.A.N.T.I.S. as the first black superhero on television. After Dr. Miles Hawkins (Lumbly) is paralyzed and disheartened by a criminal conspiracy targeting the black community, he utilizes his company’s superhuman M.A.N.T.I.S. exoskeleton to fight crime after dark, which grants him super-strength, speed, and paralytic darts. For a single 22-episode season, M.A.N.T.I.S. brought a new flavor of crime fighter to television screens.
Created by the combined efforts of Batman scribe Sam Hamm and future Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, it’s kind of odd that this series didn’t last more than a season on Fox. After a relatively grounded TV pilot film, M.A.N.T.I.S. goes a bit off the rails, but isn’t that the case for really all superheroes when you think about it? The show is an odd duck, but it’s a fun watch even now when looking back on it.
‘Mutant X’ (2001–2004)
Despite the fact that it shares the same name with a ’90s Marvel comic series, and it was made with Marvel’s cooperation in mind, the Avi Arad-created Mutant X is only loosely connected to the X-Men franchise. Well, technically, it’s not connected at all, as this team of “mutants” received their powers not because of an evolutionary mutant gene, but due to genetic experimentation conducted by a mysterious government entity. With an ensemble cast, this X-Men-lite series ran an impressive three seasons in syndication.
“Protecting a world that doesn’t know they exist” was the Mutant X tagline, and under the leadership of Adam Kane (John Shea from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), that’s exactly what this group of rag-tag not-quite-mutants did. Clearly inspired by a combination of the Fox-made X-Men movies and The Matrix, Mutant X is the second-longest-running series on this list after My Secret Identity with an impressive 66 episodes. If only it were an actual Mutant X adaptation…
‘The Cape’ (2011)
Probably the most infamous show on this list, The Cape was set up by NBC to be the next big “comic book/superhero”-inspired show after the end of Heroes, but it never quite lived up to the hype. For one thing, the show was canceled before its first season even finished airing (with the finale being released online instead), with the failure of The Cape eventually becoming a recurring joke on Community. But there was something about the premise that was actually quite interesting and, as strange as it was, may deserve another look.
The Cape took the superhero concept back to its roots when “good cop” Vince Faraday (David Lyons) is framed and supposedly murdered by a supervillain, only to be taken in by a traveling circus who teach him the theatrical skills necessary to fight crime as “The Cape” (still considered by many to be among the worst TV superheroes) and win back his family. Superheroes themselves were often inspired by circus acts, and so tying the concept back to The Carnival of Crime was a unique way to update the idea. It may not have been able to carry “six seasons and a movie,” but The Cape could have lasted at least a full network TV season.
The Cape
- Release Date
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2011 – 2011-00-00
- Directors
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Deran Sarafian, David Jackson, David Straiton, Dennie Gordon, Ernest R. Dickerson, Karen Gaviola, Michael Nankin, Roxann Dawson
- Writers
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Tom Wheeler, William Wheeler, Craig Titley, Toni Graphia
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Fernando Chien
ARK Trooper
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