Superman fans don’t always have to wait too long to see him in live-action. Unlike Batman, who only appears on the big screen (except for Batman ‘66), the Kryptonian has regularly appeared in TV shows and movies since debuting in Action Comics #1. So far, Superman TV shows have been received much better than movies. Most of Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill’s movies were panned, but small-screen productions like Superman & Lois and Smallville are considered some of the greatest superhero shows ever made.
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So far, each live-action show has approached Superman from a unique angle. Others even removed the spotlight from Man of Steel, instead focusing on other characters in his fictional world. Whatever direction the plot takes, fans are always happy to dive deeper into Superman lore. Still, all Superman shows aren’t created equal.
Even though each production was crafted meticulously, some stand out for their production values and for adapting the source material more creatively. For anyone looking forward to watching these shows for the first time, here is how to prioritize them.
7 Superboy (1988-1992)
Superboy
Release Date October 8, 1988
Cast Ilan Mitchell-Smith , Stacy Haiduk , Gerard Christopher , Peter Jay Fernandez , Robert Levine
Seasons 4
Superboy is executive produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, who made the first three Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. It’s structured as a college drama series and its events mainly revolve around Clark, his girlfriend, Lana Lang, and Clark’s best friend T.J. Whenever they aren’t burying their heads in books, Clark and T.J. dig up stories to publish in the college newspaper, The Shuster Herald. In later seasons, Clark and Lana start working for The Bureau for Extra-Normal Matters in Capitol City, Florida.
Iconic Characters and Locations Are Absent
Superboy might disappoint staunch fans because it plucks most of the universe’s DNA and replaces it with things that don’t fit. There is no Smallville, Fortress of Solitude, or Metropolis. There is no Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen either. The omissions are surprising, considering the series was scripted by comic book writers, notably Andrew Heifer and Michael Calin. These absences affect the show negatively, since Lana Lang never quite manages to have the same chemistry that Lois has with Clark. T.J., on the other hand, lacks Jimmy Olsen’s wit and charm. Besides that, due to a limited budget, the first season’s special effects are quite bad.
Thankfully, the show’s villain menu has great options. Mister Mxyzptlk, Metallo, and Bizarro appear in several episodes. However, it’s Lex Luthor who often stands out. Here, the villain is granted proper character development, starting as a college bully keen on fixing basketball games before morphing into a corporate villain. Fans will also appreciate how the show explores the multiverse. There is an alternate version of Superboy, who gets to kill Lex Luthor, and an adult Superman, played by Tarzan actor, Ron Ely. Buy on AppleTV.
6 Adventures of Superman (1952-1958)
Adventures of Superman
Release Date September 19, 1952
Cast George Reeves , John Hamilton , jack larson , Robert Shayne
Seasons 6
Adventures of Superman is the first television show to feature Superman, and it follows the Kryptonian as he battles crooks, hoodlums, and mad scientists in Metropolis. The titular character is played by the great George Reeves, while Jack Larson stars as Jimmy Olsen, and John Hamilton as Perry White. Phyllis Coates (who played Lois Lane in the 1951 movie, Superman & the Mole Men), also plays the character in the first season. Noel Neill, who had portrayed Lois Lane in the Superman serials, takes over from the second season.
The Damsel in Distress Narrative Feels Dated
Most of the plots involve the daring Lois getting in trouble, and Superman having to rescue her. While this was fun at the time, it doesn’t work in the current era, hence many modern viewers might quickly notice the redundancy and bias towards male heroism. The basic visuals also make Adventures of Superman hard to watch in an era where there are great advancements in CGI.
Still, the show has a saving grace in the form of George Reeves. The star is widely considered one of the greatest Superman actors, and by simply watching a few minutes of any episode, one can see why. He has the right facial expressions to convey his feelings in times of danger and flirtation.
He also looks Bond-like in a suit. Apart from that, the show is palatable to viewers who don’t like superhero content as it has a film noir feel. An episode in which Clark and Inspector Henderson head to Hollywood to investigate the murder of a film star, who had signed up for the role of a real-life mafia boss, is especially memorable. Buy on AppleTV.
Related: Every Actor Who Played Superman, Ranked
5 Krypton (2018-2019)
Krypton
Release Date March 21, 2018
Cast Shaun Sipos , Colin Salmon , Ian McElhinney , Blake Ritson
Seasons 2
Studio SyFy
Life was tough for Superman’s ancestors and Krypton offers a glimpse into their tribulations. Set 200 years before the birth of Kar-El/Superman, the show follows the DC hero’s grandfather, Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), as he tries to redeem the House of El. His family’s woes begin after the corrupt regime ruling over the city of Kandor executes his grandfather, Val-El, for alleged treason. The House of El is then stripped of its upper-class privileges and forced to live in deplorable conditions in the fictional city’s slums.
Echoes of Gotham and Pennyworth
Krypton is a clear attempt at making a Superman version of the TV shows, Gotham and Pennyworth. This is a great thing, as fans see early forms of some of the most popular Superman villains, notably Doomsday and Brainiac. Their backstories are lurid detail, leaving viewers more knowledgeable about Man of Steel mythology. Even without Superman in the picture, an effort is made to create memorable action sequences. A scene where Doomsday raids Weghtor and massacres dozens of rebels is especially likely to leave everyone slack-jawed.
Regrettably, there is a lot of cheesiness in Krypton. A line like “You have to find the Fortress; you have to save Superman!” sounds so 1970, yet viewers will find it in the show. There is also “Get your revenge on!” among other strange utterances. Additionally, the decision to tie everything around Superman is the series’ undoing. For example, Seg-El becomes proactive because Adam Strange shows up from the future to tell him that Superman won’t exist if he doesn’t do something about the current situation. Without this information, he would have been content with his current life. Stream for free on Tubi.
4 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997)
The Daily Planet doesn’t have a “No Workplace Dating” policy, so Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman often alternates between kissing scenes and media fieldwork. The series stars Dean Cain as Clark Kent, aka, Superman. After moving from Smallville to Metropolis, he gets a job at the famed media house, where he begins dating his coworker, Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher). The two work together in search of exclusive stories, and because Lois is eager to cover sensitive news, they keep finding themselves in trouble, especially with the industrialist Lex Luthor.
An Empowered Lois Lane
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is the first Superman screen project to feature an empowered Lois Lane. Here, she isn’t just a damsel in distress. She is just as important as the Kryptonian, and there are numerous episodes where she saves the day instead of Clark. There is also a greater focus on Clark Kent rather than Superman. The series adheres to the modern Superman origin tale, established by legendary comic writer John Byrne, in which Clark is the hero’s true personality and Superman is just a disguise that he uses whenever it’s necessary. This makes the show more realistic and relatable. It’s worth noting that this is one of the few superhero shows to receive Emmy nominations. The series was nominated four times during its run.
Sadly, the show’s quality starts dwindling in Season 2, and casting decisions are all to blame. Due to unforeseen scheduling issues, John O’shea’s duties were reduced, hence Lex Luthor became a minor character. This robbed the show of its best villain. The character, Cat Grant, was surprisingly dropped too, while Jimmy Olsen, was recast. With such drastic decisions, the ratings began to decline, leading to cancelation after four seasons. Stream on Max.
3 Supergirl (2015-2021)
Supergirl
Release Date October 26, 2015
Seasons 6
Studio The CW
Supergirl follows Kara Zor-El / Kara Danvers, aka, Supergirl, as she juggles between saving lives in National City and working for CatCo Worldwide Media. Her origin story reveals that she was initially sent to Earth as a 13-year-old girl to protect her cousin, baby Kar-El, but her ship veered off course. When she finally arrived at Earth, Kar-El was already an adult. Kar-El/Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin), makes cameo appearances later in the show as Superman.
A Perfect Way to Introduce the Man of Steel
Anyone watching the show will find it hard to resist the desire to see Superman. “Will he? Won’t he?” These questions keep popping up, but the writers never allow the Kryptonian’s shadow to linger for too long. Kara remains a properly developed character who does fine on her own.
Even when Cat’s revelation causes members of Superman’s Rogues Gallery to start coming after her, she manages to deal with them. Additionally, she is a symbol of feminism, making her relevant in the current social climate. When Superman finally shows up later in the show, it becomes clear that he is only meant to offer a little guidance and assistance, not take over. Stream on Netflix.
2 Superman & Lois (2021-Present)
Superman & Lois takes somewhat of a reverse approach to the Man of Steel’s life. In most Superman stories, he moves from Smallville to Metropolis, where he resides permanently. Here. Superman and his family move back to Smallville to start anew. Despite making a change that’s supposed to bring tranquility along with it, he still faces his usual challenges. His two teenage sons are also revealed to have special abilities. Initially intended to be part of the Arrowvers, the show was retooled and revealed to be set on an alternate earth.
A Perfect Family Drama
At heart, Superman & Lois is a typical family drama. Like every parent, Lois and Clark are faced with financial challenges, social issues, and the stress that stems from raising two teenagers. At some point, Lois even gets diagnosed with Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer, making the show more realistic and proving that there are limits to what Superman can do.
The show’s creators also deserve to be lauded for making this Superman distinctive. He is more of a negotiator than a puncher, hence he is ever willing to solve disputes amicably first, before restoring to violence. Additionally, he is spared of petty tasks such as looking for a place to change costumes. Here, Superman takes off instantly and changes on the go. Stream on Max.
RELATED: These 10 Characters Are Basically Copycats of Superman
1 Smallville (2001-2011)
Smallville
Release Date October 16, 2001
Seasons 10
Studio The CW
Origin stories don’t come better than Smallville. For 10 seasons, the show forces viewers to acknowledge a Clark Kent (Tom Welling) who doesn’t fly or wear a costume. “No tights, no flights,” is the rule. There was initial skepticism towards this approach, but a better and more detailed story is told because of it.
The first four seasons are about Clark’s life, his complicated and misguided romance with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), and his complex friendship with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). In the next seasons, the coming-of-age story shifts to Clark’s early adult years, where he begins working for The Daily Planet and forms a bond with Lois Lane.
The Best Versions of Key Superman Characters
Smallville is hoisted by many strong pillars, but the presence of superior versions of two key Superman characters — Lex Luthor and Lois Lane — is what makes it great. The version of Luthor seen here doesn’t hate Clark right from the start. He remains friends with him for a long time, an arc that allows viewers to note their differing ideologies.
Additionally, Lex is a multilayered character. He runs for Kansas state senator, buys the Daily Planet, creates clones, and keeps quoting historical figures. Lois Lane, on the other hand, is wittier than ever. “That’s what it says on my Pulitzer,” she once says when DSS agents ask if her name is Lois Lane. “Luthor is going all Godfather on us,” she says in another scene after Lex sends people to murder them. One would have to look really hard to find such quips in other Superman TV shows. Stream on Hulu.