iReview | LOIS & CLARK: The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Series

The Remastered Complete Series on Blu-ray.

Look Up in the Sky! A romantic comedy set in the world of a comic book adventure has resurfaced in the pop-culture lexicon, but for all the wrong reasons. The Complete Series box set is remastered on Blu-ray, but is it about to get put on ICE?

It certainly has been the “Summer of Superman!” The new James Gunn film starring David Corenswet as the latest Man of Steel is a hit and launches the DC cinematic universe for a new generation. Corenswet is only the latest actor to assume the mantle, and many actors before have brought their own tone and texture to bring the Man of Tomorrow to the big screen… and the little screen. The hero has had success in primetime over the decades, and the take on his persona even found an audience as a lighter-based romantic comedy.

Taking a page from television classics like Moonlighting and Remington Steele that banked on the sexual tension and the chemistry between their series’ leads, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Series is available now on Blu-ray. Series creator Deborah Joy LeVine saw an opportunity to take a slightly different spin and bring the love affair between two of comics' most beloved characters to primetime, at a time when the '90s comedies were often focused on complicated love relationships [they were on a break], there’s none more complicated than that of Lois Lane and Clark Kent!

Starring Teri Hatcher as the headlining-winning reporter, Lois Lane, the Desperate Housewives actress was the ideal candidate, full of moxie and grit, and a near-ruthless ambition, that all gets turned upside down when she meets the Metropolis Marvel. Dean Cain, a relative unknown at the time, was an unlikely choice, but he immediately won his audience over. The actor didn’t immediately look the part of the traditional Man of Steel, but he had a cool and collected disposition that made him appealing, especially with a female audience. The chemistry between Hatcher and Cain was also undeniable. They lit up the screen!

Joy Levine built the series as a workplace romantic comedy, pitting the two ambitious Daily Planet reporters against one another, as Metropolis faces corrupt politicians, mad scientists, and the occasional super villain. Over the course of the show’s four seasons, the romance between Lois and Clark ignited, and Clark even revealed his dual identity to his lady love, eventually following the comic book narrative as the couple realized their nuptials. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman won the hearts of its audience and was very successful, although it is relatively unsophisticated compared to similar series of the same genre. The special effects also left much to be desired.

Lois & Clark on ICE

Some decades later, one must wonder if the series would stand the test of time, or as imaginative as its fanbase remembered. Unfortunately, it’s come back into the public eye, following the controversial choices made by one of its stars.

It’s not a secret that Dean Cain, the series lead, has always had conservative political tendencies. He’s often made no secret of his ideology in public appearances, and eventually, he revealed that he had always been a supporter of the corrupt felon that is currently occupying the White House and making haste to shred the Rule of Law. Recently, Cain’s admiration of said administration, especially its controversial and downright lawless deportation tactics and illegal treatment of immigrants, has been scrutinized. The actor has also taken a decisive step to join ICE agents in their intimidation tactics to force the removal of what the agency deems criminal undesirables among the immigrant community.

Dean Cain is himself the descendant of immigrants. His real last name is Tanaka, a direct descendant of Japanese immigrants who were interned at a relocation center in Idaho during the war. Cain has publicly disavowed his relationship, or rather his connection to his biological father, whom he has said he has never met, and was adopted by his mother’s husband, film director Christopher Cain. It all appeared to come to a point when Cain went on to criticize James Gunn’s highly popular Superman, saying that the film skewed toward a “liberal agenda.” All this proved just how diluted Cain had become, not to mention how distant his own personal beliefs aligned from those of the hero, an alien - an immigrant, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Interestingly, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman had sat prominently on HBO Max since the streaming service's acquisition of DC content and launch in its DC-branded portal. It’s only recently that the entire title has gone missing, especially since it was positioned among several menu items, including the most recent original series, Superman & Lois, that brought fans in to get caught up on the Man of Steel's multiple incarnations across decades in media. It appears perhaps that, along with Cain’s ignorantly approached and unpopular decision, the series itself has been put on ice.

Frozen in Time

The series and all 87 of its episodes have been remastered from their standard broadcast resolution, upressed in High-Definition for this Blu-ray release. Like many of its predecessors, including the classic fan-favorite Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter and John Wesley Shipp’s much-beloved The Flash: The Original Series from 1990, the increased resolution brings the series in line with The CW’s “Arrowverse” expanded universe. Although both series leads, Hatcher and Cain, appeared as guest stars on Supergirl, their show was left out of the 5-part “Crisis on Infinite Earths” event, which paid homage to the cinematic legacy of DC throughout the years. “Crisis” did include Smallville, the Tom Welling-helmed series, which lasted 10 seasons and left the air just as Arrow premiered.

The Blu-ray package includes 20 discs, featuring all four seasons of the series, and several Special Features that offer behind-the-scenes insights, especially into “The Making of Lois & Clark” and “The Pilot Presentation.” Fans will really dig the season's introspection into the character development and the evolution of the romance between Lois and Clark, from comics page to silver screen, and back to primetime. Steeped in 90s nostalgia, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman had a unique sensibility that made it a standout among its mostly female demographic, and proved that the DC comics storyline had a wide scope and appeal.

How the series will be perceived now that Dean Cain has taken a very controversial and unpopular political position, including choosing a stance that truly goes against the ethos of a character that the actor played for the entire run of the series, is an entirely treacherous road. No one, especially comic book fans, wants their love of pop-culture entertainment to be tainted by someone’s personal preferences, but in these polarizing times, there is a clear distinction between good and evil. Standing on the correct side of history is profoundly important, and then there’s the “Superman” of it all. How can an actor who connected so closely to the ideals of the world’s greatest superhero take a bizarro-like stance in public?

Regardless, in the legacy of television series that directly brought the Man of Steel to fans, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman stands alone. In an era of television that demanded “must-see TV” and was telling stories of various degrees and diversity, this telling of the Superman mythology tapped into an audience that the comic hero hadn’t had before, and spoke especially to inclusivity, providing a place for everyone to enjoy and experience, to be a part of the mythology. It’s unfortunate that Dean Cain has failed to embrace that side of his on-screen persona, not seeing the hope that Superman endears, connecting with all those who need a sense of hope, especially right now when the world feels hopeless.

LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN - The Complete Series | is available on Blu-ray, remastered for this edition, and includes bonus Special Features. The package is priced at $91.95 on Amazon.

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