"Superman" (1996) TV series 1996-2000

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creators:

Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegel

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

6 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The last son of the planet Krypton protects his adoptive home of Earth as the greatest of the superheroes.

Plot Keywords:

Superman | Superhero | DC Comics | Cult TV | Based On Comic Book

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tim Daly	...	Superman / ... (52 episodes, 1996-2000)
Dana Delany	...	Lois Lane (45 episodes, 1996-2000)
David Kaufman	...	Jimmy Olsen / ... (26 episodes, 1996-2000)

Also Known As:

Superman: The Animated Series (USA) (informal alternative title)

Runtime:

30 min (54 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | USA:TV-PG (Violence)

Company:

DC Comics

Trivia:

Some of the character designs are clearly patterned on real actors. The more obvious likenesses are Shirley Jones ("The Patridge Family") to Martha Kent and Tella Savalas ("Kojak") to Lex Luthor.

Quotes:

Superman: [to Steel] You're going to hear this a lot, so you might as well hear it from me first... thanks.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in South Park: Imaginationland (2008) (V)

The other Caped Crusader

After the success of "Batman: The Animated Series", Superman, who'd been out of the lime light for a while except for "Lois & Clark", finally got a shot at his own series again. This show recapped Superman's origin, established his relationships and pit him against a variety of characters - including a memorable brawl between him and Lobo, voiced by Brad Garrett (who also voiced another character, but I forget his name).

Superman was voiced by Tim Daly, and he did a damn fine job of it too. It's a shame that he wasn't available for "Justice League", as he was definitely superior to his successor, George Newbern (sorry George). Dana Delany was what Margot Kidder's Lois Lane SHOULD have been but never was. Same goes for Clancy Brown as Lex Luther. M*A*S*H alum Mike Farrell provided the voice of Superman's Earth dad.

Storylines were generally good and voice acting solid (as mentioned above), but the only thing that really marred this show was the animation. While not bad, the characters, particularly the male characters, were too blocky looking. Superman himself looked as though he'd been carved out of rock. This animation isn't bad but it's not on par with the animation in "Batman: The Animated Series". Sadly, this look has been retained for "Justice League".

Batman has made guest appearances on Superman from time to time, even did a "movie" with him, which brought their relationship up to date.

So all in all, a 9 1/2 out of 10.