Superman's TV survival skills

How many of you out there in reader-land remember a show called 'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'? I remember that it aired on Sundays and I watched it every chance I got growing up.  How about the 1950's George Reeve 'The Adventures of Superman' TV series?  I'm told that children of that generation just ate it up.  Or perhaps the WB hit 'Smallville'?  All of these shows have more than one thing in common.  First, they all involve Superman and his supporting cast, all of which were played by very attractive actors and actresses.  Second, and more importantly, they were all HORRIBLY written, horribly acted, and every one of them ages about as well as Lindsey Lohan.

I noticed this pattern a few years ago after watching some early Smallville episodes at the same time I was also going through the old 'Lois & Clark' show.  I was shocked at how low the quality was, and yet I was still watching them!  All of these Superman TV series defied death (cancellation) much longer than their quality should have allowed.  Death should have stood at their doorstep soon after their respective first seasons, but they marched onward.

I would like you to imagine that the show didn't include Superman as a character, yet had the same actors and actresses in a different story. Would it even have gotten past the pilot stage?  Or maybe gotten a pilot, but been picked up for more than one season?  I humbly suggest that the answer is a hard NO. 

It seems that Superman is the King Midas of the comic book television world (Batman is a close second, but that's another topic for another column).  They have tried to turn many other superheroes into TV series, however they never get as much play.  The Flash, Wonder Woman, or the good-intentioned 90's Birds of Prey (a girl-only spin-off of the Batman universe) never reached the success that any of these Superman shows did.  Even the campy 60's version of Batman starring Adam West only had 2 seasons!  Lois and Clark had 4 seasons, the 50's 'Adventures of Superman' had 6 (which would've lasted longer if George Reeves hadn't committed suicide), and Smallville had a record-breaking 10 seasons.  The only other property to have as many successful incarnations is Law and Order.

So, what is it about Superman that can survive bad writing and bad acting?  I think there are many variables, but I will focus on two.  First, Superman seems to appeal to the best in us.  He is arguably the most powerful superhero ever created, and yet he is a grown-up boy scout.  He has the potential to be the worst tyrant, yet he uses his power for good.  That strikes a chord in the human heart.

Second, I think he is to many the definitive superhero.  When one thinks of comic books and superheroes, Superman is often the first to come to mind.  He is the most recognizable superhero in the world, in my humble opinion.  He is also very American, so there is a patriotic element to his appeal.  After all, he fights for 'Truth, Justice, and the American Way.'

I think it can be argued that the reason that Superman Returns wasn't as successful as Warner Bros had hoped it would be was that the film wasn't true to these principles.  When Superman becomes a Peeping Tom or has an out-of-wedlock child he is no longer Superman, merely a cheap knock-off.  My apologies to Bryan Singer (Director of Superman Returns), but you really dropped the ball on that one.

I await the day that there is another Superman-themed live TV show to test my hypothesis.  I predict it will have horrible actors and writing and production value.  Yet it will defy the laws of television gravity and beat the odds by getting picked up for a full season.  Superman is part of our modern day mythology.  He gives us hope that there are good people in the world.

P.S. I must give a shout out to Geoff Johns, the best writer of Superman in the last 20 years.  If you want to read some great Superman, read anything he's written with Superman in it.