Smallville was my Superman show of choice growing up, although I had caught some reruns of Lois & Clark. That’s exactly why I was excited to fill in what was largely a blank spot and check out the new Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series Blu-ray set. It packages together all 87 episodes of the show, plus adds in some extras, in one convenient package.
“Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher star in this fan-favorite romantic action/adventure series with comedic overtones, which gave the time-honored, legendary superhero a ’90s twist over the course of four seasons on ABC TV. With clever writing and strong performances from the cast, the comic book characters of Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane were brought to life with entertaining exploits in 87 episodes. What begins as the most unrequited love affair of all time becomes the most unpredictable of all romantic relationships. Newly remastered in High-Definition for its Blu-ray debut, Lois & Clark look better than ever!” says the official description.
Lois & Clark remains a largely fun watch, which is helped by strong casting and a modern update of the characters. Dean Cain‘s Clark is quite likable, even if his transformation into Superman is oftentimes underwhelming (although this is less of a problem since Clark is his true personality), and his chemistry with Teri Hatcher’s Lois is undeniable. Interesting spins on Lex Luthor (whose role would fade and be replaced with other villains as the show progressed) and Perry White (who is amusingly an Elvis superfan) also help the show stay likable from week to week.
Visually, the new Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series Blu-ray set is a huge leap over the DVD release. A new transfer of the original film has been done, and the show looks fantastic aside from when special effects are on-screen (as there’s only so much upscaling can do for these moments). Audio is also clear, although some music has been swapped out due to rights issues, which is the only real advantage the DVD release has. Overall, it looks and sounds great, and WB did a great job giving this a solid release.
The Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series Blu-ray set comes in a larger-than-usual box that is DVD-sized rather than a standard Blu-ray. Inside the nice outer case sits a large container that holds all 20 discs. As far as bonus features go, there’s a commentary track featuring Cain, creator Deborah Joy LeVine, and the pilot director for the series’ first episode, plus over 80 minutes of featurettes. These range from a trivia challenge to a 25-minute look at how the series was made.
Lois & Clark – The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict
While it’s not my favorite Superman TV show, there’s still plenty to like about the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series Blu-ray set. Most of the scenes look great thanks to the new high-definition transfer, and most of the DVD’s bonus features have made it onto the collection as well. If you’re looking to upgrade from the DVDs or just own the show, then this is definitely the set to get.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our Lois & Clark – The Complete Series Blu-ray review.
