The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers recently released the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

With clever writing, and strong performances, the comic book characters of Clark Kent/Superman (Dean Cain) and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) were brought to life with entertaining exploits that gave the time-honored, legendary superhero a '90s twist. What begins as the most unrequited love affair of all time becomes the most unpredictable of all romantic relationships.

[ EPISODES ]

The 20-disc set includes all 87 episodes of the 1993-1997 four-season ABC series. Each episode runs about 45 minutes, though the "Pilot" is 93 minutes. I do not believe that any are edited or that any music has been changed, but I am not an expert on the series. If I learn of any edits/changes, I'll update this review. There is no episode guide, or even an episode list, to inform you what's on each disc.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The show is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The show is Not Rated. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the special features below can be found on the noted Blu-ray discs, which are numbered 1 through 20 in the set. These were all carried over from the DVDs that were produced 20 years ago. That said, the Season 2 DVD reportedly has an audio commentary on "Season's Greedings" with Dean Cain, who also wrote the episode. That is NOT included here (it would have been on Disc 8).

• DISC 1 (SEASON 1): Audio Commentary on "Pilot" - with Dean Cain, creator Deborah Joy LeVine, and director Robert Butler.
• DISC 1 (SEASON 1): From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois & Clark (25:52) - Covers the creation of the series in some depth, featuring interviews with several cast members, including Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
• DISC 1 (SEASON 1): Pilot Presentation (19:42) - The presentation reel that creator Deborah Joy LeVine first unveiled at the San Diego Comic Con. The reel begins with a video introduction by LeVine.
• DISC 1 (SEASON 1): Taking Flight: The Visual Effects of Lois & Clark (6:36) - A look at how the special effects were created. Interviews with the cast and crew are mixed with before-and-after footage to show how shots were achieved.
• DISC 6 (SEASON 2): Lois & Clark: Secrets of Season 2 (10:16) - Dean Cain, Justin Whalin, and producers talk about the show and the changes in this season.
• DISC 6 (SEASON 2): Marveling Metropolis: The Fans of Lois & Clark (8:30) - Pays homage to fans of the show.
• DISC 11 (SEASON 3): Lois & Clark: A History of Romance (8:22) - Various people, including an oddly blonde Dean Cain, take a look at the relationship of the two characters from comic books to the big screen.
• DISC 11 (SEASON 3): Man of Steel Trivia Challenge (10:39) - A laughably simplistic Superman trivia game with several plugs for "the upcoming" film Superman Returns. The reward for sitting through the trivia is a montage of clips compiled from this season.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included. All 20 discs are packaged in one of those crappy thick DVD-size cases where the discs overlap each other and the holders aren't attached to the case itself. For photographic reference, see my Succession review, which uses the same case. These are the absolute SHITTIEST CASES ever created. I had a hard time getting the discs out of the case just to write this review. I've mentioned this many times before, and I'll say it again every time I encounter one of these abominations. Since there are only four seasons, I would have preferred that each season be put in its own case and all cases put in a side-loading slipbox, like the recent Murder, She Wrote Blu-ray box set.

[ NOTES ]

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The Complete Series is available on Blu-ray only. If you want the episodes on DVD, you'd have to buy the four seasons individually. Aside from the missing audio commentary on the Season 2 DVD, the Blu-ray is the only release you'll need. I just wish this would have been in better packaging. Despite that, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Now hopefully we can get the George Reeves' Adventures of Superman and the late-1980s Superboy series on Blu-ray next.

This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.