Review(s): DVD Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Fourth Season
The Moonlighting Curse...stronger than Kryptonite?
You know, I really had no problem with Lois and Clark getting together. This started with the season 3 premiere, and, like the overall series itself, was handled with a light touch. But after waiting for the wedding (and being led on by the regrettable "on again/off again" story arc in the previous season), the Big Moment was really a letdown. I won't spoil the details for those who haven't seen it, but I think only the most undemanding of fans will be satisfied by the route the writers take.
The rest of Season 4 is decidedly hit and miss. Howie Mandel makes for a fun Myxzptlk, sending Metropolis into an eerie time loop at Christmastime. And the resolution to last season's Kryptonian story arc is a treat, as super-powered villains lay waste to Smallville. On the downside, other guest-stars like Grant Shaud and Harry Anderson are wasted in dumb roles. Even return visits by Tempus only serve to remind one of how much fun the character was in the beginning.
As usual, Cain and Hatcher do their best; indeed, it's their chemistry that makes even the lesser episodes (and there are many) bearable. Still, I can't help but wonder: If the writers had been allowed to keep them apart (romantically speaking) awhile longer, would the show have been able to keep the magic the made the first 2 seasons so much fun?
Go into season 4 with unbiased eyes & make the most of/and enjoy these final adventures of Lois & Clark
I recently rediscovered this series through UK reruns and buying the DVDs. I quickly realised why it had been my favourite TV show of the 1990s. I didn't think it would stand the test of time, but I was wrong. Except for the give away chunky mobiles and the budget restricted special affects, you could be fooled into thinking this series was made just yesterday. You could put it on now as a fresh show and with the right marketing it could still find an audience who would be none the wiser. Whatever the story of the week was, it didn't really matter. The characterisations were the main draw as it told a timeless lale of two people maturing and falling in love. However this series also offered a lot more than romance. Escapism at its best without being too wacky (well most of the time). When I first tuned in all those years ago it was because of the Superman angle. However I ended up falling in love with the series because of the subtle humour, drama, suspense, action, adventure, mystery, mixed with a blend of Superman and Sci-Fi to keep the genre fans and kids happy. Of course there was the romance, its character driven plots - all the cast, not just the leads, you could fall in love with or relate to their characters. It had a lovely, gentle, Jazz oriented musical score which wasn't too loud or brash to interfere with what was going on in the screenplay. All these elements were used in equal measure to offer something for everyone, whether you were 5 or 65, a hopeless romantic or a Superman fan. It pulled off something quite unique. Most of all for me I liked it because the characters evolve and you follow them on a journey of self discovery of themselves, each other and life itself. All things I can relate to especially as I get older.
Now I come to Season 4. If you are just coming to this series for the first time or rediscovering the show, then be prepared. It pains me to say it but without doubt season 4 is the weakest. However don't let that put you off. Don't believe all the misconceptions that have been put out there about it. If you go into season 4 expecting the worst you might come out finding it wasn't so bad after all. Yes, it has more than its fair share of bad episodes, but there are also some very good ones thrown in. Some of my favourites of the season were: Brutal Youth; The People Vs Lois Lane; Dead Lois Walking; Lethal Weapon; Sex, Lies & Videotape; also Tempus (though not at his best) was always good for a laugh.
Other episodes such as Stop The Presses; AKA Superman; and Bob & Carol & Lois & Clark put forward interesting concepts but had been placed in the hands of the wrong writers. If some of the earlier writers had been handling them maybe they would of worked as the imaginative ideas were still quite clearly there. Lord of the Flies/Battleground Earth are perhaps more fun for the Sci-Fi fans and some Superman fans, however could be guilty of losing the casual viewer but they are still very well made.
The 'Lex Files trilogy' (episodes 17-19) provided high drama and intrigue and reintroduced suspense and mystery as well as an ongoing story arc that had been lacking in some Season 4 episodes. It also set up some interesting feelers for a Season 5. Without a Season 5, I think Voice from the Past, while not the best episode, would have been a perfect place for the series finale. As it is just opinion, I don't think I am spoiling anything by saying this episode has a nondescript ending suggesting the characters were happy and would just carry on living as they did with Superman saving the day. After all the viewer knows from a Season 2 episode what ultimately becomes of our heros even if they don't yet know themselves. So if you don't want disappointment with the final 3 episodes, then Voice From The Past would be a good place to switch off the DVD. Otherwise you are going to be left with an unsolved cliffhanger and unresolved issues.
In retrospect was Season 4 so bad? Was its main problem that it followed hot on the heals of 3 fantastic years that had consistently delivered? After all what series doesn't have its stronger or weaker seasons? Sadly for Lois & Clark it didn't get the chance to redeem itself in a fifth season as other series' do. It was only meant to have 5 seasons anyway and episodes 12-19 of season 4 in particular showed that it still had some life in it.
The final analysis, don't believe all what your read about the rise and fall of this series, go into season 4 with unbiased eyes and make the most of/and enjoy these final adventures of Lois & Clark.
DISPELLING THE MYTHS.
I know I'm going on but people always ask the following and the answers are vital in understanding general misconceptions of Season 4 and the rise and fall of Lois & Clark. Firstly SO WHY DID THE RATINGS TUMBLE? People will forever blame the wedding and yes there is no escaping the fact once they were married, your casual viewer who just dipped in and out had seen all they wanted and turned to the newer competition. However there were many other reasons why Lois & Clark's ratings tumbled in the 4th season in the US, and not all were the show's fault. Here are the three main ones: -
1) Network politics: In 1995 ABC was the most watched network in the US, in 1996 Walt Disney bought it and by the end of the 1996-1997 season ABC was struggling to maintain itself as 3rd most watched network in the US. Lois & Clark was just one of many shows failing on this network during that particular TV season. You got to ask yourself was bad management going on with the new bosses or was it just bad luck? Whatever it was, it wasn't good for many shows on ABC. In fact ABC would suffer years in the wilderness with the irony that it wasn't until 2004 and Teri Hatcher's new show 'Desperate Housewives' that the network's fortunes turned around. Pure coincidence I might add. Back in 1996-1997 Disney were also keen to use ABC as an advertisement or show case for their own brand. ABC have also been accused of no longer being so favourable to other TV makers, most notably Warner Bros. - the makers of Lois & Clark. As Lois & Clark's ratings began to slide for varying reasons, rightly or wrongly ABC has been perceived as doing nothing to help the situation. They started to decrease advertising it. Then instead of perhaps letting the season run its course, ABC removed Lois & Clark from a time slot it had been in for 3 and half years showing just two new episodes in a slot that was barely advertised. They then took Lois & Clark off the air for two months without warning (Jan-March), bringing it back briefly to take it off again for weeks on end. Finally they moved it to a whole new day and time before pulling it off the schedule yet again. By season's end with 3 new episodes still to air, only a few die-hard fans had managed to keep track of new episode airings and schedules. Casual viewers and even some fans had long since lost touch with where it was.
2) Most notably Lois and Clark critics and doom speculators regularly forget, especially when comparing it to the likes of Smallville, what type of network it was on and the audience it was looking for. No offence to Smallville, but critics can say all they like but these two series cannot be compared. Although both are about Clark Kent and come under the category fantasy, they fit two different genres and they are being projected to two entirely different markets. There is one thing Lois & Clark has always had over Smallvill, is that it reached a wider audience? It was on mainstream TV. Young or old, male or female, Sci-Fi fan or romantic, it had to please everyone and this was its ultimate goal and and its ultimate downfall! You can't please all the Superman fans, the romantics, the children etc all the time without disappointing others.
While Smallville airs on the 5th most watched network in the US and minority channels world-wide, Lois & Clark aired on one of the big US three. Lois & Clark was watched by all different walks of people world-wide, many of whom perhaps have never watched a Superman thing before or since. It wasn't meant to be high drama, it was meant to be light-hearted family viewing. This was a tall order to ask of any fantasy series. However it pulled it off. In countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia & New Zealand it was a smash hit. It also was shown in over 90 countries world-wide while in production (not to mention how many since). In the over competitive US market, Lois & Clark steadily built an audience from 1993-1994, seeing off the competition in 1994-1995 and finally consistently winning its time slot in 1995-1996. The nature of Lois & Clark meant it would never be a top 10 show in the US, but in 1995-1996 it managed to make the top 20. Again this marked the series' downfall.
By 1996 Lois & Clark had overstepped the mark, it had got too big for its boots and as Season 4 rolled around, it was time for the other networks to fight back and fight back they did. CBS and NBC moved in Top 10 shows that Lois & Clark would of had no hope of beating even in its earlier years, never mind with the weaker Season 4. ABC should of seen it coming and made allowances.
In contrast Smallville is really a cult show aimed at a select few. It is only required to win over a few Superman fans and a youth audience and the Sci-fi minded. It isn't expected to win round the masses and it doesn't either in the US or internationally. Smallville does very well in its niche. Smallville can take risks that Lois & Clark never could. Put Smallville on ABC, NBC and CBS would it of lasted a season? Would it of ever made it to the top 20 in the ratings? A resounding no. It wouldn't because it wouldn't of been Smallville as you know it if it had. Put Lois & Clark on minority television and it probably would of run for years as it would of been able to find its own market without having to worry about pleasing everyone. At its lowest, Lois & Clark got more viewers in the US and world-wide than Smallville does now at its highest.
3) Finally there is no escaping also that Season 4 had weaker writing: Was this down to network dictates or just a new team of writers who didn't grasp the vision and ethos of the series? One of the biggest draws to Lois & Clark for many viewers, across the spectrum, myself included, was the Will it Won't it happen concept. In the earlier seasons we had a) will they won't they become partners and friends b) will they won't they fall in love c) will she won't she figure it out and d) will they won't they get married. Lois & Clark had to get married eventually, it is what the viewers wanted and it was the point of the show. It was a question of when? If they had dragged it out, no doubt viewers would of lost patience. I think the wedding came too soon, however it was going to have to happen in Season 4 somewhere otherwise the casual viewer would of still wondered off.
Once the wedding happened the writers forgot the Will it Won't it concept for a few episodes so there was nothing to keep casual viewers watching. These few episodes were crucial to setting up Season 4 and finding its new place in the market. There is only so many times you want to see Clark and Lois hopping into bed with each other and him saying Honey I love you in almost every scene. For those who were able to stick around, as Season 4 progressed the guessing game concept was reintroduced and would of set the series up nicely for season 5.
A) How much longer could Clark hide his Superman identity from villains? People were starting to ask questions more and more as the series progressed.
B) Were Clark's friends about to work out the truth just as Lois had previously? There is a train of thought amongst fans that Perry may of known since the pilot but now in Season 4 on more than one occasion you think Jimmy has worked it out but it turns out he hasn't - yet!
C) Could Superman and Lois maintain a marriage/Was Lois really cut out for domestic bliss/Was her head going to turn at every new tycoon in town?
D) Did Lois really want children as she restless with this through the latter part of season 4?
The writers also seemed to lose sight of who their audience were in Season 4. Or were they trying to recreate an audience? Where it had always balanced all its components with equal measure in each episode of previous seasons, making the show appealing to all ages of diverse interests. There was now an overdose of Sci-Fi, which might of sat well with the Superman fans and fantasy genre however there are only so many alien invasions, a ghost possessing Lois, body switching and angels the casual viewer can stand. There were episodes such as Toy Story that were quite clearly aimed solely at the children. This was counteracted with way too many love scenes. At times these got too mushy for words and others bordering on too steamy for family viewing. However that aside it still had something to offer and the series as a whole is remembered fondly by many.
Finally WHY WAS IT AXED/CANCELLED? Lois & Clark was going to have its 5th and final season despite dwindling ratings. ABC had signed on the dotted line before the 4th season had aired. People now forget that this series still had a strong fan base by season 4's end. Internationally it was still a hit (albeit dwindling but not to the extent of the US fall) and in the US there still would of been a market for it in syndication or on cable even if ABC had dumped it. However once Teri Hatcher became pregnant, it gave ABC the out they were looking for and left no opportunity for anyone else to pick it up. Her doctor's had advised Warner Bros. that she could not continue work. It would of been cruel to of expected her to film the extremely long hours this series required by its nature without posing a risk to herself and her unborn child. Even if she could of carried on working, a season took 9 months to film and she would of had to take time off in the middle. It was called 'Lois & Clark' not The Clark Show. So it wouldn't of been possibly without Lois. Not only was a child a blessing to her (as it is to any parent). In many ways it was a blessing to this series because at least it went out on a relative high quality wise if not ratings wise. I always say Quality is better than Quantity. Over the four years and 87 episodes, I can truly say there are only two I can't abide. 75 of them achieved what they set out to do and were super in every way. I can't give that ratio of high quality for many series.
A great show that ends on a sour note.....thanks ABC
There is a reason why the vast majority of fans hated how this show ended and I am included among them. I blame ABC for this. When Lois and Clark was well into filming episodes for season 4, they were promised a 5th season. In fact, ABC promised the fans a 5th season also and reneged on the deal!! The end of the fourth season ended on a cliffhanger that was intended to be resolved in the 5th season. Unfortunately, the show never got a proper series finale as a result which is a shame for such an outstanding quality show. Very upsetting.....I do give the entire series 5 stars throughout, but am disgusted that ABC yanked the carpet out from under the cast and crew and the fans without a proper series finale!!
Related DVD's Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Fourth Season
Lois & Clark presents a more upbeat world than the one depicted in Superman Returns. In Bryan Singer's big screen version, Clark loses the girl before the credits even begin. In the third season premiere of the ABC series, however, Clark (Dean Cain) proposes to Lois (Teri Hatcher). Before answering, she wants to know, "Who's asking, Clark or Superman?" So, now he knows she knows (yet another difference). In either case, the answer is no...for now. In this episode, Bill Church (Peter Boyle) also informs Bill Jr. (Bruce Campbell) that now he’ll be working for good rather than bad--which leaves Superman with little to do. That situation won't last long as the Churchs will soon be tossed in the clink and a new boss will take over Intergang. The Brylcreemed one is back in... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Ginty - Michael Vejar - Neal Ahern Jr. DVD Release Date: Released the 20 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The entire set were birthday presents for my husband and he is in "hog heaven!" I guess as we get older, we miss the really GOOD programming we watched as children!
George Reeve is the ONE, the ONLY Superman--FOREVER!!!!! More Info about this DVD Director(s): George Blair - Philip Ford - Lee Sholem - George Reeves - Harry W. Gerstad (II) DVD Release Date: Released the 14 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Almost every TV show overstays its welcome and jumps the shark. "Quantum Leap" didn't and that's a rarity. The final season looks very good in its presentation on DVD and, while I haven't ploughed through every episode yet it appears that the music hasn't been replaced in the ones I've watched. There's also no notification about the music being replaced (as on the third and fourth season the second doesn't count because Universal hoodwinked everyone on that one). We also get an actual extra in this set--the blue prints for two sets in the show. You can actually zoom in on separate sections to view them.
In Lois & Clark's first season, Clark Kent (Dean Cain) and Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) joined the ranks of Sam and Diane and David and Maddie as TV's sparkiest couples whose devoted fans couldn't wait to see get together. Season 2 takes the star-crossed duo--and the series--to "the next step"; a long-awaited first kiss (the episode "Lucky Leon"), and declarations of love, culminating in a season-ending marriage proposal ("And the Answer Is..."). But getting to that deliriously romantic rain-soaked moment is all the fun. There are diabolical villains for Superman to foil, including a resurrected (and bald) Lex Luthor (John Shea reprising his first-season role in "The Phoenix"), a trash-TV host (Raquel Welch in "Top Copy), the vengeful Prankster (Bronson Pinchot in "The Prankster" and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Neal Ahern Jr. - Michael Vejar DVD Release Date: Released the 17 January 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Consistently solid with some major developments, the fifth season of Smallville kicks the characters off to college, but not before finishing the cataclysmic disaster that ended the fourth season. With Chloe transported to the Arctic Circle and Kryptonian supervillains in town, Clark (Tom Welling) is in the Fortress of Solitude meeting Jor-El (voiced by Terence Stamp). He gives up his powers, but to get them back will cost him the life of someone he loves.
The even bigger development is that Clark and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) finally give up their dalliances with others and become an official couple. That means the other girls in Clark's life become fifth and sixth wheels, so Chloe (Allison Mack) reveals the secret she's been keeping from Clark and becomes a best pal. ... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 12 September 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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