Let me state for the record. I am a major fan of superhero drama shows. Whether the shows are a retelling of the Les Miserables / Fugitive “man on the run” ethos (The Incredible Hulk) or just plain campy fun (the 1960’s Batman series), I do enjoy watching some costumed do-gooders battle the bad guys.
That being said, I’ve suffered through some hideous, terrible, painful TV shows that feature dual-identity characters. What I’m about to show you now – in the video clips below – are images more painful than green Kryptonite. Watch these at your own peril.
Why am I writing this blog post? Well, one of the shows I tried to watch this season was The Cape, a superhero drama that ran for a few weeks on NBC. The show was just awful. So awful, in fact, that its initial 13-episode order was trimmed to 10 episodes; and then only nine episodes were shown (the tenth may at some point air on NBC.com, so that the show’s tens of fans can enjoy it).
Now it’s easy for me to throw in some shows in the “worst of all time” category like Heroes – the first season was decent, and by the fourth season it just got more brutal to watch. But for this set of clips, I’m focusing on shows that were just stink-bomb awful. Again, you have been warned.
| CAPTAIN NICE (NBC, 1967) This comedy spoof starred William Daniels as Carter Nash, a police chemist who, after drinking a special chemical, develops super-strength and the ability to fly. That doesn’t help when he’s flying around in a tattered uniform, and the issues he has with his domineering mother also complicate things. This is what happens when a show like Batman becomes a big hit, and everybody wants to create a new Batman clone. | |
| MISTER TERRIFIC (CBS, 1967) CBS aired their version of a nebbish superhero, starring Stephen Shrimpell as the milquetoast Stanley Beamish. You can tell that these shows have about as much life as a plucked daisy. | http://www.veoh.com/static/swf/webplayer/WebPlayer.swf?version=AFrontend.5.5.4.1041&permalinkId=v495612tPN9akD5&player=videodetailsembedded&videoAutoPlay=0&id=anonymous Watch Mr Terrific – Matchless in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com |
| ONCE A HERO (ABC, 1987) What if superheroes came over from the comic book world into our real world? No, this is not a situation where superheroes from Earth-Two travel to Earth-Prime via the Cosmic Treadmill. This show features “Captain Justice” as he visits the world of the pen-and-ink artist that created him. Painful to watch. Very very painful. I think only three episodes aired before ABC realized they could put a test pattern up and get more viewers. | |
| SPIDER-MAN (1978) How about this clip from a 1978 live-action CBS series? As much as CBS wanted to have another Incredible Hulk success story, this show only lasted less than ten episodes. Urgh. | |
| WONDER WOMAN (1960’s) Apparently since William Dozier had a major hit with the live-action Batman series, he tried to put together a pilot for a proposed Wonder Woman series. Ellie Wood Walker played the titular character, and the acting and direction looks more like an Ed Wood film than anything else. | |
| SABLE (ABC, 1987) Remember that show Once a Hero, the show I referenced a couple of videoclips ago? Well, apparently that show was such a stinkbomb that ABC quickly replaced it with this superhero drama. And yes, that’s Rene Russo in a supporting role. Anybody got a spare bottle of aspirin? This clip makes my head hurt. And no, this show does not star Rena Mero. | |
| ELECTRA WOMAN AND DYNA GIRL (ABC, 1976) This superhero show is notable in that the actress playing Electra Woman, Deidre Hall, was filming this show concurrently with her role on Days of Our Lives. For her sake, I hope she got paid lots of money for her appearance on this program. | |
| MISFITS OF SCIENCE (NBC, 1985) Yes, that’s Courteney Cox as one of the superpowered team. The show had its appeal, but it aired on the same night as the revival of the Twilight Zone, and I wasn’t going to miss that show. No way no how. As I look at these clips, I realize that I didn’t miss a thing. | |
| AUTOMAN (ABC, 1983) Another police scientist TV show, this time the scientist creates the first crime-fighting hologram superhero. Yes, the police scientist is Desi Arnaz, Jr. Urgh. | |
| THE CAPE (NBC, 2011) I don’t care if this show does have Summer Glau in it. Summer Glau may be hotter than sunshine, but she’s not going to save this show. And every time Keith David speaks in this series, I keep wanting to go watch a Ken Burns documentary. Just brain-bending bad. |
Your thoughts?
Chuck The Writer 
Are there any French superheroes?
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Rob: there would be, but they all surrender to the bad guys…..
Chuck, can we count Manimal as a superhero?
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Tony – I could have added Manimal, I could also have added Birds of Prey, the godAWFUL WB series that tried to be the channel’s next Smallville.
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I LOVED Misfits of Science!! Of course, I was also 10 years old…
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One thing I did love “Spider-Man” for: It was a kick to see one of the Von Trapp children from “The Sound of Music” playing the web-slinger.
A so-bad-it-was-good one that I would add: “Man From Atlantis.” To me, a man with gills qualifies as a superhero — and I always thought how hard it must have been for Patrick Duffy to swim while keeping his arms rigidly at his sides. (Though I think they used that same sequence over and over again in different episodes.)
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That new Bionic Woman from 2 years ago or so was pretty bad. I think they pulled it after 5 episodes, so it probably doesn’t count. I also echo #4’s sentiments.
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I can most certainly deal with Linda Carter as Wonder Woman and you forgot anything to do with Shazam!
The kids show “the electric company” used to have short live action clips of spiderman but he never talked and as a kid I always thought those clips were pretty cool. Always a big Spidey fan – he saved me once at Great Adventure and brought me back to the “lost kid” area.
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Joseph –
As much as I would have loved to add Shazam! to the listings, that show would probably be #13 or #14 (behind Manimal, Dynomutt Dog Wonder and the Super Globetrotters) on a list of ten worst. Besides, there’s really not much you can do with a Saturday morning version of Captain Marvel, especially when it looks like every other Filmation live action TV show.
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phew. I was fearful of seeing Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse on the list.
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I watched the pilot episode of The Cape and it was all I could do not to kick my tv set in. It was just god-awful.
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I actually like The Cape and I used to watch Spider-Man and Automan when I was younger.
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Electra woman & dyna girl was prety good better then MR TERRIFIC which was a BATMAN or SUPERMAN ripoff and yesJWR COURAGUES CAT & MINUTE MOUSE was pretty fun their various villians just as THE FROG and FRENCH POODLE
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