The original had a great theme song and an interesting premise.
I’ll probably watch it (on random nights, preempted by some sport) until the inevitable cancellation…
Brian
They gave it a shot in 1986 with The Greatest American Heroine. Mary Ellen Stuart inherited the suit. They made a pilot that was not broadcast or picked up, but its footage was reworked into the style of the original series and added to the end of the syndication run.
I’ve been thinking lately that this would make an awesome reboot. It was a great premise, and people are going nuts for superhero stories these days.
Looking forward to it.
It was an awesome premise and a massively dreary typical-sitcom tiresome implementation. If they’d had the inclination to do it as a serious drama instead of a goddam sitcom…
What, you weren’t riveted by the dramatic travails of Roy Hinkley’s high-school students in their efforts to break into the Los Angeles music scene?
I’m only watching it on two conditions:
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It must be a sitcom.
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It must retain the theme song.
Greatest American Hero was vastly improved upon by the graphic novel series Empowered, in which a mysterious supersuit bestowing super powers is delivered to a hawt 20-something blonde.
Her suit, unfortunately, rips and tears VERY easily, and every time she loses part of it, her powers diminish. (The suit regenerates over a period of hours afterwards.) So she ends up nekkid a lot.
The theme song from The Greatest American Hero made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is currently still the SDMB-approved best of the rest of the Top 40 of 1981.
Just thought I’d throw that out there. 
Since networks are really good at jumping on hot trends, if “Supergirl” becomes a ratings hit I wouldn’t be shocked if FOX went that route, with a female lead.
Wow. Imagine someone like you knowing that…
So who will be turned black for the show, Ralph, Bill, or Pam? 
I always thought Bruce Campbell would make a good Bill if they ever rebooted the thing, but I suspect he’s unavailable now.
Suddenly I’m thinking of the suit falling into the hand of a 98 year old guy, who gets the super powers but look all bony and shrunken in the suit and moves real slooooowwwwww.
If he wasn’t stuck on that ghodforsaken Scorpion, Robert Patrick would be great as Bill Maxwell.
Who to cast as Ralph?
Someone who’s got great comedic timing, can play a doofy, likable clutz, but has presence. I’d say the actor who played Carter on Eureka, but he may look too old/manly for the part. Fargo on that same series however…
Just whoever it is, lose the blonde-fro.
Colin Ferguson could be the FBI agent, Neil Grayston would be our clumsy hero and the suit is another General Dynamics project( or a kid’s science fair project) gone wrong.
Love it. Greenlight that baby…
Believe it or not George isn’t at home
Joseph Gordon-Levitt?
Jason Lee?
Too old?
Just want to say the best thing in the original was Robert Culp. Without him, it would have been a complete failure.
I dearly hope they don’t decide to make it gritty and psuedo-realistic. I can’t see how it could work like that.