The Great American Hero…technically, it was loosely based on Superman, so I still say it counts!
Worst? Hmmmm…Nightman was pretty damn horrible, but personally, I think the live-action Tick show blew hard! It wasn’t really a bad show per-se, but it was just such a terrible bastardization of one of (if not THE) greatest animated comic book hero adaptations. Superheroes on their off-time = good idea; Already established superhero that’s all about fighting crime and for justice not fighting crime and for justice = bad.
Animated, I’d say either the Tick or Batman: The Animated Series for the best.
Worst? Too damn many Marvel cartoons from the 70s (Hulk and Thor, for example). Single cell animation with just the important bits moving…just really bad.
You mean “The Greatest American Hero”. Awesome theme song, too.
I’ll disagree that it was based on Superman, though – aside from the “how to fly” gag in the pilot episode (“You need to take three steps and jump, just like Superman does”), Ralph’s powers were less of a Superman parody and more of a riff on generic superheroics. At least, I don’t remember Superman being able to shrink to ant-sized, the way Ralph did (once).
Best: Once a Hero. One of the funniest and most entertaining superhero shows ever, but cancelled after only three episodes due to low ratings it didn’t deserve (they recast the lead at the last minute, which got word out it was a disaster, and quite a few affilitates panicked and never showed it).
The concept was that Captain Justice who realize his adventures are beginning to repeat themselves, and travels to the real world to talk with his creator, Abner Bemis. Captain Justice has no power in the real world, though, and is forced to adjust to a world where people can’t fly. It’s both a sendup of superheroes and a loving tribute to them. There are great in-jokes (needing quickly to make up a new last name, CJ chooses “Kent”, a character saying to a woman reports, “Lois Lane you’re not.”). Nice sendups of cliches (Kid is getting shaken down for protection money in school. Mouths off to the main bully after he pays. Bully’s minion slaps kid. Bully slaps his minion and gives kid a rebate. “He paid, so he doesn’t get hit.”).
Best in-joke: the fourth (never aired) episode. It was supposed to be about CJ meeting an actor who had become famouse playing CJ on TV and was sick and tired of always being identified with the role.
Worst: The cheaply animated superhero cartoons of the 60s: Superfriends, Spider-man (though the theme song was good), Captain America (OK theme song, too – they must have spent their entire budget on paying for the theme songs for these), etc.
I believe you are refering to Captain Nice who was played by William Daniels. And I would definately agree that one or the other of these (they were both Batman ripoffs) would fall into the worst category. But I sure would love to see them again.
For the best, add another vote to Batman: TAS along with it’s two follow ups, Gotham Knights and Batman Beyond. When you watch these, read the credits to see who provides the voices. You’d be amazed at the talent they rounded up for these.
Um. Batman: TAS gets another vote in the ‘freaking brilliant’ category.
At the other end of the spectrum…how about My Hero? With that git from Father Ted? I’ve recently discovered this on the BBC America and it’s unspeakably horribly dreadful. And also not funny. Eeew.
New & Improved Scott, I have to agree with you on all accounts. And although Birds of Prey was a gigantic disappointment, I could not stop myself from tuning in each week. And Harley in the finale was more than cool.
In regards to the B:tAS and Harley discussion (yes, I adore her), she is definitely the greatest thing to come from that series. It is unfortunate that she is not compelling enough to keep her own comic book series alive. Last I heard, it had been cancelled. I still love her to pieces, though.
Smallville has much potential (Clark is starting to think like the Silver Age Superman! “If Kryptonite hurts me, and I’m from Krypton, then it must also hurt this Kryptonian machine!”), especially in teh Lex/Clark relationship.
However, it also veers to close to the pit of teen meoldrama, with the Chloe/Lana/Clark triangle.
It could still go either way, and thus, at this point, is neither the best nor the worst.
B:tAS is teh best, followed shortly by Batman Beyond (I remember being skeptical when i heard the premise. Burce Wayne retired? A teen Batman in the furture? But it’s great! And true to the characters as developed in B:tAS).
