# I missed the series "Lois & Clark" did it have quality Superman action & effects or not?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 14, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968 "2013-06-14T03:44:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/1 "2013-06-14T03:44:38Z")
Never really saw the show [Lois & Clark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_%26_Clark:_The_New_Adventures_of_Superman). Did it have some decent special effects and Superman vs super villain fights or not?
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/2 "2013-06-14T03:54:01Z")
I only watched the first couple of seasons closely. It focused on Lois and Clark. Superman was almost a secondary character, so the need for special effects was less than most Superman shows.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/3 "2013-06-14T03:57:21Z")
It had typical tv effects. A big step up from Wonder Woman in the 70’s and the 50’s Superman.
Standard shots of Superman flying around. Busting through buildings. Saving Lois. I watched the entire series and enjoyed it. Dean Cain did a good job as Superman. I like Lois & Clark because they spent time developing the characters. It wasn’t just saving somebody in trouble every week.
Definitely wasn’t comparable to the recent Superman movies. They had much bigger budgets and more time.
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### Author:  [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/4 "2013-06-14T04:07:53Z")
It’s been a long time since I saw it, but the effects were about what you’d expect on an early 90s show.
Keep in mind this was when CGI was in it’s infancy so it was mostly blue screen.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/5 "2013-06-14T13:11:27Z")
[Here is a scene of Superman saving Lois.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSlIMnorGAo)
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/6 "2013-06-14T13:13:24Z")
No, the emphasis was on characters and plot. Hence, Lois gets top billing.
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### Author:  [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/7 "2013-06-14T13:20:44Z")
Like most have said, the effects were standard early-90s tv jobs. The show was fun, and it was (I think) the first time the emphasis was put on Clark and how he fit being Superman into his life, rather than the other way around.
There’s a lot of camp and a lot of romance-angst, but it was just a really fun show. And I think Lois only found out about his double life and “forgot” like, twice. 🙂 A lot of great villain guest stars, and some of the early-season terrible lies for why Clark was missing or had to leave unexpectedly were hilarious.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/8 "2013-06-14T13:51:57Z")
Certainly better than the effects in the Christopher Reeves Superman movies.
It was on TV the other night, and my roommate, his GF, and I watched part of it, and holy lord. The scene at the start with him running alongside the train was painful…and it seems to me that even in the 70’s they could have done better than that!
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### Author:  [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/9 "2013-06-14T16:13:36Z")
What it had was the best Lois Lane ever. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/10 "2013-06-14T16:25:23Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#):
>
> What it had was the best Lois Lane ever. 🙂
Ain’t that the truth! Terry Hatcher will always be Lois for me.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/11 "2013-06-14T16:29:53Z")
To tell the truth, I only remember one scene from the entire series. Clark is on the phone with his mother asking how to get a stain out of his uniform.
“Is it dirt or oil?”
“I don’t know. It’s. . . bomb.”
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### Author:  [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/12 "2013-06-14T16:38:23Z")
Also the future guy H.G. Wells brought back:
“One of the biggest questions in the future is: ‘just how dumb WAS Lois Lane?’”
_grabs a set of glasses, puts them on_
“I’m Clark Kent!”
_takes them off_
“I’m Superman!”
_puts them on_
“Mild mannered reporter!”
_takes them off_
“Man of steel!”
“I mean…duh!”
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/13 "2013-06-14T16:42:30Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#):
>
> Ain’t that the truth! Terry Hatcher will always be Lois for me.
Much as I love Noel Neill, I’ll agree with this. Haven’t seen Amy Adams yet, though. (And I didn’t have any problems with the one on Smallville, either.)
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### Author:  [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/14 "2013-06-14T16:43:56Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#):
>
> Also the future guy H.G. Wells brought back:
>
> “One of the biggest questions in the future is: ‘just how dumb WAS Lois Lane?’”
> _grabs a set of glasses, puts them on_
> “I’m Clark Kent!”
> _takes them off_
> “I’m Superman!”
> _puts them on_
> “Mild mannered reporter!”
> _takes them off_
> “Man of steel!”
> “I mean…duh!”
At least in the comics this was explained by saying that Superman was unconsciously continuously projecting an air of weakness when he was Clark via his Super-Hypnosis.
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### Author:  [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/15 "2013-06-14T16:55:35Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> To tell the truth, I only remember one scene from the entire series. Clark is on the phone with his mother asking how to get a stain out of his uniform.
>
> “Is it dirt or oil?”
>
> “I don’t know. It’s. . . bomb.”
K Callan might have been my favorite Martha. She was just a hoot.
Damn. My plan this weekend while I worked on projects was to watch _Smallville_, because I never made it past the sixth season and I want to finish it. But now I _really_ want to watch this instead.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/16 "2013-06-14T19:08:41Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#):
>
> Also the future guy H.G. Wells brought back:
>
> “One of the biggest questions in the future is: ‘just how dumb WAS Lois Lane?’”
> _grabs a set of glasses, puts them on_
> “I’m Clark Kent!”
> _takes them off_
> “I’m Superman!”
> _puts them on_
> “Mild mannered reporter!”
> _takes them off_
> “Man of steel!”
> “I mean…duh!”
The Shoveller: If we had a billionaire like Lance Hunt as our benefactor…
Mr. Furious: That’s because Lance Hunt IS Captain Amazing!
The Shoveller: Oh, here we go…
The Shoveller: Don’t start that AGAIN. Lance Hunt wears glasses, Captain Amazing DOESN’T wear glasses.
Mr. Furious: He takes them off when he transforms…
The Shoveller: That doesn’t make any sense, he wouldn’t be able to see!
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/17 "2013-06-14T19:29:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> [Here is a scene of Superman saving Lois.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSlIMnorGAo)
Yeah, but most of the time they didn’t try something that ambitious. It was mostly like the stuff in _Hercules: The Legendary Journeys_. You know, with punches that were too hard and stuff.
You can see the take-off effects in that video, and I think they were pretty good. And they handled Supes’s speed pretty well, too, having him show up where he shouldn’t be able to be.
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/18 "2013-06-14T19:54:38Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> The Shoveller: If we had a billionaire like Lance Hunt as our benefactor…
>
> Mr. Furious: That’s because Lance Hunt IS Captain Amazing!
>
> The Shoveller: Oh, here we go…
>
> The Shoveller: Don’t start that AGAIN. Lance Hunt wears glasses, Captain Amazing DOESN’T wear glasses.
>
> Mr. Furious: He takes them off when he transforms…
>
> The Shoveller: That doesn’t make any sense, he wouldn’t be able to see!
I remember when Teri Hatcher hosted SNL and in her opening monologue, the rest of the cast kept popping in wearing glasses and she wouldn’t recognize them until they took the glasses off. The exception was Tim Meadows (IIRC) who she didn’t recognize either way. 😛
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/19 "2013-06-14T20:22:23Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#):
>
> No, the emphasis was on characters and plot. Hence, Lois gets top billing.
I think it was more of a play on Lewis & Clark.
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### Author:  [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-missed-the-series-lois-clark-did-it-have-quality-superman-action-effects-or-not/660968/20 "2013-06-14T20:27:59Z")
I loved that series. I don’t remember it haven’t much in the way of super villains. Most of the villains were regular people without any CGI powers
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