September 12, 1993: “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” Premieres

September 12, 1993: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman premieres on ABC. It's the 1st live-action Superman series since The Adventures of Superman ended 34 years earlier, with the death of George Reeves.

Chicago stands in for Metropolis for skyline shots, as it would later do for Gotham City both in The Dark Knight Trilogy and the Arrowverse's shows Arrow and Batwoman. Dean Cain did a pretty good job as both Clark Kent and Superman, but it bothered me that Clark had the curl and Superman didn't. Sadly, like that other great TV strongman of the 1990s, Hercules star Kevin Sorbo, Cain took a turn to the hard right. Teri Hatcher played the foxiest Lois Lane of all time.

Lane Smith played Perry White, publisher of the Daily Planet, but left his native Southern accent in place. Instead of Metropolis, or Chicago as in some versions, this version of Perry started in Arkansas. And so, instead of Perry's traditional exclamation of, "Great Caesar's ghost!" he yells, "Great shades of Elvis!" He does still say, "Don't call me 'Chief!'"

Michael Landes played Jimmy Olsen, but fans thought he looked too old for the part (usually depicted as a teenager) and too much like Cain, so after 1 season, he was replaced by Justin Whalin. Tracy Scoggins played Cat Grant, but also left after 1 season.

Three different actors played Inspector Bill Henderson, a character created for the George Reeves series and later included in the comics, including Richard Belzer, presaging his later role as Detective John Munch in Dick Wolf's shared law-enforcement universe. Singer-turned-actor-turned politician Sonny Bono, by this point the real-life Mayor of Palm Springs, California, appeared in 1 episode as Metropolis' Mayor Frank Berkowitz, a character that had been created for the comic books a few years earlier.

John Shea argued that his version of Lex Luthor shouldn't be bald. He said that if this really is one of the richest men in the world, then he can afford the best hairpiece in the world. Of course, this Luthor was supposedly based on Donald Trump, who has some of the worst hair you'll ever see on a rich guy.

Aside from Luthor, villains from the comics were few and far between: Even in the 1990s, technology and TV budgets didn't allow for the necessarily elaborate special effects. There was no Bizarro, no Brainiac, no Parasite, no Terra-Man. Scott Valentine made one appearance as Metallo, the man with the Kryptonite-powered heart. Bronson Pinchot of Perfect Strangers fame made one appearance as The Prankster, although he looked nothing like the comics' version.

Sherman Hemlsey made one appearance as the Toyman in a Christmas-themed episode, also not looking like the comics' version. His version was a wronged man who was trying to make a point, rather than an out-and-out villain, and by the end of the episode, even found love, his new girlfriend played by Hemsley's Jeffersons co-star, Isabel Sanford.

Lane Davies played Tempus, a villain from the future who traveled back in time to prevent the utopia that Superman's presence on Earth supposedly leads to. In 2 episodes, he was opposed by H.G. Wells and his literary time machine, played first by Terry Kiser as coming from 1899, then by Hamilton Camp as coming from 1916, older and more world-weary. Teri Hatcher's then-husband, Jon Tenney, played a villain named Ching in Season 3. Simon Templeman played Lord Nor, a Kryptonian villain loosely based on General Zod, in a Season 4 episode.

Just as there weren't many of the traditional Superman villains, there were no other superheroes mentioned. Gotham City and Bruce Wayne were mentioned, but Bruce did not make an appearance, either as his civilian identity or as Batman. It would take until Smallville in the next decade for Clark Kent (if not in costume as Superman) to team up with any other superhero.

Beyond treating Clark as more assertive and less "mild-mannered," the best thing the show did was follow the post-Crisis On Infinite Earths canon: Not only did it have Jonathan and Martha Kent still alive (played by Eddie Jones and Katherine "K" Callan, respectively), but it was made clear that Superman was the "mask," that he thought of his real self as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, U.S.A., Earth, and not as Kal-El of Krypton. As Clark said when Lois discovered his dual identity, "Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am."

It took 2 years for Lois to find out Clark's secret, and they got married early in the 4th season. Despite ABC putting it on opposite CBS' Murder, She Wrote, the show lasted 4 years, mainly because Superman's fans and Jessica Fletcher's fans didn't have a whole lot of crossover.

Unfortunately, it ended on a "permanent cliffhanger." Not an especially bad one, but an annoying one: After being told that Earth and Krypton DNA don't mix, and they can't have a baby the old-fashioned way, the last minute of the last episode showed the Kents presented with a baby in a basket, in a blanket with the House of El crest (the "Superman S") on it, and it was never explained.

Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident in 1998. Lane Smith died in 2005, Eddie Jones in 2019. As of September 12, 2022, the other actors are still alive. (UPDATE: Richard Belzer died in 2023.)

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On the same day, SeaQuest DSV premiered on NBC. DSV stood for "Deep Sumbergence Vehicle." It was set 25 years in the future: 2018. Starring as Captain Nathan Bridger was Roy Scheider. The easy joke was that the man who played Chief Martin Brody in Jaws finally found a bigger boat.

Despite being reminiscent of the 1960s show Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (set in 1983), and having beautiful women like Stephanie Beacham and Stacey Haiduk as the ship's doctor and chief engineer, respectively -- and, oh yeah, a talking dolphin named Lieutenant Darwin (filling in as their "Spock" or "Data") -- the show didn't do well, mainly because NBC put it on opposite Murder, She Wrote and Lois & Clark. Good thing for sci-fi and superhero fans like my father and me that the VCR had been invented.

For the 2nd season, NBC moved production from Los Angeles to Orlando. This angered some of the cast, including Beacham and Hajduk, who did not return. It required almost a complete overhaul of the show, and it sank. It should never have been put on Sunday night.

Jonathan Brandis, as the ship's whiz kid (its "Wesley Crusher"), wore a Florida Marlins jersey that called them 2010 World Champions. They did go on to win 2 World Series in the interim, in 1997 and 2003, but the San Francisco Giants won in 2010. Another crewmember wore a T-shirt proclaiming Florida State college football's 2009 National Champions. FSU have since won 3 National Championships, including in that 1993 season, but it was the University of Alabama who won it in the 2009 season.

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September 12, 1993 was a Sunday. Country singer Kelsea Ballerini was born.

These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Royals, 10-2 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Tom Gordon, later to become one of the game's top relievers, pitching a complete-game victory, while Yankee starter Mark Hutton didn't get out of the 5th inning. George Brett, in his last few weeks as an active player, went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. For the Yankees, Paul O'Neill and Jim Leyritz hit home runs, and Don Mattingly went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-0 at Shea Stadium. Sid Fernandez pitched a 4-hit shutout. Eddie Murray went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and 3 RBIs.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

* The Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-2 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 14-5 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken, Harold Baines, Mike Devereaux, and former Yankee 3rd baseman Mike Pagliarulo hit home runs for the O's. Troy Neel, Kurt Abbott and future Yankee 3rd baseman Scott Brosius hit them for the A's.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the California Angels, 4-1 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar hit home runs for the Jays. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-4. Future Yankee Chad Curtis homered for the Halos.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 11-1 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-3 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Another former Yankee 3rd baseman, Mike Blowers, scored the winning run in the top of the 10th when Omar Vizquel, one of the best-fielding shortstops ever, hit a ground ball to his opposite number, Pat Listach, the previous season's American League Rookie of the Year, who bobbled it. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4 with a walk. Robin Yount in his last few weeks as an active player, went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers, 4-2 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Nolan Ryan, 46 years old, started and took the loss. He made 2 more appearances, got hurt, and retired.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn did not play.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins, 1-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Pedro Astacio pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching Pat Rapp. The only run came in the 6th, when Cory Snyder singled Dave Hansen home.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-2 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4.

And these NFL games were played:

* The New York Giants beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-7 at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.

* The New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins, 24-14 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Detroit Lions beat the New England Patriots, 19-16 at Foxboro Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

* The Phoenix Cardinals beat the Washington Redskins, 17-10 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

* The New Orleans Saints beat their arch-rivals, the Atlanta Falcons, 34-31 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

* The Indianapolis Colts beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 9-6 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

* The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, 20-17 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

* The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears, 10-7 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Buffalo Bills beat the Dallas Cowboys, 13-10 at Texas Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.

* The Houston Oilers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-0 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers, 34-17 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

* The Los Angeles Rams beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* The Los Angeles Raiders beat the Seattle Seahawks, 17-13 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

 

* And the next night, on ABC Monday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-13 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.