The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: Adventures of Superman (1952)

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

Based on the iconic DC Comics hero, this show follows the Man of Steel’s battle against crime in Metropolis, aided by his Daily Planet colleagues reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, plus gruff editor Perry White.

Aired: Syndication, 1952-58, 6 Seasons Totaling 104 Episodes

Starring: George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Noel Neill, Jack Larson, John Hamilton

Developed By: Whitney Ellsworth, Robert J. Maxwell

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:

In the early 1950s, television was exploding across the nation and quickly becoming the main form of home entertainment, supplanting radio, which had dominated for the first half of the century. During that first decade of television, producers experimented with different types of programming to see what audiences would embrace. Science fiction and fantasy had already proven successful with Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Space Patrol, and Lights Out. Superheroes were already popular on the comic stands, so it only made sense they would do well on television, and Adventures of Superman soared to the small screen as a great success.  (Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive… )

The show was produced on a limited budget but still proved an early pioneer for special effects, particularly the flying scenes. And since it was targeted for syndication, it was filmed rather than produced live like so many shows of that time, allowing it to live on for years in reruns.  It was also one of the first TV shows to film in color during its later seasons.  It did not incorporate Superman’s rogues’ gallery from the comics, but the early seasons had a noir feel as he battled gangsters and other criminals. Later seasons leaned toward a lighter tone, but overall, the show set the stage for superheroes on television, paving the way for Batman in the 1960s and countless others that followed. It also cemented George Reeves as the face of Superman until Christopher Reeve (no relation) took over the role in the late 1970s.

Adventures of Superman was a rudimentary show that may not hold up well for modern audiences, but it was formative sci-fi like Captain Video and Space Patrol. It was an important early entry for television, setting standards and a respectable bar for superhero shows. While simple, it led the way for genre television and deserves recognition as one of the all-time greats for its early accomplishments.

Argument Against:

It is true that Adventures of Superman was a pioneering show, but as television matured, the medium left the George Reeves entry behind fairly quickly. By the 1960s, Batman was already toying with the formula, winking at the audience while appealing to both adults and kids as a pop-art romp. Adventures of Superman may have gotten the ball rolling, but its simplistic plots and repetitive storylines grew tiresome. A sampling of episodes across seasons is enough to get the gist, and there is little reason to watch the entire series unless you are a television completist.

George Reeves did a good job in the lead role, and the supporting cast was solid, but the characters were rarely allowed to develop beyond the show’s basic formula. And while the series qualifies as science fiction, it featured very few genre elements. The stories usually boiled down to a super-powered hero defeating the villain of the week with occasional help from Lois Lane and/or Jimmy Olsen, without much depth beyond that. As a formative sci-fi show, it’s notable. But it has long since faded into the past and does not stand the test of time.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

I remember watching Adventures of Superman as a kid in reruns, around the same time the 1966 Batman series was also airing in syndication. Superman seemed pretty boring to me because he mostly just fought run-of-the-mill bad guys like gangsters and mad scientists. I wasn’t a huge Batman fan either (not sci-fi enough for me), but I still liked it more because of the villains. Each episode introduced a colorful character, and my brother and I had our favorites: King Tut, The Riddler, Egghead, The Bookworm, and of course Catwoman.

The Superman series never brought in the villains from the comics, and for that reason, it wasn’t as memorable to me. I also never really cared for the Superman comics (I preferred The Fantastic Four and Thor), so while I might watch the show if it was on, it was never something I sought out. That said, I do agree it was an important formative genre show, and those who tuned in during its original run certainly count it as a classic. But there are too many shows that have followed that I would rank higher when considering the all-time sci-fi TV greats.

Where Can You Watch It?

Sadly, this show is not streaming on any of the major services, even though it seems like there should be no reason for it not to be available. Warner Bros. likely holds the rights to the show, and you would think the show would at least be available on HBO Max.  But no, and perhaps that is because another company has a piece of the license as well. You can buy the series VOD from companies like Amazon.com. And it was released on DVD, but those have gone out of print and are fetching pretty high prices.

Do you consider Adventures of Superman to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy shows, or has it not stood the test of time? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.

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