The Good

This show pushed the envelope in this final season. The Kryptonian Kronology segment is very well put together.

The Bad

A commentary from Teri Hatcher or Dean Cain could have spruced this set up a little.

In this, the final season of Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman our two fated characters finally get married, in addition to dealing with some pretty out there villains. There's the antagonist of the "Toy Story" episode, Lord Nor, Tempus, and the list goes on and on. This show only lasted four seasons but I think why people gravitated to it was due to the chemistry of Hatcher and Cain. These two seemed to click on a very personal level, and it made all of their dealings have a heightened sense of reality. Sure, a lot of the characters and the situations may have been over the top, and the actors certainly played the show that way (giving the occasional wink to the audience), but it seemed to be this very zaniness that the world wanted. Having not really had much to cheer about in regards to Superman, Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman provided new adventures indeed.

In my opinion, fans of this show and the characters will be happy to own Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman: Fourth Season on DVD.

Features

Kryptonian Kronology

Hosted by Dean Cain, this is a well done look at the history of Superman beginning with the first 10 cent comic and going up to 2006's Superman Returns. While I am sure that the Comic-Con set will probably scoff at this featurette's thumbnail approach, this segment has the ability to give you all you need to know about this franchise. It covers the shows, the movies, the comic books and best of all, if something piques your interest you can always go deeper. This has made me even more excited about seeing Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.

Video

Standard Version presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of it's original television exhibition. It is interesting seeing this show because it is certainly a product of the 1990s. The effects don't look cheesy like how they sometimes do in 1980s stuff, but at the same time they are nothing compared to what we can do today. So, watching this movie is sort of like seeing a show in a hybrid state. The image quality of the episodes themselves is sparkling, it's just the more fantastical moments that stand out a little negatively.

Audio

Dolby Digital. English Stereo. The audio on this show was pretty good although I did have to turn the sound up over the halfway mark. I use this as a benchmark in my review because audio from various studios seems be consistent from that studio. It probably has something to do with the volume of DVD business they do and how much they have to get out at any one time. There is also a sweetness to this show that is aided by it's sentimental soundtrack.

Package

Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain are photoshopped on this front cover with a copper background behind them. There is an image of The Daily Planet layered in there as well. On the back are some pictures from the show, a succinct description of what this Fourth and final season contains, a Special Features listing, a cast list and technical specs. Warner Bros. is very big on one piece packaging holding all the discs and that is what we get here. There are more images from the movie as well as listings of where the episodes are and their descriptions. While I thought the packaging was a tad too bulky, overall Warner Bros. has kept things on the economical side.

Final Word

This is light entertainment at it's best. I never got the impression as I was screening Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman: Fourth Season that I was being preached to in any way, shape or form. Unlike some shows which seem to have ulterior motives, this show came on the scene from 1993 to 1997. The effects didn't look that great but I think it was a time when this country just wanted easy entertainment. So, maybe this show will only be remembered for being a part of the Superman lore? It might not be seen as groundbreaking like other episodic shows that came before and after it.

Amidst all this however is an earnestness that Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman: Fourth Season can't help but convey. That probably explains why this show ran as long as it did.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was released .