All 7 Wonder Woman movies ranked from worst to best

6. Wonder Woman (1974)

Before ABC successfully launched the Lynda Carter-led Wonder Woman TV series in 1975, they produced a TV movie centred around a more “modern” version of the character. Airing in 1974, the TV movie starred Cathy Lee Crosby in the title role and was intended to serve as the pilot for a TV series but its ratings, while respectable, weren’t the monster numbers the network was hoping for. As a result, it was redeveloped into the more comic-accurate Lynda Carter series the very next year.

Looking back at the movie, there are some indicators as to why it didn’t really work. This version of Wonder Woman was based on the 1970s comics, where the character renounced her super-powers and became a James Bond-like superspy. While the pilot episode didn’t feature that exact backstory, all we knew was that Wonder Woman didn’t have super-powers. There were no references to her being a super-powered hero at any point in time. And she didn’t wear her signature uniform either, opting for a more covered-up look that maintained her signature color scheme of red, white, and blue.

Cathy Lee Crosby is convincing in the role, but the material doesn’t do her justice. It’s not a bad movie, it just isn’t Wonder Woman.