Every Superman TV show ever, ranked from worst to best

9. Superman (1988)

Throughout the 1980s, Superman was more popular than ever thanks in no small part to the success of the Man of Steel's movie series starring Christopher Reeve. Heck, he even returned to live-action TV as Superboy premiered in 1988. It was also during that year that he made a long-awaited return to the world of animation in a solo project, headlining his own animated series. Produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises for Warner Bros. Television, the show was overseen by comic book legend Marv Wolfman and designed by veteran comic artist Gil Kane.

Though much of its presentation was quite dated for the '80s (the bellowing radio-esque narrator introducing the opening credits was very '50s), it was believable given the nostalgia that Superman inspires. Furthermore, the quality of the storylines was of a far higher standard than the superhero cartoons in the decades prior, which definitely helped bring the character's animated stories into the modern day at the time.

It wasn't quite on the level of Superman: The Animated Series (which would arrive just eight years later), but it was a huge step in the right direction. It also gets bonus points for using the classic John Williams theme from Superman: The Movie.