The Greatest American Hero didn’t air for very long, but it made a major impact thanks to its combination of comedy, action, and sci-fi and its unique take on the superhero genre. Long before Marvel and DC movies dominated theaters, the show offered a parodic play on America’s fascination with caped crusaders, including Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. The ABC show ran for three seasons from 1981 to 1983 and followed the main character, Ralph (William Katt), a high school teacher who unexpectedly becomes a superhero after encountering extraterrestrials during a field trip. The aliens give him a special suit that endows him with various superpowers, such as flight, super strength, X-ray vision, and invisibility. However, Ralph loses the instruction manual for the suit, leading to a series of comedic mishaps as he struggles to master its powers… read more >
