Superboy (1988-1992)

Following the four films that starred Reeve, this series — created by Superman: The Movie producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind — explored the character’s college years and heavily featured love interest Lana Lang. Initially played by John Haymes Newton, Clark is portrayed here as more of an everyman than the overly nerdy depiction made famous in the films, and the series’ choice to focus on the early period of his superhero career as well as his rivalry with arch-nemesis Lex Luthor undoubtedly set the stage for Smallville a couple decades later. Over its four seasons, the show made several drastic changes in its cast and tone — including replacing Newton with Gerard Christopher in the lead — but retained a respectable following right until its last episode. Side note: Both Neill and Adventures of Superman star Jack Larson made guest appearances in the final season, a clear nod to Superman’s past interpretations and a trend that continues in DC Comics shows to this day.