With so many on-screen versions of Superman – Henry Cavill playing the latest – it’s easy for previous iterations to fall by the fandom’s wayside, but Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman has stood the test of time despite leaving our screens over 20 years ago. And according to series star Teri Hatcher it’s for one specific reason: “What Lois and Clark meant to me, what they put first was the romance, the relationship between Lois and Clark and Lois and Superman, as opposed to telling the story through the adventures. I think that’s what audiences, and I, responded too.

“Lois drove it” Cain was quick to add. “We didn’t even think of it as progressive, it just was.”

As the two met up for a reunion panel last week at NYCC moderated by IGN’s Aaron Sagers, it was easy to see that the chemistry we all saw back in the ’90s still exists.

“Doesn’t she have great legs?” Cain says affectionately, as Hatcher hits the stage.

Hatcher is quick to return the compliment “Kevin Smith and I recently did an interview for DC universe and your suit was there, and I said you have to give props to Dean because he wore that and pulled it off before anyone was doing the plastics and special effects they have now. Good for you!”

On the subject of their sizzling chemistry Hatcher reveals “we never screentested together, it was a happy accident. We both worked really hard to put our all into the script, bringing characters to life and grounded in something real and human but we didn’t think about it.” Cain adds “I think Lois drove the show and Teri is the best Lois of all, Clark was just reactionary to what Lois was doing. Somehow the balance of personalities worked really well. Thank God it did!”

There was a huge amount of warmth filling the Main Stage with thousands in the audience reveling in the banter coming from the duo, something that Hatcher wholly appreciates.  “There’s nothing like the fans of Lois and Clark. They’re so loyal.”

Both returned to the DC TV universe in Smallville and more recently in Supergirl. Hatcher cites the fans as the main reason she agreed – as well getting a kick out of being a villain. Dean agrees “I love to embrace being part of that world because I’m a fan of it. I got a kick out of seeing Lynda Carter on Supergirl. Christopher Reeve on Smallville was the lynchpin to say it’s okay.”

Cain however found an unusual situation on Supergirl. “I had suit envy. I would look at Melissa Benoist and say ‘That’s so cool, can I touch it? We didn’t have that’!”

He also remembers the faff with those lacy red boots. “We changed to Velcro after the first season, much better” he reveals.

Cain finds the biggest difference filming now is the fan interaction. “When we started shooting the internet didn’t really exist so we didn’t really get feedback till I went to a comic-con. Right now you get feedback automatically. It was a kinder simpler time. I like the Netflix model where they shoot and air an entire season then everyone can react.

Though production has now moved to Vancouver, in a funny coincidence Supergirl began shooting in the same L.A. studio lot as Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

“It was so strange to be there and not flying around” Cain admits. “I said I had costume envy earlier, it was like set envy too. They shoot digitally so they didn’t have to reload cameras etc and they have a really high quality shoot.”

On their favourite moments from the show Hatcher starts “that shot in the pilot when Superman flies Lois to her desk – it was all encompassing. Romance, flying, heroism and the newsroom. But my favourite episode was the honeymoon in Metropolis. We had all these scenes where we are stuck in the room, and to me it was the most romantic comedy-esque work. I love that physical comedy.”

“My favourite moment is when Clark proposes to Lois and she asks who’s asking Clark or Superman. And it had to rain. That sums up the show for me. But Teri in the bathtub is not bad either” jokes Cain. “I was really happy when they got married. Some people say that broke the show, I disagree. I ‘d love to see them as a couple 25 years later.”

In this golden age of reboots both have seriously looked into bringing the show back, with specific ideas of what they’d like to see.

Hatcher explains “It’s complicated because Warner Brothers have a plan for all their superheroes. That said my I imagined they had a kid, and the kid starts to have the powers instead of Superman. Now as the kid gets older he’s struggling with his powers and making bad choices, so Superman would have to get his powers back. Then the marriage dynamic was difficult because it was emasculating and Lois is working, and once the kid is out of the picture they have to think about staying married and have to figure out how to get Clark’s powers back.”

Cain adds “I can see them having a couple of Krypto-Earth kids. Lois is probably Mayor of Metropolis now. Clark’s still pushing paper.”

One surprise revelation, as Sagers asks their thoughts on the comics, is that Hatcher now considers herself a comic nerd.  “I wasn’t attached to the comics, but in the last two years I’ve become a comic book geek as I have a store down the road. It’s given me an understanding of comics. I did the Wednesday club on nerdist recently and talked about Saga, cooked a bit… I love the comic nerds man!” Cain points out “Can you imagine meeting her in a comic book store? Not buying Superman though!”

Dean Cain is familiar with the movies and not afraid to critique the recent Justice League film where Kevin Costner dies as Clark’s father. “Why didn’t Clark save him?! For me K. Callan and Eddie Jones will always be Ma and Pa Kent.”

On which other Marvel/DC character he’d like to play in a movie Cain is happy to say “The first one that calls me! The first Captain America was amazing. I thought dang, I’d like to be in that one. Deadpool too. Guardians of the Galaxy too, dang!”

Tanavi Patel was at New York Comic Con for MyMBuzz.com

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