The Superhero Time
He's probably played Superman for much longer than any other actor if you were to take into account the number of hours that the serials he acted in aired. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman ran for four long years and it brought Dean Cain as an actor into the limelight.
When the casting was being done for the TV series, the final choice was between Dean and another actor called Kevin Sorbo. At that time, the series was called Lois Lane's Daily Planet and the search had been on to cast a really memorable Man of Steel. Dean Cain was the chosen one to act alongside Teri Hatcher. The series was then renamed Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It was launched on ABC in September 1993 and it ran for four long years with the last episode being aired in June 1997.
What perhaps endeared this series to the hearts of so many viewers was the fact that it was a human superhero story. The plot followed the old story but somewhere along the way, the human angle and the love affair between the two main characters was given a lot of importance. Lois too, is much more than the woman Superman protects. She in turn looks after him, helping him as he struggles to keep his identity secret.
That's what makes things even more interesting - the fact that Lois Lane is in the know. There is a period in the beginning of the series when she doesn't know Clark Kent's or Superman's well-kept secret but she is soon told and this brings in a much more human element to the whole series. Side by side with the superhuman things that Superman does is the regular everyday life they lead as a couple, arguing, making up, making love and living in a world of their own. It is a wonderful foil to all the leaping and super-strength and extraordinary things he does as the man of steel.
These four years were probably the ones that set Dean Cain firmly in the saddle when it came to acting. He was cast in a role that showed off his good looks and he showed the world that he could do a good job – episode after episode. It was a period when his fan base was created, when he became easily recognized as an actor and when he could stand up and be counted. For Dean, this was the most super break of all!