The Super Friends: Season-By-Season

I felt it appropriate to do a quick rundown of the actual Super Friends series and how it changed over the course of its lifespan. I'm not going to get into too much detail with this here now, as any Google search will bring up all that same information. Still, I feel that I would be doing this blog a disservice if I neglected to lay it out as a quick reference.

Season One (1973-1974): Called simply "Super Friends",  was comprised of 16 one hour-long episodes, and was the only season to feature Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. Three superhero guest stars, Flash, Green Arrow and Plastic Man, showed up this season as well. The series was then cancelled but reruns were played often.

Season Two (1977-1978): Re-tooled and re-formatted "The All-New Super Friends Hour" was 15 one hour-long episodes, but this time broken down into 1 half hour adventure featuring "The Core Team" which is what I call the line-up we see in the above title card, 2 seven minute shorts, and 1 Wonder Twins short. This was the season that introduced Zan, Jayna and Gleek as well as the ethnic characters of Black Vulcan, Apache Chief and Samurai. Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Flash, Green Lantern, Rima and Atom were also featured.

 

Season Three (1978-1979): 16 one hour-long episodes, but now comprised of 2 half hour segments. The first segment was like last season featuring The Core Team, whilst the second segment was the fan-favorite "Challenge of the Superfriends"! Perhaps the best version of what this show could be, "Challenge" features an 11-member Justice League of America in constant battle with 13 supervillains teamed-up as the Legion of Doom.

Season Four (1979-1980): Dropping the excellent "Challenge" format, the series retained its hour-long status, but was comprised of repeats, along with 8 new half hour adventures featuring The Core Team. The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show aired after Super Friends this season for 2 hours of DC superhero awesomeness!

Season Five (1980-1981): The show continues at its hour length, but the format changed once again. This time half-hour repeats are combined with 3 newly-produced shorts, with a total of 24 new shorts created. After not being invited to the "Challenge of the Superfriends" party, Hawkgirl, the Atom and Rima make return appearances.

Season Six (1981-1982): Same as Season Five, but with fewer new shorts produced, only 18 instead of 24. No Hawkman or Hawkgirl, but this season introduced Mexican superfriend El Dorado! The series was then cancelled for a second time after this season, due apparently to ABC not wanting to compete with Super Friends being in syndication elsewhere. These syndicated Super Friends packages were billed as "The Best of the Super Friends".

Season Seven (1983-1984): Despite the fact that the series was cancelled by ABC, Hanna Barbara continued to produce more Super Friends adventures- 24 new shorts- which did not air in the U.S. The series continued, however, uninterrupted in other international markets such as Australia. These 24 shorts were dubbed "The Lost Episodes" by fans, and did not air stateside until the 1990s as part of "The Superman/Batman Adventures".

Season Eight (1984-1985): Thanks to the Kenner Super Powers toyline, the Super Friends come back from cancellation once again! This time, the format has changed to just 8 half hours, though some episodes were made up of two 10 minute adventures. Many familiar faces return, along with the introduction of new hero, Firestorm, and new recurring bad guy, Darkseid!

Season Nine (1985-1986): Dropping the name "Super Friends" and going by the clunkier"Super Powers Team", our heroes return for their final iteration, this time with new character designs similar to the style of artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praise be his name) and a brand new Hall of Justice. The Wonder Twins are gone, and Cyborg joins the team. This version is fondly remembered by fans as being closer to the comics, and is up there as a fan-favorite alongside "Challenge of the Superfriends". After these new 8 half hour episodes, the series is cancelled for its third and final time.