Buffy The Vampire Slayer

This list of notable TV Superheroes wouldn’t be complete without Buffy! Of course she’s listed but read who else is aswell! From caped crusaders and dynamic duos to demon slayers and a geek named Hiro, television long has had a thing for those do-gooders who possess superpowers. With a focus limited to notable live-action shows, here’s a quick rundown of the genre’s colorful history:

1950s

• "The Adventures of Superman" (syndicated 1952-57): It’s "truth, justice and the American way" — albeit with a tight budget and cheesy effects.

• "Flash Gordon" (syndicated 1953-54): The Mad Witch of Neptune never had a chance against our intergalactic butt-kicker.

1960s

• "Batman" (ABC 1966-68): Holy purple leotards — what a campy delight! (And Adam West is typecast forever.)

• "The Green Hornet" (ABC 1966-67): We loved Bruce Lee as Kato, along with that souped-up car, the Black Beauty.

1970s

• "The Six Million Dollar Man" (ABC 1974-78): Part human, part machine, Col. Steve Austin (Lee Majors) could have whupped even Chuck Norris.

• "The Bionic Woman" (ABC/NBC 1976-78): Popular spinoff gave Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) a chance to clobber the bad guys.

• "Wonder Woman" (ABC/CBS 1976-79): With those go-go boots, her magic lasso and a bodacious bod, Lynda Carter truly was a wonder.

• "The Incredible Hulk" (CBS 1978-82): Grrrr! Tick off Bill Bixby and he instantly turned into a not-so-jolly green giant who looked a lot like Lou Ferrigno.

• "The Amazing Spider-Man" (CBS 1978): Let’s just say that Nicholas Hammond was no Tobey Maguire.

1980s

• "The Greatest American Hero" (ABC 1981-83): Believe it or not, this spoof revolved around a schoolteacher and an incredible red flying suit.

1990s

• "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (ABC 1993-97): Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain heat things up and give the Superman legend a romantic makeover.

• "The Flash" (CBS 1990-91): Mild-mannered chemist gains superpowers after a fluke lab accident, but never could defeat the Nielsen gods.

• "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (the WB/UPN 1997-2003): This killer show made a star of Sarah Michelle Gellar and put the fledgling WB on the map.

2000s

• "Smallville" (The WB/CW 2001- ): "No tights, no flights" was the early mantra of this young and fresh approach to Superman.

• "Heroes" (NBC 2006- ): Save the cheerleader, save NBC! Successful serial saga boosts fortunes of slumping network.

Not so super TV

Heroes sometimes fail at their missions. Here are three recent disappointments:

• "The Tick" (Fox 2001): Too hip for the room, this hilarious spoof lasted only eight episodes.

• "Birds of Prey" (The WB 2002-2003): Female crusaders of Gotham City had their wings clipped after 13 airings.

• "Aquaman" (The CW): This rejected pilot sank into a watery grave, but it’s available for purchase on iTunes.