The Worst And Weirdest Superhero TV Shows That Actually Existed

From the late-’90s up to the early ’00s, characters from smaller publishers like Malibu Comics and Image Comics felt just as likely to show up on TV as anyone from the more familiar DC and Marvel crews. While plenty of folks vaguely recall the “Witchblade” series on TNT, Sara Pezzini’s short tenure on cable television isn’t ridiculous enough to qualify for this list. “Night Man,” however, is a different matter.

“Night Man” is based on the Malibu character of the same name, originally created by Steve Englehart, who is also credited with dreaming up Shang-Chi and Star-Lord. The series debuted in 1997 with prolific stuntman Matt McColm playing the title hero.

“Night Man” chronicles the exploits of jazz musician Johnny Domino, who gains the superhuman ability to literally see evil while losing the ability to sleep. He dons a rubber suit with a red bionic eye for some reason and sets out to fight crime, as one does. If that sounds even cheesier than “Manimal,” maybe that’s because “Battlestar Galactica” creator Glen A. Larson developed “Night Man” for TV, just as he once did for the animal transformation-oriented program from the previous decade. 

The most memorable feature of “Night Man” is probably its guest appearances, including musical icon Little Richard and trashy talk show luminary Jerry Springer. Remarkably, “Night Man” got a second season, which gave audiences one of the most unexpected TV crossovers ever. In the sixth episode of Season 2, Simon MacCorkindale reprises his role as Jonathan Chase, aka, the Manimal, and Night Man meets one of Larson’s other short-lived superheroes.

From the late-’90s up to the early ’00s, characters from smaller publishers like Malibu Comics and Image Comics felt just as likely to show up on TV as anyone from the more familiar DC and Marvel crews. While plenty of folks vaguely recall the “Witchblade” series on TNT, Sara Pezzini’s short tenure on cable television isn’t ridiculous enough to qualify for this list. “Night Man,” however, is a different matter.

“Night Man” is based on the Malibu character of the same name, originally created by Steve Englehart, who is also credited with dreaming up Shang-Chi and Star-Lord. The series debuted in 1997 with prolific stuntman Matt McColm playing the title hero.

“Night Man” chronicles the exploits of jazz musician Johnny Domino, who gains the superhuman ability to literally see evil while losing the ability to sleep. He dons a rubber suit with a red bionic eye for some reason and sets out to fight crime, as one does. If that sounds even cheesier than “Manimal,” maybe that’s because “Battlestar Galactica” creator Glen A. Larson developed “Night Man” for TV, just as he once did for the animal transformation-oriented program from the previous decade. 

The most memorable feature of “Night Man” is probably its guest appearances, including musical icon Little Richard and trashy talk show luminary Jerry Springer. Remarkably, “Night Man” got a second season, which gave audiences one of the most unexpected TV crossovers ever. In the sixth episode of Season 2, Simon MacCorkindale reprises his role as Jonathan Chase, aka, the Manimal, and Night Man meets one of Larson’s other short-lived superheroes.