Night Man (TV series)

Last updated
Night Man
Night Man (TV series logo).svg
Also known asNightMan
Genre
Created by Glen A. Larson [1]
Based on
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer Marc Bonilla
Glen A. Larson
ComposersMarc Bonilla (season 1)
Graeme Coleman (season 2)
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Janet Curtis-Larson
  • Scott Thomas
  • Keri Young
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 19, 1997 (1997-09-19) 
May 17, 1999 (1999-05-17)

Night Man (stylised NightMan) is a superhero television series, developed by Glen A. Larson, that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997, to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on the character from the 1993 The Night Man comic book published, through the Ultraverse imprint, by Malibu Comics (which was later purchased by Marvel Comics), and was created by writer Steve Englehart, who also wrote three episodes of the series.

Contents

The show stars Matt McColm as the title character, a superhero whose real name was Johnny Domino, a saxophonist. Night Man is also one of the few series to cross over with characters from Larson's previous series. In the episode "Manimal", Johnny allies with Professor Jonathan Chase, the star of the short-lived 1980s series Manimal . [2] [3]

Plot summary

Johnny Domino is a well-known San Franciscan jazz musician who is accidentally struck by a lightning bolt in a freak cable-car accident. The strike allows him to telepathically recognize evil but robs him of the ability to sleep. [4] Although Night Man has no other superhuman powers of his own, he owns a special blue-caped bulletproof black bodysuit which gives him several abilities, including flight, holographic camouflage-style invisibility and advanced sight functions through the round red lens over the left eye of his mask including the ability to see in the dark and fire a laser beam. Although he often fights new enemies in each episode as the series progresses, his nemesis is computer technologies billionaire Kieran Keyes (Kim Coates), who would slay Johnny's father, Frank Domino, in the premiere of the second and final season.

Cast

Guest appearances

In addition, Little Richard, Jerry Springer, and Donald Trump made special appearances as themselves in "Whole Lotta Shakin'", "House of Soul", and "Face to Face", respectively. [6] David Hasselhoff also makes a surprise cameo as a villain in the first episode, implied to be Nick Fury, who he would subsequently portray in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , while Mark Gadbois makes a cameo as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the first season episode "Lady In Red".

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 22September 19, 1997 (1997-09-19)May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)
2 22October 11, 1998 (1998-10-11)May 23, 1999 (1999-05-23)

Home media

Lionsgate Entertainment released a complete series on DVD on June 12, 2018. [7] The nine-disc box set [8] displays the claim that it is "based on the Marvel Comics comic book" when in actuality it is based on a Malibu Comics comic book which is a subsidiary of Marvel Comics. [9]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientEpisodeResult
1999 Leo Awards Best Musical Score in a Dramatic SeriesGraeme Coleman"Dust"Won

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References

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  2. Rigley, Ryan (October 7, 2013). "Comics On TV: 'Night Man'". MTV . Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  3. Fisher, Kieran (February 24, 2023). "The Ultraverse Is The Sleeping Giant Of Cinematic Universes, But It'll Never Happen (& It's Probably Marvel's Fault)". Looper . Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  4. Keller, Rich (December 4, 2019). "5 Cancelled Comic Book Shows We Miss (& 5 We Don't)". CBR . Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  5. Byrne, Craig (July 20, 2016). "11 Forgotten Superhero TV Shows". Collider . Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  6. Gibby-Brown, Sckylar (September 13, 2023). "The Forgotten Superhero Series Streaming For Free With Donald Trump". Giant Freakin Robot. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
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  9. "DVD Calendar Feature Articles - Metacritic".