TMC
09-30-2017, 04:25 AM
http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/marvel/183238/remembering-old-marvel-live-action-tv-shows
The Incredible Hulk
CBS: 1977-1982
It might be easy to forget that The Incredible Hulk, despite (or perhaps because of) the liberties it took with the source material, was one of the most successful superhero television shows of all time. Spanning five seasons plus an additional three TV movies (we'll get to those in a minute), the show scaled down the Hulk's powers and science fiction elements in favor of human drama that owed as much to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and TV's The Fugitive as it did to the works of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Herb Trimpe, and others.
Why did it work? Primarily because of Bill Bixby's warm and sympathetic portrayal of Dr. David Banner (see? We told you they took liberties...but his middle name is Bruce!), and the spectacle that is bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno in green body paint as The Hulk. Say what you will about the simplicity of this technique, but Ferrigno's physique and screen presence, coupled with the more "believable" power levels that the Hulk displayed (and the fact that he was the only fantastic element on screen...there's nary a supervillain in sight) gave the show a certain gravitas.
Modern audiences raised on CGI spectacle and slavish devotion to the conventions of superhero storytelling may find The Incredible Hulk a little quaint, even repetitive, but it's a nearly perfect example of how a tremendously powerful character could work within the confines of TV.
The Incredible Hulk
CBS: 1977-1982
It might be easy to forget that The Incredible Hulk, despite (or perhaps because of) the liberties it took with the source material, was one of the most successful superhero television shows of all time. Spanning five seasons plus an additional three TV movies (we'll get to those in a minute), the show scaled down the Hulk's powers and science fiction elements in favor of human drama that owed as much to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and TV's The Fugitive as it did to the works of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Herb Trimpe, and others.
Why did it work? Primarily because of Bill Bixby's warm and sympathetic portrayal of Dr. David Banner (see? We told you they took liberties...but his middle name is Bruce!), and the spectacle that is bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno in green body paint as The Hulk. Say what you will about the simplicity of this technique, but Ferrigno's physique and screen presence, coupled with the more "believable" power levels that the Hulk displayed (and the fact that he was the only fantastic element on screen...there's nary a supervillain in sight) gave the show a certain gravitas.
Modern audiences raised on CGI spectacle and slavish devotion to the conventions of superhero storytelling may find The Incredible Hulk a little quaint, even repetitive, but it's a nearly perfect example of how a tremendously powerful character could work within the confines of TV.