My Hero: Season One

A far cry from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man or Bryan Singer's X-Men, this witless, superhero sitcom from the BBC revolves around a crime-fighter in tights—Thermoman, from planet Ultron!—whose exploits around the globe can't compare, apparently, to his mundane secret-identity life as “Irishman” George Sunday (Ardal O'Hanlon), mild-mannered health-store owner and boyfriend to nurse Janet Dawkins (Emily Joyce). Whether it's getting delayed from saving the world because his costume is in the laundry or dealing with Janet's meltdown on the occasion of her 30th birthday, there's no everyday event that cannot be made even more boring by adding a superhero to the mix. The forced laugh track does nothing to improve the six 2000 first season episodes of this laugh-less comedy that relies on stereotypes (men are clueless, the Irish are stupid, women are children, etc.). This is a far cry from the wonderful spoof The Greatest American Hero, a misfire that should make all true fans of the superhero genre want to throw themselves on a dagger of Kryptonite. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette culled from the British TV show Against All Odds, an interview with O'Hanlon, and text cast bios. Optional. (M. Johanson)