News We Almost Got a Daredevil Show in the 1990s, but The Flash Put a Stop To It

[JD]

IGN has revealed that we almost got a Daredevil show as a spinoff of the Bixby/Ferigno The Incredible Hulk movies, but the John Wesley Shipp The Flash series ended up putting a stop it. During the new episode of the IGN's Inside Story, Rex Smith revealed that the versions of Daredevil and Kingpin played by him and John Rhys Davies in the first Bixby/Ferigno The Incredible Hulk movie, The Trial of The Incredible Hulk, were supposed to get their own show. It sounds like they had some pretty solid plans, but the producers of The Flash series starring John Wesley Shipp, decided they didn't want another superhero show on at the same time, so CBS bought Smith's contract as a way to keep the show off the air.
I'm a little surprised they were able to do this since Daredevil was being made for NBC.
Looking back now, after we got the Netflix series, I can't help but wonder what the show would have been like, since a network series in the '90s would have been very different from a 2010s Netflix series. Having another Marvel show on the air at that time could have also a pretty big effect on the future of on screen Marvel in general.
I only read the article about the Daredevil show, not the whole video so I'm not sure if it went into any more detail than just the article did.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Seems unlikely that CBS could put the kibosh on an NBC show. Or Warner could do the same for a Universal production.

They tried something similar the year before in the previous film the Return of the Incredible Hulk which featured Thor.

 

[Christopher]

I rather liked the Hulk/Daredevil movie. It wasn't much of a Hulk movie (there wasn't even a Hulk-out in the climax), but it was a pretty decent Daredevil pilot by the standards of its day. It took plenty of liberties with the comics -- new supporting characters instead of Foggy and Karen, a black ninja-ish costume instead of a devil-themed red one, a Kingpin who wore visor sunglasses and was obsessed with video -- but it captured Matt pretty well (though I wasn't that familiar with the character at the time) and it could've made for an interesting series. I liked The Flash too, so it's disappointing to learn that the one was responsible for preventing the other.

They tried something similar the year before in the previous film the Return of the Incredible Hulk which featured Thor.

It was The Incredible Hulk Returns that featured Thor. The Return of the Incredible Hulk was the second of the two 1977 pilot movies for the original series, better known under the title it was given as a 2-part episode, "A Death in the Family."

 

[Avalon]

Damn it, Barry!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I could've sworn we already knew that there were plans to make a series out of the Daredevil appearance. It certainly sounds very familiar.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I could've sworn we already knew that there were plans to make a series out of the Daredevil appearance. It certainly sounds very familiar.

It's been brought up before. It was a backdoor pilot. piggy backing on Hulk's popularity. I don't think it ever got any further than that. As I said above, I'm unclear on how a superhero show produced by a different studio for a different network would cause it not to go forward.

 

[Christopher]

I could've sworn we already knew that there were plans to make a series out of the Daredevil appearance. It certainly sounds very familiar.

Well, of course it was always obvious that the Thor and Daredevil team-up movies were meant as backdoor spinoff pilots -- especially Trial of the Hulk, where the Hulk didn't even appear in the climax. But I hadn't heard that they'd actually decided to move forward with the series until they were shut down.

As I said above, I'm unclear on how a superhero show produced by a different studio for a different network would cause it not to go forward.

They explained that. Allegedly, CBS bought out Rex Smith's contract so that he wouldn't be available to work for NBC. They paid him what he was owed under the contract, but paid him not to work, so that he wouldn't be available to work for NBC. I guess it's like when the government subsidizes farmers not to grow crops in order to regulate the market. Or maybe more like when a fossil fuel company buys up the patent on a green energy source so they can bury it rather than developing it. Sometimes businesses (or governments) decide it costs less to pay their competitors not to compete.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The things I remember most about those two Hulk movies was that I was quite underwhelmed with their portrayals of their respective guest superheroes.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Well, of course it was always obvious that the Thor and Daredevil team-up movies were meant as backdoor spinoff pilots -- especially Trial of the Hulk, where the Hulk didn't even appear in the climax. But I hadn't heard that they'd actually decided to move forward with the series until they were shut down.



They explained that. Allegedly, CBS bought out Rex Smith's contract so that he wouldn't be available to work for NBC. They paid him what he was owed under the contract, but paid him not to work, so that he wouldn't be available to work for NBC. I guess it's like when the government subsidizes farmers not to grow crops in order to regulate the market. Or maybe more like when a fossil fuel company buys up the patent on a green energy source so they can bury it rather than developing it. Sometimes businesses (or governments) decide it costs less to pay their competitors not to compete.

So, let me get this straight. CBS hears that NBC is developing a super-hero show. So they go to NBC and buy out the contract of the lead actor so the show won't be made and compete with their show? I have to wonder if NBC didn't actually have faith in the show. They get to dump the show and get paid for it.

 

[JD]

At this point, I've pretty much given up trying to figure out how the higher ups at big corporations brains work. Looking at them from outside, a lot of their decisions don't make sense.
The thing that I find funny is that the idea of having two superhero shows on at the same time sent CBS into such a panic they went that route. Compare that to now, when we've had dozens on over the last few years, and no one seemed to mind.

 

[Christopher]

So, let me get this straight. CBS hears that NBC is developing a super-hero show. So they go to NBC and buy out the contract of the lead actor so the show won't be made and compete with their show?

As I said, that sort of thing -- paying to quash competition -- is hardly unheard of in various businesses. I've heard of movie studios buying the rights to a property in order to sit on it and prevent anyone else from making it.

Anyway, CBS invested quite a lot in The Flash. It was a big-budget production, an attempt to capitalize on the success of Burton's Batman. So they had a lot to lose.

The thing that I find funny is that the idea of having two superhero shows on at the same time sent CBS into such a panic they went that route. Compare that to now, when we've had dozens on over the last few years, and no one seemed to mind.

The irony is that 1990-1 was the first season since 1978-9 that there were three comics-based superhero shows on the air at the same time -- The Flash on CBS, Swamp Thing on USA, and season 3 of The Adventures of Superboy in syndication. (The three in '78-9 were Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk.) It was also the last time until 2014 (when the new The Flash, Constantine, and Gotham joined Arrow and Agents of SHIELD and set a new record). Granted, a half-hour cable or syndicated show wasn't on the same level of prominence as an hourlong prime-time network show.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Parts of this is familiar to me but not all of it.

It’s always been known that the first two movies were really pilots for Thor and Daredevil series that never happened. It’s somewhat unique that Pilots that we’re never picked up were rerun constantly. Obviously because they were also Hulk movies. My Dad was a big fan oforiginal show. But my earliest memories were of those 3 follow up movies which rerun on USA Network in the 90s a lot.

I read a different interview with Rex Smith in recent years that did not mention the Flash series affect (I probably would remember that ) but gave some other details he does not mention here. If I remember correctly NBC stalled for a long time on moving forward with the series. I might be wrong, I am thinking NBC’s executives changed and new ones had no interest. At which point New World/Marvel were free to sell the show to other networks. That happens all the time. Shows which were developed for one network are passed on and end up being successful on another network. That is the part I remember. That NBC sat on the show for a long time and Marvel tried to pitch it to another network and nothing happened...

Presumably CBS bought the show and killed it. But they it not buy it from NBC, NBC abandoned their options.

It should be noted while Universal Studios owns the rights to the tv series. They did not produce the 3 follow up movies at all. Which is why DVD releases are by other studios. I believe those were produced by New World Pictures who owned Marvel at the time. The Hulk was their big success outside of comics which is why they used him to try and launch other characters.

Another unnecessary detail- Universal did not own NBC at the time.

The Death of the Incredible Hulk was made to end on a cliffhanger. To be followed up with another movie in which he was revived. It was clearly planned because all those lab sets were not dismantled for a long time. Which would never happen with a one off TV movie. But the plan was to go back into production months later. Until Bill Bixby got seriously ill.

He was first diagnosed with Cancer in 1991. Was treated and it went into remission. He did not die until 1993. Before which he continued to direct. Only last year did I discover in that time he was beginning to work on a She Hulk Pilot. Some of which was actually filmed. Here is some basics. https://www.cbr.com/tv-legends-revealed-did-bill-bixby-star-in-a-she-hulk-pilot/
Also from a good book about the series I learned the script would just have David alive and in hiding without addressing how he survived previous movie. Mitzki Kapture was cast as Jennifer and worked with Bixby. But nothing with Gabrielle Reece as a gold skinned(!!!??) She Hulk was ever filmed.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Now that's news to me. I had no idea Bixby was working on a She-Hulk pilot when he died.

 

[Dick Whitman]

The surprising thing to me was that NBC did not use their option on Daredevil to capitalize on the success of the 1989 Batman movie. That came out June 19th 1989. Trial of the Incredible Hulk aired May 7th 1989. The Batman hype was already building up from the trailer. Daredevil is much closer to Batman. Particularly with a black suit. They were first to do it before Frank Miller. Very likely cheaper to produce Daredevil on tv compared to the Flash. The huge budget is what caused CBS to cancel that show after one season.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Now that's news to me. I had no idea Bixby was working on a She-Hulk pilot when he died.

Yes, it was huge surprise to me too. For years there were pictures of actress Brigitte Nielsen made up as She Hulk that Marvel used to picth a series or a movie which appeared in fan magazines in the late 80s.

But his Pilot was later in the early 90s. That link I shared was up for years before I knew about it. I first learned of it from this great book I bought a year ago, https://www.amazon.com/You-Wouldnt-Like-When-Angry/dp/1593936508

It was never finished. But some place in a vault there might be scenes of it. I think Bill Bixby is deserving of a documentary on his life. If that footage still exists that would be the best showcase for it

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I would love to watch a documentary on Bixby's life. The longer the better!

 

[Dick Whitman]

I would love to watch a documentary on Bixby's life. The longer the better!

For the last few years Brandon Cruz, who played his son on The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, has been raising money to get Bill Bixby a star on the Walk of Fame. It’s been a struggle though. I think a documentary would good way to remind people of him. It has not helped that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce raised the fee in the last couple years. Normally studios pay a huge part of the fee and schedule the ceremony to help publicize something. Even those who are deceased and receive it posthumously.

Brandon has not hidden his... frustration to put it mildly... that Lou Ferrigno has not offered any money at all. Also Marvel could easily cover the fee without question. They always credit him as inspiration on recent films.

EDIT anyways here is a link to the Gofundme campaign to get Bill Bixby a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. https://www.gofundme.com/f/bill-bixby-star-on-hollywood-blvd

 

[Captaindemotion]

Am I missing something? Did CBS buy Smith’s contract or the contract for the show itself? Surely if they only bought out the actor’s contract, NBC could just have recast the role? That wouldn’t have been unprecedented where pilots v series are concerned (and the Hulk movie was more a backdoor pilot than a full one).

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Am I missing something? Did CBS buy Smith’s contract or the contract for the show itself? Surely if they only bought out the actor’s contract, NBC could just have recast the role? That wouldn’t have been unprecedented where pilots v series are concerned (and the Hulk movie was more a backdoor pilot than a full one).

Not unprecedented by any means, but that hardly proves it would've been considered worthwhile here. Maybe without Smith they didn't have confidence in the show?

 

[Christopher]

It’s always been known that the first two movies were really pilots for Thor and Daredevil series that never happened. It’s somewhat unique that Pilots that we’re never picked up were rerun constantly.

Oh, it wasn't unique at all. That was the whole point of 90-minute or 2-hour pilot movies -- that they could be syndicated as standalone TV movies to recoup their costs if they didn't work as series pilots. That's what was done with the two Reb Brown Captain America pilot movies from the '70s and the failed Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman pilot, as well as Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II, Planet Earth, The Questor Tapes, and Spectre, and various other failed pilots like Disney's Earth*Star Voyager, Irwin Allen's City Beneath the Sea, the dreadful '70s The Time Machine pilot, etc. The practice continued as late as the 1990s -- I remember the 1994 pilot movie Island City, with Kevin Conroy and Brenda Strong, getting rerun once or twice on PTEN (the syndicator also responsible for Babylon 5 and a few others).

The Incredible Hulk started with two TV movies before getting picked up as a series, as did the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman and various others. If they hadn't gone to series, no doubt the pilot movies would've been syndicated like all the others.

I read a different interview with Rex Smith in recent years that did not mention the Flash series affect (I probably would remember that ) but gave some other details he does not mention here. If I remember correctly NBC stalled for a long time on moving forward with the series. I might be wrong, I am thinking NBC’s executives changed and new ones had no interest. At which point New World/Marvel were free to sell the show to other networks. That happens all the time. Shows which were developed for one network are passed on and end up being successful on another network. That is the part I remember. That NBC sat on the show for a long time and Marvel tried to pitch it to another network and nothing happened...

Presumably CBS bought the show and killed it. But they it not buy it from NBC, NBC abandoned their options.

Oh, that sounds more plausible. Maybe Smith is misremembering something like this, or the interviewer misinterpreted what he said.

Very likely cheaper to produce Daredevil on tv compared to the Flash. The huge budget is what caused CBS to cancel that show after one season.

No doubt. The only visual effects needed would've been for DD's "radar vision" -- I think they used some kind of false-color imaging to represent it, a pretty basic effect. And there wouldn't have been any elaborate makeup effects needed, and DD's costume was much simpler than Shipp's Flash costume (essentially a full-body prosthetic makeup effect that he had to be glued into). It would've just been pretty standard action and stunt work. Although The Incredible Hulk's extensive stunt work and location shooting were what made it so expensive in its day.