The Superman Star Who Almost Beat Out Helen Hunt For Her Mad About You Role

Dean Cain was, of course, the small screen Superman of the 1990s, playing the Man of Steel on the ABC hit "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." As for the Lois to Cain's Superman, she was portrayed by Teri Hatcher over the series' four-season run. As it happens, that run began in 1993, just a year after "Mad About You" debuted on NBC. While "Lois and Clark" didn't earn the critical success or longevity of "Mad About You," both the series and its stars still hold an affectionate place in the cultural zeitgeist of '90s television.

According to The New York Times, however, had things broken Hatcher's way a year prior, she wouldn't have been looking to book "Lois & Clark" at all as she would've been gainfully employed on "Mad About You." And it seems Hatcher was very much in the running to land the role of Jamie Buchman before Hunt got the job. It might be worth noting here that Hunt had already booked several notable film and television roles prior to her "Mad About You" audition, and her elevated profile likely helped her win the role.

Whatever the case, things obviously worked out okay for Hatcher in the end, with the actor earning raves for her work in series like "Seinfeld," "Desperate Housewives," and most recently "Supergirl." And yes, she even became a bonafide Bond girl in 1997's Pierce Brosnan-starring "Tomorrow Never Dies." But to an entire generation of Superman fans, Teri Hatcher will ever be their Lois Lane.