I am going to open this review by uncharacteristically levying my biggest complaint against My Adventures with Superman season 3 up front: why in the good name of the Metropolis is this show airing at midnight? None of the target demographics of this show should be up at midnight. None of the target demographics of this show want to be up at midnight. I suppose the only saving grace of this decision is that due to streaming people can watch this show at their own leisure on Saturday morning (or maybe it’s Sunday morning; I don’t remember what the day after means for a midnight drop) like we used to.
Jokes aside, My Adventures with Superman‘s third season continues what is a solid streak of truly understanding the core of the iconic character and modernizing it for the current timeline. The obvious magical girl and anime influences are still unabashedly showing. The animation is enthralling and entertaining. The voice acting continues to have an absolute ball with the witty dialog and back and forth.
I have been a fan of the series since its premiere in 2023, and sometimes as a journalist who is also a notorious fan, you just got put the pen down and enjoy things. So when season 2 came out in 2024, I did just that. But by the same virtue, after a two-year wait, there’s enough psychic distance and a fervor to consume the latest story that you take the screeners and run with it.
There is something exceedingly special about how this series accurately represents the progression of your 20s. If season 1 was essentially the story of a trio of friends just out of college and getting a sense of the real world and season 2 was essentially the story of that same trio thinking that they have made it only to realize that the world is once again still more complicated than it seems, season 3 finds our heroes in that weird and rare equilibrium, of actually figuring how to work and live, and suddenly find themselves asking: is this enough? Do I want more? Can I handle more?
Lois, Clark, Jimmy, and Kara counterbalance each other perfectly. Each has had their own trials and tribulations in order to get to this point of relative stability, working through personal insecurity and interpersonal relationships. And even though their exact circumstance is inherently unrealistic (I’ll leave that to you whether it is the Kyprotians with superpowers or the fact that three journalist are able to have stable income in a large metropolitan area), it rings true and honest, and it uses the fantastical elements to explore different questions about purpose, duty, work, and confronting the future.
I adore Jack Quaid’s earnest Clark, the fervor behind Alice Lee’s Lois Lane, Ishmael Sahid’s levity as Jimmy Olsen, and the protectiveness that Kiana Madeira brings to Kara. These four anchor the season and constantly have me smiling at my screen at the sheer optimism their energy brings.
This season also introduces Darren Criss as Superboy, and I am always going to be here for multi-racial Superboy representation especially, especially when they are played by a fellow Filipino-American. I cannot and do not want to get into too much detail because I would never dare spoil a series that I desperately want everyone to watch so I can continue getting new seasons for at least, I don’t know, until the decade ends if I’m being greedy; however, his presence makes things interesting.
If you are familiar with the Superman mythos, you probably have pieced together some of the broad strokes of what happens, but you certainly will be pleasantly surprised by how everything is executed.
Now, if I am being honest, I don’t think this is the strongest season. I think that distinction is still held by the first season and the second season had a bit of a stronger through line. My Adventures with Superman Season 3 was solid, but it also had some plots that weren’t as fully developed, some logistics that weren’t clear, and didn’t quite have the same pay off at the end of the day. I adored my time and there were many marquis moments, but seasons one and two were so incredibly solid, and I think the volume and ambitious of this latest season may have been a bit too much.
Still, I am going to implore you to watch My Adventures with Superman Season 3 when it becomes available on June 13. It is still my platonic ideal of Superman: optimistic, earnest, and steeped in respect for truth, justice, a better tomorrow, and all of the great visual language of anime.
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