ONCE A HERO (September 1987 - October 1987) -- season only, episode? James Morrison
guest-starred in this hour-long comedic fantasy series.
The first cancellation of the 1987-1988 season (after only three episodes) was this
fantasy-adventure series about a cartoon superhero who crossed the "Forbidden
Zone" into the real world because he feared his comic strip was about to be canceled.
Captain Justice, the Crimson Crusader (and his alter ego, mild-mannered professor Brad
Steele -- both played by Jeff Lester) hoped to revitalize his creator, legendary
cartoonist Abner Bevis (Milo O'Shea), with real-world adventures.
However, Justice found that once he was here his super-powers didn't work; no crashing
through walls, no deflected bullets and no one awed by his bright red tights. Cartoon
detective Gumshoe (Robert Forster), with his floppy hat and Sam Spade sneer, also came
over from fictional Pleasantville into the real world to help Justice battle such
adversaries as Max Mayhem and Lobsterman. But even more complications arose when Emma
Greely (Caitlin Clarke), who was a suspicious newspaper reporter, started snooping.
Other cast included Dianne Kay as Rachel Kirk, Captain Justice's girlfriend, who also
crossed the Forbidden Zone. And Josh Blake who starred as Woody, Emma's young son.
Synopsized from reviews in THE COMPLETE DIRECTORY TO PRIME TIME NETWORK AND CABLE TV SHOWS
by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh and TOTAL TELEVISION by Alex McNeil.
