Underdog

Original Air Date: 1964-1973

Network: NBC

Though he recently received a big-screen adaptation from Spyglass Entertainment and Disney that did little to evoke the feel of the original cartoon, the super-powered Underdog remains near and dear to the hearts of many a kid who caught his adventures in the treacherous minutes before having to leave for school in the morning way back in the day. Debuting all the way back in 1964, and running for some 124 episodes, the series detailed the adventures of a mild-mannered shoeshine dog, appropriately enough named Shoeshine Boy, who when needed would jump into a phone booth and transform into the Superman-esque character of the title. Typically he was called upon to battle criminals with names like Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff, rescuing his canine ladylove Polly Purebred along the way. Oddly enough, Underdog's powers were not derived from our yellow sun like Superman's, but rather from an Underdog Super Energy Pill, which he stowed in his ring. There's no need to fear, Underdog the pill-popper is here!