Before you enjoy Wonder Woman 1984, HBO Max is helping to get you in the mood by releasing the complete original series Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter! The hit, which ran from 1975-79, was previously available on the DC Universe streaming service which is now kaput. Slowly but surely, the existing DC-based shows have made their way to HBO Max, but the emphasis has been on the newer original programs like Titans and Doom Patrol. The older stuff is taking a bit longer to port over, but this comes at the perfect time.
Carter herself made the announcement via Twitter:
Similar to the modern movies, the Wonder Woman TV show also took place in different time periods. The first season, which aired on ABC, was set during World War II, the time in which Wonder Woman first debuted in comics. CBS picked up the show starting with its second season, and the setting was shifted to “modern” times (or at least 1976).
Lyle Waggoner co-starred with Carter as Steve Trevor. When the show changed time periods, his character became Steve Trevor Junior, and slipped back into the romantic partner role, because that’s not weird at all.
The first season also co-starred Beatrice Colen as Etta Candy and Richard Eastham as General Philip Blankenship, but both were dropped after that. Debra Winger guest-starred as Wonder Woman’s younger sister, who also operated as Wonder Girl, however, unlike in the comics, in which the character is named Donna Troy, Winger’s character was dubbed Drusilla. Wonder Woman’s mother, Queen Hippolyta was portrayed by three different actors over the course of the series, Cloris Leachman, Carolyn Jones, and Beatrice Straight.
On the show, Wonder Woman rarely fought full-blown supervillains, but most of her opponents were original creations. One comic book foe that did appear was the Baroness Paula Von Gunther, played by Christine Belford.
Wonder Woman created a generation of fans and its popularity has endured over the decades. Mego produced a line of dolls based on the series and since then, there have been multiple versions of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman made in various formats, including statues, action figures, and even a Hallmark ornament. Beginning in 2014, DC published a Wonder Woman ’77 comic book, which spawned crossovers with another ’70s action icon, The Bionic Woman, as well as with Batman ’66, featuring the Adam West and Burt Ward versions of Batman and Robin.
HBO Max also offers the first Wonder Woman movie and the 2009 animated film. As for older DC fare, it was also just announced that Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond are set to arrive in January. Now we just need to wait on Justice League (animated) and Super Friends…
Wonder Woman 1984 arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, December 25.
