Night Man
Night Man the television show was an adaptation of the Malibu Comics' Ultraverse character of the same name. A Glen Larson production, the show was developed for syndication and ran from 1997 to 1999.
The basic premise is that Johnny Domino, San Francisco's hottest young Jazz musician is struck by lightning and develops the power to hear the frequency of evil, like a radio. He also cannot sleep anymore. This somehow leads him to become a Batman-like hero, but with homemade gadgets. It is eventually revealed that the bolt that struck him came from an alien spaceship stuck on The Moon.
The TV version went on a strange path that ends up with him in Power Armor that grants him Flying Brick abilities. This leads Domino (and his friend Raleigh) on a quest to rid San Francisco of crime. Somehow, the definition of crime frequently fluctuates between mundane criminals like bank robbers and drug dealers and vampires and extradimensional beasts.
The show is infamous for moving its production entirely to Canada for the second season, replacing all but the main lead with Canadian actors and then carrying on like nothing had happened.
- Big Bad: Kieran Keyes is the recurring antagonist of Season 2.
- Blessed with Suck: Johnny's powers give him the ability to read people's minds, but gained insomnia.
- Clip Show: In the season 1 finale, Night Man dies and goes to Heaven. He doesn't stay very long, only enough to witness events from his past in a Clip Show format.
- Crossover: With 80s cult-hit (and fellow Glen Larson creation), Manimal.
- Distaff Counterpart: Nightwoman from the episodes Nightwoman and Nightwoman Returns
- Fluffy Cloud Heaven: In the season 1 finale, Night Man dies and goes to Heaven. He doesn't stay very long, only enough to witness events from his past in a Clip Show format.
- Good Is Not Nice: Nightman has been shown to kill bad guys without any signs of regret.
- Heterosexual Life Partners: Johnny and Raleigh.
- Johnny McCoolname: Johnny Domino.
- Kill It with Fire: Night Man disposes of a vampire by setting it on fire.
- Made of Explodium: Said vampire then leaps out of a window and explodes.
- New Media Are Evil: Keyes' Ultra Web is an obvious stand in for the internet. You know, until it starts teleporting people to cyberspace and letting monsters become real.
- The Other Darrin: Raleigh's actor was replaced for the second season. Other characters who were replaced are actually different characters but Raleigh is still just Raleigh.
- Remember the New Guy?: On some episodes a character that Johnny seems to know for a long time appears out of nowhere and they act like everything is the same. Though more often than not expect these characters to have the live expectancy of a Red Shirt.
- San Francisco: Where the show supposedly takes place. The writers sometimes forget this and well...
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Well let's see, a few people struck by lightning have gained Astral Projection, Psychic Powers, and Mind Rape. Where our hero gains the ability to... hear evil thoughts.
- Though in certain instances this could become Heart Is an Awesome Power, as in a fight due to his opponent's actions being created by evil thoughts pretty much tells him what his opponent will do next.