Best Classic American TV Do-Gooder Hero Shows

By Raymond Lockley

They are outside the law, but they uphold the law. They are like super-heroes, but they have no super-powers (although they often have super-gadgets). They are the all-American do-gooder.

The classic era of TV (i.e. my younger days) was never short of primetime, crime-time heroes. They don't fit into a law enforcement category, nor are they science fiction because the feats they accomplish are possible. There is something dark and wounded about them, and they usually have a secret identity. And it seems like they are usually rich. (Pays for the gadgets and cool costumes.)

Here is my personal list of the best live-action shows (some set contemporarily, some not) featuring one or more of these larger-than-life do-gooders:

  1. Batman, 1966-68
  2. The Lone Ranger, 1949-57
  3. The Saint, 1962-69
  4. The Green Hornet, 1966-67
  5. Zorro, 1957-59
  6. The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-60

Honorable Mention

There are many shows which you may well feel as though they ought to be listed here. An all-American hero like Superman certainly does deserve a mention whenever you talk about do-gooders (or truth, justice, and the American way) because they added so much to the legendarium--and shows like The Adventures of Superman" were definitely among the television pioneers. However, we are listing here only the shows where the characters are mere mortals. Superman, you'll recall, comes from the planet Krypton and has super-powers, and therefore is most appropriately listed under science fiction. Nevertheless, great laud and honorable mention is due you here, Superman...

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