Mr. Terrific is a show with many fathers. Batman, whose campy TV show had been burning up the airwaves, naturally inspired copycats. Another DC comic book character was also a big influence - the mildly obscure 40s hero Hourman. Rex "Tick Tock" Tyler, a pharmacist, invented a drug called Miraclo which would give him super powers for one hour. Unfortunately, following all these formulas left the series very formulaic. His powers were the standard Superman set - he could fly, was bulletproof, and could lift houses. It was not a super hero show, though. Instead of super villains, the hero battled spies. His 1 hour power pill was almost guaranteed to wear off just as he needed his powers most, leaving him to find some way of getting at his 10 minute booster pill. Plus, there was Dick Gautier's character, a Lothario of a best friend, who had to both be kept in the dark and rescued on occasion, and the hero's mother - ditto. After cancellation, they combined a couple of the episodes into a made-for-TV movie. All the elements are there - the spies, the pill problems, the hero's friends. If you see the movie, you've seen the show. Not a bad program, fitting in well with the late Sixties brand of screwball comedy. If you like Gilligan's Island, or imagined Get Smart with super powers, you would like it. But you'd like The Greatest American Hero better. Same idea, better execution.
Review of Mr. Terrific
