Wonder Woman (TV series)
Lynda Carter stars as the Amazon princess in a 1970s TV adaptation.
Wonder Woman (retitled *The New Adventures of Wonder Woman* for its second and third seasons) is an American superhero TV series adapted from the DC Comics character of the same name. Lynda Carter plays the dual role of Diana Prince and Wonder Woman, while Lyle Waggoner portrays Steve Trevor in the first season and his son, Steve Trevor Jr., in the second and third seasons. The show ran for three seasons, from 1975 to 1979. The first season aired on ABC and takes place during World War II in the 1940s. The following two seasons, broadcast on CBS, shift the setting to the late 1970s (the show’s present day) and carry the updated title.
**Plot**
In 1942, during World War II, U.S. pilot Major Steve Trevor (Waggoner) ejects from his plane over the Bermuda Triangle, the location of Paradise Island. This island is home to the Amazons—ageless, powerful women with great strength, agility, and intelligence. Amazon princess Diana (Carter) rescues the unconscious Trevor and helps nurse him back to health.
Diana’s mother, the Amazon queen (played by Cloris Leachman, later replaced by Carolyn Jones, and then Beatrice Straight in subsequent episodes), orders Olympic-style games to choose one Amazon to return Trevor to America. She forbids her daughter Diana from competing. Diana says she will not attend the games and instead retreats to the far side of the island. The games proceed with participants wearing masks and numbered tunics (Roman numerals in triangles on white sleeveless dresses).
Among the contestants is a masked blonde Amazon who performs exceptionally well, tying for first place with another competitor. To break the tie, a “bullets and bracelets” event is held: each woman takes turns shooting at the other, who must deflect the bullets with her bulletproof bracelets. The blonde woman wins, superficially wounding her opponent’s arm. When declared the winner, she removes her mask and wig, revealing herself as Diana. Her mother, initially shocked, eventually allows her to go to America.
Diana’s Wonder Woman uniform, designed by Queen Hippolyta, features American emblems. A golden belt serves as the source of her strength and power away from Paradise Island. She also has her bullet-deflecting bracelets and a golden lasso that is unbreakable and forces obedience and truthfulness from anyone bound by it. Later flashbacks show Hippolyta teaching Diana how to mag
- First aired
- 1975
- Last aired
- 1979
- Network
- ABC (season 1), CBS (seasons 2–3)
- Starring
- Lynda Carter, Lyle Waggoner
- Based on
- DC Comics character by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter
- Setting
- World War II (season 1); late 1970s (seasons 2–3)
Lore & Background
In 1942, during World War II, American pilot Major Steve Trevor bails out over the Bermuda Triangle and is rescued by Amazon princess Diana. Her mother, the Amazon queen, holds games to select one Amazon to return Trevor to America; Diana secretly competes and wins. She receives a uniform with a golden belt for strength, bullet-deflecting bracelets, and a golden lasso that forces truth and obedience. Diana flies to Washington, D.C. in an invisible plane, stops a bank robbery, and later works as a secretary while secretly serving as Wonder Woman.
Reader's Guide
The series is significant for bringing a major female superhero to television in the 1970s, with Lynda Carter's portrayal becoming iconic. The show's shift from a World War II setting to a contemporary late-1970s setting after moving from ABC to CBS reflected changing network strategies. The pilot episode, The New Original Wonder Woman, was produced after an earlier 1974 TV film starring Cathy Lee Crosby failed to be picked up. The series helped cement Wonder Woman as a pop culture figure and introduced elements such as the invisible plane and the lasso of truth to a broad audience.
Did You Know?
- The show's first season aired on ABC and is set in the 1940s during World War II.
- The second and third seasons aired on CBS and are set in the then-current day late 1970s, with the title changed to The New Adventures of Wonder Woman.
- The pilot episode was titled The New Original Wonder Woman and aired in November 1975.
- Debra Winger appeared as Drusilla / Wonder Girl in recurring episodes.
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