If you spent any part of 1976 hunched over a bowl of sugary cereal on a Saturday morning, you probably remember the neon spandex. You definitely remember the wrist-mounted gadgets. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl wasn’t just another show; it was a vibe. It was high-camp, low-budget brilliance that somehow carved out a permanent spot in the collective nostalgia of a generation.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked. It was essentially a low-rent, gender-flipped version of the 1966 Batman series, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. But here we are, decades later, still talking about it.
The premise was simple. Lori and Judy are "ace reporters" for Newsmaker Magazine. When the "Electra-Com" on their wrists starts beeping, they dash off to the "Electra-Base" to meet Professor Frank Heflin. They jump into the "Electra-Car" (which looks suspiciously like a modified golf cart) and fight villains with names like Glitter Rock or The Pharaoh.
The Original 1976 Magic
Deidre Hall played Electra Woman. Yes, that Deidre Hall—the one who has spent the last forty-plus years as Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives. She was joined by Judy Strangis as Dyna Girl. Unlike most sidekicks of the era, Dyna Girl wasn't just there to get kidnapped. She had her own gadgets and a "Holy Electra-Hertz!" catchphrase for every occasion.
The show only ran for 16 segments. That’s it. Just 16 short stories aired as part of The Krofft Supershow.
So why does it feel like there were hundreds?
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It’s because of the gadgets. The "Electra-Coms" were the Swiss Army knives of the 70s. They could emit a tractor beam, a "force shield," or just a bright light to blind the bad guys. To a kid in 1976, that was peak technology. The show leaned heavily into the "Electra" branding for everything: the Electra-Change, the Electra-Beam, the Electra-Plane. It was branding before branding was a corporate buzzword.
The Pilot That Almost Ruined Everything
Fast forward to 2001. The WB (now The CW) thought it was time for a reboot. But they didn't want the campy, bright version. They wanted... dark. Gritty. Depressing.
They cast Markie Post, the beloved star of Night Court, as a middle-aged, bitter, chain-smoking Electra Woman. In this version, Lori had been divorced and was living in a trailer park. Why? Because the original Dyna Girl had run off with her husband and stolen her money.
Basically, it was a cynical parody of the superhero genre before The Boys or Watchmen made that cool.
It was a disaster.
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The pilot never aired. If you hunt for it online, you can find low-quality clips of Markie Post looking miserable while the Flash and Aquaman make brief, bizarre cameos. It was a tonal mess that tried too hard to be "adult" while forgetting why people liked the original characters in the first place. Sometimes, you just want the spandex and the beeping wristbands, you know?
The YouTube Era Reboot
In 2016, we got another bite at the apple. This time, Legendary Digital Studios teamed up with YouTube icons Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart.
This version was a lot smarter. It moved the action to Akron, Ohio, and followed two amateur heroes trying to make it big in Los Angeles. It played with the idea of "superhero management" and the struggle of being a sidekick in the age of social media.
- Grace Helbig brought a dry, neurotic energy to Electra Woman.
- Hannah Hart played a Dyna Girl who was tired of being the second banana.
- The Empress of Evil turned out to be their annoying neighbor from Ohio.
It wasn't a masterpiece, but it felt authentic to the spirit of the original while acknowledging how weird the concept actually is. It focused on the friendship between the two women, which, honestly, was always the secret sauce of the show.
Why Electra Woman and Dyna Girl Still Matters
You've got to wonder why this specific property keeps getting dug up. It’s not like it has the massive lore of the MCU or the cultural weight of Wonder Woman.
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I think it’s because it represents a very specific kind of female empowerment that was rare in the 70s. Sure, it was campy. Yes, the special effects were literal flashlight beams. But Lori and Judy were independent. They were professional reporters. They didn't have male counterparts "leading" them (Professor Frank was more of a tech support guy).
They were the masters of their own destiny, even if that destiny involved fighting a guy in a gold-painted cardboard suit.
How to Revisit the Legend
If you're looking to dive back into the "Electra-Verse," here’s how you actually do it without getting lost in the weeds:
- Find the Original: The 1976 series is often bundled in "Krofft Superstars" DVD sets. You can also find most of the episodes on YouTube if you look for the Krofft Supershow archives. Watch "The Spider Lady" episodes first—they're the peak of the 70s aesthetic.
- Skip the 2001 Pilot: Unless you are a completionist who enjoys seeing Markie Post drink gin in a trailer, just read the Wikipedia summary. It’s better for your soul.
- Watch the 2016 Movie: It’s available on most streaming platforms (check Tubi or Amazon). It’s a fun, 80-minute meta-comedy that treats the source material with a mix of love and mockery.
- Look for the Merch: If you're a collector, the 1976 lunchbox is the holy grail. There was also a View-Master set that is weirdly beautiful.
The real takeaway here is that some characters are just "electric" enough to survive bad reboots and decades of obscurity. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl might never be the biggest names in the hero game, but they’ll always be there, waiting for the Electra-Com to beep one more time.