All of the major characters from the first episode return. The second episode was a celebrity roast of the superheroes hosted by Ed McMahon. Only after the whole battle is over, and the heroes have proven victorious, does Scarlet Cyclone arrive to give his aid. Despite the fact that they now lack their super-powers, the heroes fight the villains, and manage to both disarm the bomb and recover their powers. It's all actually a ruse to trick the heroes into drinking Mordru's de-powering potion. The party is interrupted by the Legion of Doom (Riddler, Weather Wizard, Sinestro, Mordru, Doctor Sivana, Giganta and Solomon Grundy), who announce they have hidden a deadly bomb in a secret location, and the heroes must follow clues to find it. In the first episode, the Justice League of America (Batman, Robin, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Captain Marvel, Huntress and Black Canary) unite at the Hall of Heroes to celebrate elderly retired superhero Scarlet Cyclone's birthday. The specials were produced like standard variety shows of the time: on videotape and with a laugh track.
The series was loosely based on Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends animated series, then airing on Saturday mornings on ABC but served as a reunion of sorts for the 1960s' Batman TV series, as it brings back together three of its stars reprising their respective roles. Legends of the Superheroes is an umbrella title for two 60-minute live-action television specials produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired on NBC on January 18 and 25, 1979.