Before Henry Cavill put on the cape to play the Man of Steel, Dean Cain made us swoon as Superman in Lois & Clark (right). Now we get to root for Cain on the basketball court in the new VH1 series Hit The Floor, where he plays Pete Davenport, a retired b-ball player whose kryptonite is women. When his Hollywood-starlet wife leaves him, Pete decides to return to the court, this time as a coach for the L.A. Devils.

He's not wearing the tights, but Cain is still looking fine and fighting off the bad guys: Co-starring Kimberly Elise, Rick Fox and Charlotte Ross, Hit The Floor shows the steamier side of basketball, taking us into the locker room and beyond for a look at b-ball players and the cheerleaders that whip them into a frenzy.

Above, Dean talks about the show, and  the challenge of staying in character surrounded by half-naked dancers, and who would win in a fight—Pete Davenport or Clark Kent. (The answer may surprise you.)

Catch Hit The Floor on Monday May 27 at 9 pm on VH1