Sci-Friday: The first four decades
A journey through Space and Time – Part 1 (1949-1989)
In celebration of Sci-Friday, I thought it’d be interesting to take a glance at the history of the genre on television, decade by decade. For obvious reasons, this will not be an exhaustive list and will be more focused on shows I’ve watched—though I will in some cases mention ones I haven’t if they had a significant impact (which, in itself, is a subjective notion, but you get the idea).
So, let’s jump right in!
1950s. The birth of television
Speaking of shows I haven’t watched, there will be a few of those here, starting with Captain Video and his Video Rangers. Though it started in 1949, it ran until 1955. This was actually the very first science-fiction show ever made. It was shot live (like most shows of the era) and targeted children, featuring space exploration and battles against alien threats.
There are only three shows I’m familiar with from this era that I can think of: The adventures of Superman (1952-58), Invisible man (1958-59) and, of course, the iconic Twilight Zone (1959-64).
Created by Rod Serling, the latter had a strong influence on subsequent shows and fascinated viewers at the time (and beyond) with its social commentary and twist endings.
Inivisible man was a British adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic—and, consequently, the first such adaptation for television. It was a decent show, though I have a soft spot for the American 70s version starring David McCallum.
As for Superman, well, it was the first small-screen adaptation of the famous DC Comics superhero, played here by George Reeves (not Reeve—that’s Christopher, who also played Superman in the 1980s feature films). It was popular, though in hindsight it was fairly common fare material.
Other shows from this timeframe I’ve never watched that had some impact (there are quite a few—I need to work on that!) include: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950-55), Space patrol (1950-55), Tales of tomorrow (1951-53), Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1954), and Science Fiction Theatre (1955-57).
1960s. The rise of science-fiction
With The Twilight Zone having most of its run in the 60s, it heralded the start of what many consider the Golden Age of science-fiction on television, with many shows that pushed the boundaries of storytelling and explored thought-provoking themes.
The first notable shows of the decade were both British, though their popularity abroad would only come much later.
The avengers (1961-69) had nothing to do with the comic book superheroes, but instead followed the adventures of enigmatic agents as they investigated strange occurrences that always ended up having a fantasy or science-fiction basis. It cleverly mixed elements of espionage with humor and John Steed’s impeccable and no-nonsense attitude.
As for Doctor Who, which first aired in 1963, it features a human-looking alien who travels through space and time in his TARDIS. Sixty years later (and after many different actors playing the title role), the series remains incredibly popular and influential.
That same year, American viewers were introduced to The outer limits. Similar in concept to the (at the time) still-running Twilight Zone, the anthology offered a slew of powerful episodes, often with a dark tone.
The 60s also saw the rise of Irwin Allen who had four shows in this era alone, starting with Voyage to the bottom of the sea (1964-68). His creations were typically lighter in tone with more of a focus on pure entertainment—though he did not shy away from more serious topics on occasion.
The highly popular Lost in space (1965-68) was another Irwin Allen production. Its story followed the adventures of a family lost in space (I bet you didn’t see that one coming!) and included memorable characters such as Robby the robot and main antagonist Dr. Smith. Fun fact: the actor who played the boy Will Robinson would play another famous role three decades later: Lennier in Babylon 5. He is also a singer with many independent albums under his belt.
This was also an era of experimentation, as evidenced by our next entry. The wild wild West (1965-69) artfully blended elements of three popular genres of the 60s: westerns, espionage, and science-fiction. The result was a tasty treat with colorful characters, crazy scripts, bizarre gadgets, wonderful acting, and a stunning opening with one of the most catchy themes ever written for television.
Next is another Irwin Allen production. The time tunnel (1966-67) follows two scientists who travel through time, each episode featuring a different historical period. It was a fun and instructive show that sadly did not last long, though it left a lasting mark on all who watched it.
1966 was a pivotal year, as it marked the launch of two other major genre shows, starting with Batman—television’s first live-action adaptation of the famous comic book superhero. I’ll admit, the first time I watched it, I was a bit put off by its irreverent tone. I had not expected this when the comic character is so serious and dark. With time, however, I grew to enjoy its colorful and cheeky rendition. The show’s visual style (created by director Robert Butler) is quite unique, as is its policy of cutting every story into two parts (“join us next week, same Bat-channel, same Bat-time!”)
And then came Star Trek. Possibly the most influential science-fiction show ever, despite its short run (only three seasons, from 1966 to 69). It became a cultural phenomenon and launched a decades-long franchise spanning multiple formats (books, feature films, video games, TV shows...) that is still going strong today. What can I say about Star Trek that hasn’t been said before? I’ll just stick to the personal. The show came late to France, though I’d heard of it before that, so I was thrilled to finally see it—I think it was in the early or mid-80s. Nor did it disappoint. The show has aged well, too, as I still find it very enjoyable to rewatch after all these years. One of my favorite episodes, by the way, is “The trouble with Tribbles.” Look it up if it doesn’t ring a bell, it’s hilarious!
As if all these great shows weren’t enough, the 60s offered two more major shows—one American, one British, both with very short runs (1967-68).
The invaders starred Roy Thinnes as David Vincent, an architect who discovers that aliens are invading our world disguised as humans. He tries to expose them while they chase him to remove a bothersome witness.
Finally, we have The prisoner. A singular, surreal, creepy, and yet incredibly compelling story about a former spy who is held captive in a mysterious village in an attempt to draw information out of him. Despite having a single season, the show offers viewers closure with a satisfying if bizarre ending.
1970s. Days of wonder
With the new decade came a new batch of shows, starting with The six million dollar man (1974-78) and its spinoff The bionic woman (1976-78). In the former, an astronaut gets the bionic treatment after a crippling accident. In the latter, it’s a former tennis pro. Both become spies with superhuman abilities they use to fight threats to national security.
And since we’re talking superhuman powers, I should mention Wonder Woman who made her official live-action television debut in 1975. The show ran for three seasons, starring Lynda Carter as the famous heroine and Lyle Waggoner as soldier Steve Trevor.
That same year, the British pulled off another classic with Gerry Anderson’s memorable Space: 1999 starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Barry Morse. Despite a scientifically questionable premise (a thermonuclear explosion knocks the Moon out of orbit), the show had intriguing scripts, with exotic aliens and a stellar cast.
The decade closed with Glen A. Larson’s Battlestar Galactica (1978-79). At the time, it was the most expensive show on television, and those costs eventually drove it off the air. Its short run was however influential, and despite accusations of plagiarism (20th Century Fox claimed the show stole ideas from “Star Wars”) it became a cult favorite and was later remade into a much more successful show in the 2000s.
Finally, and even though they were not quite so popular or influential, I have fond memories of three short-lived shows of this era that I feel compelled to mention: The invisible man (1975-76) starring David McCallum, Man from Atlantis (1977-78) with Patrick Duffy, and Logan’s run (1977-78) starring Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies.
1980s. The best years of my life
As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching all of these shows and more. I first fell in love with the genre reading novels by Isaac Asimov, Clifford D. Simak, and A.E. Van Vogt. Growing up, I loved seeing so many fantasy and science-fiction shows on television.
I remember first watching V on a big screen, though I couldn’t say the details now of where or why—but it likely was in Saudi Arabia where we lived at the time. I must have been 12 or 13, yet I still vividly remember that one scene when we first see the true face of the aliens. Definitely a highlight of my childhood.
Then came the memorable remake of The Twilight Zone (1985-89) which included an adaptation of a short story by my favorite author Roger Zelazny—one of the very few of his works. As a side note, it’s worth mentioning that some of the teleplays were written by George R.R. Martin (including that Zelazny adaptation), who is now of course better known as the author of Game of thrones. J. Michael Straczynski (who would later create Babylon 5) also contributed some scripts.
In 1987 premiered the highly popular spinoff Star Trek: The next generation (1987-94) that essentially followed the same template as the original series but with a brand new cast of characters. It followed a string of hit movies that helped transition smoothly between the two casts.
Another compelling show of the 80s was Quantum leap (1989-93). I’ve always had a soft spot for time travel stories, so this one hit all the marks for me. Here we follow Dr. Sam Beckett as he leaps through time, always landing in the body of a local, and uses the opportunity to right historical wrongs. More often these had to do with small incidents rather than world-shattering events.
Before wrapping up this decade, I’ll list some of the smaller shows I enjoyed at the time: Manimal (1983) about a man who can morph into animals to solve crimes; Automan (1983-84) where a computer-generated superhero helps the police with ongoing investigations; Misfits of science (1985-86) that features a team of individuals with superhuman abilities; Shadow chasers (1985-86) about a paranormal investigator and his skeptical journalist partner; and finally Starman (1986-87) which follows the same alien from the 1984 feature film (played by a different actor) as he travels with his son to find the boy’s missing mother while running from the government.
Parting words
Thus concludes today's stroll down Memory Lane, I hope you enjoyed it!
Click here to read Part 2 for more as I explore the following decades, leading up to the present day.
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So what about you? What were your favorites of the covered decades?
Are there important shows I didn't list that you feel I should have mentioned?
Let us know in the comments!
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Text (c) 2023 by Alex S. Garcia.
Header image made from royalty-free pictures edited by me.
All the shows mentioned and the related screenshots are copyright by their respective owners.
Fabulous listing. I used to watch many of these.
The Outer Limits in 1950s.