I'm Just A Cool Fool For 80's TV Science Fiction
Buck Rogers and Star Trek: The Next Generation Shared Boob Tube Space With V, Manimal and Powers of Matthew Star
Will you come and time travel with me? Time Warp active in 3… 2… 1……
Ah, yes, let’s ruminate awhile on the fabled, fantastical Ronald Reagan era. Was it all simply a big, wacky dream? The 1980’s was chock full of so much of everything we took for granted, including pop culture goodness which still fascinates today. Horror, teen sex comedies, romantic comedies or lusty, laugh filled rom-coms buzzed about us. And then we had larger than life science fiction and high octane space opera.
Do ya likey the 80’s Sci-Fi? Sure you do! As do I, and there is a starship load of this supremely sparkly stuff for us to love.
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century 1979 - 1981
It began in 1979 and ran till 1981. Starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray (Silver Spoons), this was creator Glenn A. Larson’s sci-fi follow-up to his opulent opus, Battlestar Galactica. The shows crisscrossed so much so, that many of the futuristic props and even FX video segments from BG were recycled and employed to give Buck more bang for his boastful buck.
Fans will never accuse Buck Rogers of being a sci-fi masterpiece for the ages, but there’s no arguing about the irresistible allure of the show. Brimming with - at the time - cutting edge special FX, quirky characters and non-stop action, Buck Roger can never be properly called an entertainment landmark, but it’s sure a helluva lot of fun.
Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987 - 1994
Once an uncertain gamble, a sequel risk to Captain Kirk’s iconic space ace journeys, it’s now regarded as a legendary cornerstone of the powerful Star Trek franchise family. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) led his intrepid Starfleet crew on an enormous new version of Starship Enterprise for seven seasons.
Four feature films followed TNG’s syndicated broadcast run and now a continuation called Star Trek: Picard airs on Paramount +. Fans have expressed interest in even more Next Generation renewal. Since time travel isn’t yet possible, they’d love to see a proper animated series to bring back the cast on their beloved USS Enterprise D. Think the animated Lower Decks, but seriously launched.
Automan 1983 - 1984
Automobile man? Was this about the speedy motoring adventures of some futuristic auto show host? No, not quite. He was Automatic Man or Automan for short.
If you like Tron, you may have liked this Tron ripoff (inspired) Glen A. Larson created TV show. Starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner as Automan, the series utilized - unlike its bigger budget Disney produced inspiration - retro-reflective sheeting to make Automan appear as a digital holographic construct, instead of computer FX which were still in their infancy and extremely expensive. Whatever you think of it, the show was indeed sparkly.
V - 1983
Like guinea pigs? Who doesn’t, they’re such cute fuzzballs. So, here is fair warning. You may be traumatized while watching this memorable sci-fi miniseries.
This powerful miniseries stands the test of time. Although remade into a fairly successful reboot series in 2009, the original still packs a memorable punch. Its premise is simple: A fleet of enormous alien Starships enters into Earth orbit piloted by creatures who at first appear friendly (and human like) and even generous in their global assistance to our species. By the time Earth knows what they truly are - and the sickening truth about their raw high protein diet - it’s too late. Fear not, however, a band of feisty rebels resists and their valiant rebellion led to a sequel mini-series and later a limited run full blown TV show.
Manimal - 1983
He’s a man. He’s an animal. Manimal. See what they did there? He’s kind of like Beast Boy from Teen Titans with a European twist. Wait a minute, aren’t all men really predatory animals? Check out the opening narration which explains all of the animal morphing wackiness:
Dr Jonathan Chase... wealthy, young, handsome. A man with the brightest of futures. A man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa's deepest recesses, to the rarefied peaks of Tibet, heir to his father's legacy and the world's darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man... Manimal!
Comedian and actor Will Ferrell was interested in tackling a big feature version of Manimal, but that notion was floated 8 years ago, and no update since that time. So, it looks like we’ll have to wait awhile longer to see Manimal prowl around chasing bad guys on the big screen. Maybe Will learned his lesson after his enormous Land Of The Lost flop?
Starman 1986 - 1987
He came to our unsuspecting world from the far off stars. He left to go back to those distant stars. He returned to us in a TV show. How very starry eyed of him.
In the John Carpenter feature film, he was played by Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, while the TV show cast Robert Hays from Airplane fame as the enigmatic alien visitor, Starman. The show lasted only one season with a production of 22 episodes and the celebrated Hollywood heavyweight, Michael Douglas (Ant-Man) served as executive producer.
The Powers Of Matthew Star 1982 - 1983
Fittingly, he boasts a star infused name and he sports some truly badass powers which make him shine oh so brightly. All this and he’s assisted by the great Louis Gossett Jr. - Oscar winner drill sergeant who kicked cadet Richard Gere’s emotionally vulnerable ass in An Officer and A Gentleman. Did Matthew Star’s alien ass need kicking? Maybe.
Lasting 22 episodes over a single season, the science fiction adventure show has the distinction of being executive produced by Harve Bennett who guided such hits as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and would later go on to produce several of the original series Star Trek feature films. Unfortunately, it also has a distinction of being ranked #22 on TV Guide’s list of the worst television shows of all time. Is it truly that bad? I have vague memories of watching it as a kid, though I can’t confirm or deny, so maybe I’ll try to watch it again. How can it be that crappy with that cool hairdo?