Name those B-Movie-esque TV Shows!

[Villano]

Even with the banjo-laden theme song, it was still better than the a new version that was done some years back on ABC. (199, 200?) In that one, an SUV fell into a crevice, drives through something that looked like it was stolen from the Time Tunnel, and enter a modified version of the Land of the Lost. Naturally, they found trees whose sap produced something which could be burned by an SUV's engine.

That's a classic case of "it seemed like a good idea at the time". Even though the original was not exactly Masterpiece Theatre, the new one showcased how dumbed down kid's tv is nowadays.

Of course, the question arises to the worst show of a given era. For the period from 1979 through the early 1980s, I would argue that Buck Rogers was worse than Battlestar Galactica. (Okay, it was better than Galactica: 1980, but what wasn't. ) The only semi-redeemable episode featured Mark Lenard (Sarek, Spock's father on Star Trek) in a guest role. This was an example of a decent actor making the best of a poorly written script. Even with this handicap, Lenard made Gil Gerard seem like a stiff.

Actually, season 1 was actually pretty good. That was the time it was set on Earth.

I totally agree with you on season 2 when they strangely decided to set it on a spaceship and get rid of Dr. Huer (sp?), Princess Ardala, Tiger Man, Kane, and Dr. Theopolis, and add the tall, arrogant robot and Mr. Spock, er, Hawk. It was like a completely different series. A completely different and bad series.

"Monster Squad" -- I believe this was an NBC program in the 1970s. Essentially, an inventor revives Count Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster and reforms them so they can fight crime.

I never saw this and I wish I had. As a kid, I was such a monster nut, I would have loved it. I do have the board game, though. Back in elementary school, they kept board games for recess in case it rained and you couldn't go outside. At the end of the year, they were throwing away some the old ones and I asked the teacher if I could have it.

Nightman -- Another production, possibly the last, from B-TV show king Glen Larson. I want to say this ran in the late 1990s or early 2000s. It centered on a musician who was the son of a retired cop. The musician gains limited psychic abilities from a lightning bolt and a powered battle suit from an inventor. I believe this was based on a Marvel comic.

Close. It was based on a Malibu comic, but then Marvel bought out Malibu, ironically enough, for their coloring processes (as far as I know, none of the dozens of characters Malibu owned are being published by Marvel).

Malibu also published Men In Black, giving Marvel its first good comic book movie adaption.

And, IMO, it was one of the worst things to hit television. Man, was it terrible! It had the type of fx you couldn't see on tv since the early '80s and the lamest stories around. "Oh, no! Look, the villains are Al Capone and John Dillinger! Apparently, they were in cryogenic statis the whole time! And, look at that, they are adapting to the 21st century surprising well!"

Mutant X -- Not very good in my opinion.

The 1st season was okay from what I saw of it. I can't even sit through a single episode of the new one.

And,if you look at the credits, you can see Marvel listed. They sued after the series premiered because they felt having a title with both "Mutant" and "X" in it was too close to home.

Marvel's had the habit of suing people in the past that they thought were trying to leech off X-Men. Usually, I think their claims are ridiculous (suing Dark Horse for their vigilante superhero "X" since you can't copyright a letter), but in this case, I have to agree. Especially, since some of the actors bear more than a passing resemblance to the cast of the movie X-Men.

Andromeda -- Shows the wisdom of NOT letting Kevin Sorbo take creative control of a show. Good premise, but bad execution. (Some attractive actresses for Mark to ... enjoy their acting talent. Lexa Doig plays D&D, but I think she is dating Michael Shanks of Stargate: SG-1. Sorry, Mark.)

It's becoming more and more like Trek everyday, isn't it? Sorbo seems to be channeling Kirk, making out with a new woman each week.

However, for some reason, I enjoy it. I just put my brain on autopilot and go with it.

Okay, I admit it! I watch simply for Lexa Doig, the perfect woman!

 

[William Ronald]

Villano wrote:
Okay, I admit it! I watch simply for Lexa Doig, the perfect woman!

No objection, Villano. (From what I have read about Lexa Doig, she also sounds like she would be great to have at the gaming table!) I would like to say that Lexa Doig's character, who is an android, usually seems more interesting than Dylan Hunt. The show has suffered since it lost many of its best writers.

One of the ironies about Andromeda is that Gene Rodenberry wrote the pilot in the 1970s as a future version of the Star Trek universe where the Federation had fallen. The main character was Dylan Hunt.

This also brings to mind the very short-lived Rodenberry series from the 1970s, Genesis II. It featured a man from the 20th Century, whose name I believe was Dylan Hunt, who was awakened from suspended animation in an post-apocalyptic world. The show may have influenced the Gamma Word game as people with psychic abilities were called espers. The show may have been limited to a pilot.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

"Monster Squad" -- I believe this was an NBC program in the 1970s. Essentially, an inventor revives Count Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster and reforms them so they can fight crime.

Thanks!

I've been trying to remember the name of this show for years, and gave up on ever finding it a long time ago. I vaguely remember watching it when I was 4 or 5 years old, and really only remember the opening sequence, but it is one of those things that got me started on my love of monster movies.

Also, I seem to remember a show in the early/mid 70s that had the mummy on it as well. Maybe that was just an episode of this show?

 

[William Ronald]

It was likely an episode of Monster Squad or Isis, in all likelihood. Either or both may well have had a mummy episode.

 

[drnuncheon]

I don't think I've seen this one mentioned:

ROAR

As I recall, it was a sort of Celticy show with Romans, done in a slightly more serious style than Xena or Hercules.

Ah, here's a site:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-1262/

J

 

[Black Omega]

Hmm...how about Jack 'O Trades. The only thing I can remember seeing Bruce Campbell in that so completely sucked it wasn't worth watching. Right in the same class as Cleopatra 2525.

On the other hand, I remember enjoying Ark II when I was a little kid.

 

[Villano]

Hmm...how about Jack 'O Trades. The only thing I can remember seeing Bruce Campbell in that so completely sucked it wasn't worth watching. Right in the same class as Cleopatra 2525.

Yeah, Jack Of All Trade majorly sucked. Everything about it was bad except the acting. The concept of having the entire thing set on an island was just a cheap excuse to use all the Hercules sets. And the "comedy" was horribly unfunny.

Cleo, OTOH, I thought was good for what it was; eye candy and cheezy action. Basically, it tried to put the Hercules formula into the future and it worked...for me, at least.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

"Electro-Woman and Dyna Girl"-- a younger Deirdre Hall and someone else were part of a superhero team using technology to shock people. Quite dreadful.

Why that was Judy Strangis as "Dyna Girl" and Deidre Hall played "Electra Woman." Sadly, I did not have to look up this information, but it's permanently in my head for some reason.

"Sasquatch and Wildboy" A young man raised by Bigfoot. For some strange reason, Bigfoot was afraid to cross flowing water.

I believe the title actually was "Bigfoot and Wildboy" but this one I'm not 100% sure on. I'm scaring myself with my useless Krofft trivia knowledge....

Swamp Thing -- Very cheap production values.

The evil doctor was played by Mark Lindsay Chapman, who once lost a t.v role as John Lennon since his real name closely matched that of Lennon's killer. And the bimbo eye-candy was lovingly portrayed by Kari Wuhrer (of "Remote Control" and "Sliders"), at least for part of the run.

I believe the name was "The Krofft SuperShow" or some such thing. They were the folks responsible for "Sigmund & the Sea Monsters," whose theme-song summons Azathoth.

And many other bad shows I watched in the 1970s. They peaked with their first show, H.R. Pufnstuf, but also produced all those wonderful "Krofft Supershow" serials: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Dr. Shrinker, Wonderbug, etc. Other stand-alone series included The Bugaloos and Lidsville, the Land of Living Hats. Yes, hats. A show about living hats. There were good hats, and bad hats, and an evil magician, and a good genie, and a kid just trying to get back to his own world. Which is so very different from the plot of H.R. Pufnstuf, which had a good flute, and an evil witch, and a boy who was just trying to get back to his own world...

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Well I thought I would post some interesting comments =)!

Firstly, that strangely liked but tacky as hell British show Blake's Seven! That was a laugh...

Sliders could have been really good... shame they entirely messed up the very concept, and with great potential in the actors. Disappointing beyond the first episode or so I feel. Andromeda... yes it would have been far better *as* a post ST world. Kevin sucks... I kinda like the guy with chainmail though. Lexa... what else can be said ! *Sigh*... Land of the Giants was incredible fun at lunchtimes when I was a kid (and that was the reruns about ten years ago). As was Time Tunnel. Don't forget Doctor Who (tackiest with Sylvester McCoy). And I think that the worst comic based show was a VERY bad pilot of live-action Justice League. Quantum leap... now that show ruled - I recently obtained the first series to watch... great fun for all the family, could be funny, touching, serious, and not quite sci-fi enough so that everybody could watch.

Recent shows are hard to rate at this stage. I don't think much of charmed. Nothing compared to the classics that were Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Dark Angel is only worth watching for Ms. Alba. Going back to British shows: there were some good kids classics - Knightmare anyone? Aquila was more recent but very well done I thought. The Girl from Tomorrow (was that the title? it was an aussie show). Ahhhh I do like to reminisce (sp?).

 

[Hand of Evil]

How about HR Puff-n-stuff.