Way-cool American sci-fi television from the 1960s
The Jetsons 24 episodes (1962-63) 30m
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The Hanna-Barbera production team deftly satirised early-60s America in this animated classic set in 2062. George Jetson's stereotypical nuclear family (complete with super-cool dog) takes on the tribulations of everyday life. Captain Video-style kids' shows, capitalism, family values and social change all get the HB treatment. A later series didn't quite live up to its predecessor's standards.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 105 episodes (1964-68) 60m
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Classic technothriller that spawned a whole wave of spy shows. The show started as a classy small-screen drama before the producers decided to turn it into a spoof of itself for two over-the-top seasons. During that period viewers got tongue-in-cheek agents from UNCLE (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) using high-tech devices to battle the evil THRUSH. Groovy.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 110 episodes (1964-68) 60m
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Cheap but never nasty - this Irwin Allen production set the standard for low-budget SFX for years to come. Spun-off from the successful film, high-tech sub Seaview battles secret agents, femme fatales, monsters and other disasters. Grumpy Admiral Nelson and handsome Captain Crane never seem to agree - and the world is saved time and time again.
"Danger Will Robinson!" - Irwin Allen still doesn't have any money for special effects. Not to worry, the show became a cult-favourite nevertheless. Swiss Family Robinson gets lost in outer space when the villainous Dr Smith stows away and knocks their flying saucer out of orbit. The robot usually manages to steal the show, which helped take minds off the cheap sets and tacky costumes.
Early steampunk technothriller set in 19th-century America's Wild West. Good guy spies battle a gallery of surreal villains, including height-disadvantaged superscientist Dr Miguelito, played by Michael Dunn. A surprise hit for the American CBS network, after the premiere season the show hit the outer limits in full glorious colour. Re-runs remain extremely popular with sci-fi fans.
The Time Tunnel 30 episodes (1966-67) 60m
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Budgetary restrictions saw this show spend most of its time in the past rather than expensive futures. A scientific experiment traps the heroes in a vortex that offers almost unlimited opportunities to stuff-up other societies. Star James Darren managed to travel into the future and show up as a nightclub crooner on a Star Trek holodeck. Only lasted one season, but gets plenty of re-runs.
50s-style paranoia never translated all that well into the late-60s and, consequently, this show was short-lived. In a Fugitive-style never-ending chase, aliens have invaded and David Vincent seems to be the only one who knows about it. Unfortunately, the aliens disappear whenever they are killed, so things are hard to prove. Another short-lived 60s offering that remains popular.
Land of the Giants 51 episodes (1968-70) 60m
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Irwin Allen strikes again - only this time with a respectable budget. A suborbital ship carrying the entire cast passes through a portal to a land where everything is really big - although mysteriously Earthlike in most ways. Worked OK for a while, but the series was cancelled before the cast managed to make it back home. The miniaturising SFX are simplistic, but effective.
