Streaming Finds: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest available on the streaming services.
What Is It? This classic sci fi comedy follows the adventures of the Earth-man Arthur Dent, the alien Ford Prefect, the Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox, the paranoid android Marvin, and more as they travel through the galaxy and consult the Hitchhiker’s Guide for information on the planets and aliens they encounter.
Starring: Simon Jones, David Dixon, Mark Wing-Davey, Sandra Dickinson, David Learner, Peter Jones
The Skinny: This six-part series draws heavily from the radio series and the first book from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy franchise and does a very good job of visually adapting the already beloved story. It does suffer some from being a low-budget BBC production, but the visuals are actually better than you might expect, never sinking to the same levels of classic Doctor Who at its cheesiest. I did not care too much for the look of Marvin the Android (though I liked him better than the movie version) and they turned Trillian into more of a blond bimbo, which is very different from the character in the radio show and books. But apart from these nitpicks, the TV series does an excellent job with the other characters and especially the Hitchhiker’s Guide which retains the voice services of Peter Jones from the radio series. Despite its budget limitations, this series did a much better job of bringing the story to life than the 2005 movie and its closest to the radio show which was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy‘s quintessential format.
All six episodes are available for streaming on Prime Video if you have Amazon Prime and they are also available on Hulu. At thirty minutes per episode, this is a quick watch and definitely worth your time.
Watch The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy on Prime Video
Watch The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy on Hulu
Click on the following links for a comprehensive list of the Sci Fi TV Shows available on Netflix | Prime Video | Hulu | Other Services
