Sci Fi TV Flashback: Highlander (1992)

Sci Fi TV Flashback: Looking back at notable sci fi and fantasy television entries from years past.

What Is It? Carrying on the story of the immortals that began with the feature film Highlander in 1986, this series focuses on Duncan MacLeod who is from the same clan as Connor MacLeod (played by Christopher Lambert in the movie and the series pilot). Duncan had decided to avoid others of his kind, but finds himself pulled back into “The Game” as he must continue to do battle with other immortals until there is only one left.

Aired: Syndication, 1992-98, 6 Seasons Totaling 119 Episodes

Starring: Adrian Paul, Stan Kirsch, Amanda Wyss, Jim Byrnes, Peter Wingfield

Created By: Davis-Panzer Productions

Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Possibly, a sampling at least. It is worth watching the premiere which has Christopher Lambert reprising his role from the films. After that, you can search out a best-of list on the internet to get a good idea of what the show was about.

The Skinny: During the ‘90s, sci fi was fairing well on television away from the broadcast networks, and this series arrived in syndication to deliver another genre entry that would stick around for a multi-year run. As with every incarnation of Highlander that followed the 1986 film, this series created its own alternate universe where many immortals still exist on Earth (the film ends—Spoiler Alert?—with Connor as the last immortal standing). Duncan Macleod had made the choice to remove himself from the affairs of immortals and try to live a quiet life with the human woman he loved, but that would make for a boring series, and he quickly finds himself sword-to-sword with others of his kind.

The first season of this show started off somewhat uneven, with Duncan’s attempts to steer clear of his destiny acting as somewhat of an impediment to the show’s progression. But by the second season, changes to the format and the cast freed up the show and it became more about the story of the conflict of the immortals as well as an exploration of Duncan’s past. And this show was somewhat of a groundbreaker for the genre with its extensive use of flashback sequences. That would later become a standard story device for sci fi TV, but it was rather unique in the ‘90s.

Highlander followed a mostly episodic format, though it did have some story arcs throughout its run. And while it did get a bit formulaic, the show still delivered its fair share of good episodes across its six-year run. Its strong point was its cast, headed by Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod who proved that he could carry a show past the cult following of the original film. That supporting and guest stars also contributed to the show, most notably Peter Wingfield in the recurring role of Methos and Stan Kirsh as the young immortal that Duncan is training. Highlander never gained the same reputation as the other long-running ‘90s off-network genre shows like the Star Trek spin-offs, Babylon 5, and Hercules and Xena, but it is a notable entry from that era and arguably the best rendition of the franchise next to the original film, and it is worth checking out.

Buy Highlander: The Series on DVD from Amazon.com

Cancelled Too Soon? No. The original plan was to end the show after its fifth season, but then a sixth season was ordered which was designed to lead into a female-led spin-off (the short-lived Highlander: The Raven). Adrian Paul was busy with the filming of Highlander: Endgame, though, so the sixth year only delivered thirteen episodes. The show did not end with a final battle between the immortals because the plan was to carry on the story in the spin-off series, though that one ended up getting cancelled after one season.

Revival: The story of Duncan MacLeod continued into the 2000 film Highlander: Endgame where he again teamed up with Connor (with Lambert returning to the role). That movie (like all of the Highlander film sequels following the first) was poorly reviewed and the franchise stalled. In 2007, the characters came together again in Highlander: The Source, but that ready-for-MST3K film is best forgotten. Duncan Macleod’s adventures were also continued in book and comic format, and Big Finish produced four officially licensed audio productions with Adrian Paul returning to voice the character.

Should It Be Rebooted? Possibly. Adrian Paul is not getting any younger (he is 61 as of this writing), so it may be difficult to explain why the immortal has aged unless they set it much further in the future. Taking that approach and possibly allowing him to hand off the lead to another actor could be interesting. But there is a big screen reboot of the franchise in the works with John Wick director Chad Stahelski attached, so it is unlikely that a new television version would happen anytime soon.

Interesting Fact: The original plan was for the show to follow from the film and focus on Connor Macleod with Adrian Paul recast in the role. However, Paul wanted to put his own spin on the lead role and preferred to avoid comparisons to Lambert’s performance, so he convinced the writers to create a new character. That worked out quite well as Paul really made a mark with the character and Duncan MacLeod was ranked Number 11 in TV Guide’s list of the “25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends”.

Where Can You Watch It? The entire series has been released on DVD, but it has not received the Blu-ray treatment yet. It is also available for streaming on NBC’s Peacock streaming service as well as several free platforms like Vudu Free and Tubi TV. (More on that at this link.)

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com.

More Sci Fi TV Flashbacks at this link

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