The Fantastic Journey is a blink-and-you-missed-it series that premiered on NBC in early 1977 and ran for ten episodes. It is still well-remembered by sci fi fans from that time because that was when genre entries were few and far between on the broadcast networks and this show at least attempted to bring some science fiction to Prime Time. It follows a scientific expedition that gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle on a mysterious land comprised of multiple “timezones” that travelers can pass through via hidden gateways. Several survivors from the expedition team up with a traveler from the future named Varian in search of “Evoland” where they can finally find the portal back to their own timelines. They would encounter a different society each week, following a similar sort of “Earth Trek” format that Gene Roddenberry had previously attempted with his failed pilots Genesis II and Planet Earth (more on those at this link). The Fantastic Journey had plenty of promise and a decent cast (including genre veteran Roddy McDowell), but it had been rushed into production and often suffered from hastily cobbled-together scripts. Had it stuck around for a second season, perhaps the show could have smoothed out its rough edges and worked its way into a classic genre entry. But it was cut short by NBC after getting placed in a difficult timeslot and also suffering from frequent preemptions. (You can read more about the show and why it was cancelled at this link.)
For those curious about The Fantastic Journey, or who may have seen it many years ago and would like to revisit it, you can find it available for free on the Crackle streaming service. That is a second-tier, ad-supported streaming service that has actually been around since 2004. It has changed ownership several times and was briefly known as Sony Crackle when that company took up ownership. It is now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and has a decent selection of television shows and movies to choose from. It was the home of the animated original SuperMansion, but with the change of ownership that superhero parody has since moved on to Prime Video and Tubi TV. Other past genre entries currently streaming on Crackle include Odyssey 5, The Greatest American Hero, Roughnecks: Starship Trooper Chronicles, Men in Black: The Series, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. The service is free, though they do ask you to set up a profile if want to create a watchlist. It is a great place to sample episodes of The Fantastic Journey, and if you decide you like the show, it is also available on DVD.
Stream The Fantastic Journey on Crackle
See our comprehensive list of past sci fi and fantasy shows available for streaming at this link
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