Sci Fi TV Obscurities: The Phoenix (1982)

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: A look at sci fi and fantasy TV shows that made it to the air only briefly before getting cast to the television wasteland.

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What Is It? A man is found alive and in suspended animation in a tomb beneath ruins in Peru. He is revived and reveals himself to be an ancient alien who came to Earth from the planet Eldebran many centuries ago. His name is Benu and he possesses special abilities linked to his Phoenix amulet which gets its power from the sun. He does not remember what his purpose on Earth, but it is later revealed that he must find his companion Mira who is at an unspecified location on the planet. He is pursued by the authorities and must also contend with the evil Yago, another alien from Eldebran.  This is all detailed in the opening narration from the series:

Long ago, in a remote corner of the world, ancient astronauts landed from a distant planet with a gift for mankind… the Phoenix. For a thousand years, he has waited… suspended in time. Now, he’s awakened to complete his mission. He searches for his partner, Mira. For only she knows his ultimate assignment on Earth. Dependent on the sun for his strength and survival, endowed with a superior intelligence, he has fully developed the powers of the human mind. Relentlessly pursued by those who seek to control him, he must stay free. The Phoenix.

Aired: ABC, 1981-82, 1 Season Totaling 9 Episodes (Including the Pilot)

Starring: Judson Scott, Richard Lynch, E.G. Marshall

Created By: Anthony Lawrence, Nancy Lawrence

Is It Must Watch Sci Fi? No. Genre fans of the 70s and 80s may enjoy it as a retro sci fi entry, but it does not count as an essential series.

The Skinny: This series started out as a TV movie that aired in Spring of 1981 and then it briefly carried on as an ongoing series the following year. Inspired by Erich von Däniken’s books Chariots of the Gods? and Gods from Outer Space, the series tapped into the public interest in UFOs at that time (even though it was a fading trend by then). The pilot introduces Bennu as an ancient alien with links to Egyptian and South American mythology, and he is the sole alien on Earth mentioned in the TV movie. Then the series retooled the concept a bit and added the character Mira to give him someone to search for as well as Yago to act as one of Bennu’s adversaries. But despite the alien connection, the show follows a similar formula to The Incredible Hulk (which had already borrowed from The Fugitive) with the lead character encountering different people each week while on the run from the authorities.

The basic concept had some promise, especially if it had been allowed to explore more of the mythology of the ancient aliens. But as was typical of TV shows at that time, it instead relied on run-of-the-mill television plots that weren’t much different than the next show and that relied very little on special effects. Series star Judson Scott did well enough in the lead and was capable of carrying the series. And long-time TV and movie heavy Richard Lynch did a decent job as the government agent pursuing Bennu. But the show was never given the chance to prove itself and explore the potential of its premise.  It instead disappeared from the schedule all too quickly and became yet another casualty of an era when network execs had little tolerance for sci fi.

Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. The 1981 pilot did well enough to convince ABC to greenlight the show as a mid-season replacement, but the network placed it in the brutal Friday 9 PM EST timeslot against Dukes of Hazzard on CBS, which was still a top-rated show at that time. Only four episodes were aired before ABC yanked it from the schedule. The entire series was later aired on the Sci Fi Channel in its early days.

Should It Be Rebooted? Probably not. As mentioned above, the show had an interesting premise involving the ancient aliens and their lore, and that could definitely be mined for some good stories.  But this one is barely remembered anymore, so it is unlikely one of the networks or streaming services would have an interest in reviving it.

Interesting Fact: Judson Scott is likely a familiar face to many sci fi fans, best remembered as Khan’s right-hand man Joachim in Star Tek: The Wrath of Khan. He later showed up in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Symbiosis” and the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Message in a Bottle” (playing different characters). He was a regular on the short-lived V TV series in 1985 and also guest-starred on Babylon 5, The X-Files, and Charmed.

Where Can You Watch It? The series has never been released on DVD, nor is it available on any of the streaming services. You can find episodes on YouTube, but the video quality (usually transfers from VHS) is poor.

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com

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