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.
What Is It? In the near future, a special group of government agents known as the “Highwaymen” drive high-tech trucks packed with advanced gear which they use for crime-fighting in an increasingly dangerous world, as explained in the opening narration:
There is a world, just beyond now, where reality runs a razor thin seam between fact and possibility; where the laws of the present collide with the crimes of tomorrow. Patrolling these vast outlands is a new breed of lawman, guarding the fringes of society’s frontiers, they are known simply as “Highwaymen”… and this is their story…
Aired: NBC, 1987-88, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes (Including the pilot)
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Mark “Jacko” Jackson, Jane Badler, Tim Russ
Created By: Glen A. Larson, Douglas Heyes
Is It Must Watch Sci Fi TV? No. This show delivers a blast of ’80s cheesiness, and it is at least worth checking out for Sam Jones fans, but it is definitely not essential sci fi.
The Skinny: In the 1980s, the broadcast networks had little to offer for sci fi and fantasy fans, and the occasional shows that did appear rarely lasted more than a season or two. Among the few that did find some success were the crime fighter shows with high-tech vehicles like Knight Rider and Airwolf. The Highwayman followed that formula with a near-future twist and just so happened to come from Knight Rider creator Glen A. Larson. As with the David Hasselhoff series, this show tried to appeal to the broader Prime Time audience, not just sci fi fans, and it did not take many chances with its stories. It incorporated plenty of copy-and-paste dialogue and plots and little in the way of sci fi elements beyond the high-tech equipment. But it could still be fun at times and might have turned into a decent series if given more of a chance.
The pilot aired in 1987 and offered a slightly different take on the concept than the series that followed in 1988. The main Highwayman character (played by Sam Jones and referred to appropriately enough as “Highway”) was more mysterious and more of a loner. And his truck had more functions like invisibility. The series expanded the cast by bringing in the Highwayman Jetto to pair off with the show’s lead and also add a bit of comic relief (he was played by ex-Australian footballer Mark “Jacko” Jackson, best known at that time for his appearance in the Energizer battery commercials before getting supplanted by the infamous pink bunny). Overall, the acting is as stilted as expected from a show like this, despite the talent involved (see below), and did little to overcome the subpar scripts. But if given another season, this one might have been able to develop into somewhat of a gem instead of becoming mostly forgotten as an ’80s cheese-fest that came and went with barely a notice.
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. After the pilot performed well in 1987, the series debuted in Spring of 1988 airing on Friday nights where it competed for the genre audience with Beauty and the Beast on CBS–which was also in its first season. The Highwayman did not pull in the desired ratings, and it was expensive to produce with all its high-tech equipment. The show ended up getting cancelled by its network after only nine episodes following its pilot.
Should It Be Rebooted? Possibly, but it won’t. The concept has potential and you could take it in a lot of different directions. But the series never made much of a name for itself, so it’s unlikely this one would be considered as a reboot candidate.
Interesting Fact: This show is a who’s who of former and future genre actors. Sam Jones is of course best known for starring in 1980’s Flash Gordon and was unfortunately typecast in the role making it difficult to find other acting jobs. This show surely seemed like a good fit (though that very ’80s haircut did not), but sadly disappeared too soon. In the pilot, Babylon 5‘s Claudia Christian played the Highwayman’s boss, but she was replaced in the series with Jane Badler, best known to sci fi fans at that time as the villainous Diana from V. Also added during the series was Tim Russ as the high-tech repairman. He would go on to play the Vulcan Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, and interestingly his name in The Highwayman was D.C. Montana, a callout to Trek‘s D.C. Fontana. In addition, Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey) stopped by for a guest star appearance in one episode.
Where Can You Watch It? The show has not been released on DVD nor is it available for streaming on any of the major services. You can find episodes on YouTube, but sadly the video quality is usually quite poor.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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