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.
[Updated]
What Is It? This sci fi anthology series was a spin-off of sorts from HBO’s popular Tales from the Crypt. Like that series, it drew most of its stories from the EC comics of the ’50s, but instead of the supernatural/horror angle, it pulled from the science fiction/fantasy titles issued by the publisher like Weird Science and Weird Fantasy.
Aired: HBO, 1997, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes
Notable Guest Stars: Keith Carradine, David Warner, Yancy Butler, William Shatner, Sean Astin
Is It Must Watch Sci Fi TV? Not necessarily. Fans of the anthology format may want to check this one out, and it did have some interesting guest stars, but it does not stand out as one of the stronger genre anthologies.
The Skinny: HBO had found success with its EC Comics-based horror anthology that ran for seven years through much of the ’90s and decided to follow that one up with a similar series after Tales from the Crypt wrapped up in 1996. Perversions of Science also relied on the classic comics from the ’50s for its source material, with more of a sci fi focus, and followed the campy, over-the-top style of its predecessor. Instead of the Cryptkeeper as its host, the new show delivered the lusty CGI female robot named Chrome to introduce the stories and make a quick commentary at the end. And of course, it threw in nudity, sex, profanity, and violence because it could, seeing as it aired on the premium cable channel.
The creative team was basically the same as Tales from the Crypt, and there was plenty of talent onboard for this show. Well-known actors like David Warner and William Shatner made appearances, while up-and-coming faces like Jeremy London and Yancy Butler used this to pad out their resumes. And among the writers and directors were such names as David S. Goyer, Tobe Hooper, and Mark Verheiden, while genre mainstay Danny Elfman provided the opening theme. Across its short, ten-episode run, the show delivered a few gems as well as a few clunkers, pretty much the standard for an anthology. Given a few seasons, this one might have been able to hit its stride and count as a sci fi TV gem. But it came and went far too quickly and is mostly forgotten now.
Cancelled Too Soon? Probably. HBO’s Tales from the Crypt had just concluded a successful seven-year run on the premium cable channel, and certainly network execs hoped this one would pick up the torch and run with it for a few seasons at least. But apparently, the viewers were not as engaged (and I honestly do not remember much promotion for this show), so the network ended it after one, ten-episode season.
Should It Be Rebooted? Possibly. The series as it was originally made and titled never made much of an impression, so it is unlikely that we would see a direct reboot. But the EC sci fi comics have plenty of good stories that could be mined, so a new anthology based on that material would be a great idea.
Interesting Fact: The title may have been what worked against this show because it does not suggest the link to EC Comics like Tales from the Crypt did. Weird Science (an actual EC title) was already being used by the John Hughes film which had also spun off into a TV series that was airing at the same time this one premiered. Weird Fantasy and Incredible Science Fiction (two other EC titles) were available, but for some reason the producers decided to go with Perversions of Science.
Where Can You Watch It? This show was never released on DVD, nor is it available for streaming that I am aware of. You can find episodes on YouTube, though the video of varying quality.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
More Sci Fi TV Obscurities at This Link
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