The 1978 Dr. Strange pilot may not measure up to the MCU movies, but it did deliver some good, cheesy ’70s fun and could have turned into an interesting series.
[Updated]
What Is It?
This 1978 movie-of-the-week introduced Prime Time audiences to Marvel’s Doctor Strange (though the honorific is abbreviated to Dr.) as CBS mulled adding that character to its growing superhero line-up which included The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman at that point. In the movie, the demon Balzaroth seeks to cross over to Earth and tasks Morgan Le Fay with either defeating Earth’s aging Sorcerer Supreme (something she failed to do five hundred years previous) or killing his successor. Thomas Lindmer is Le Fay’s target, but she fails in her first attempt to eliminate him. Lindmer then seeks out Dr. Stephen Strange and reveals to him that it is his destiny to take up the mantle as the next Sorcerer Supreme.
Aired: CBS, September 6, 1978
Starring: Peter Hooten, Clyde Kusatsu, Jessica Walter, Ted Cassidy
Developed By: Philip DeGuere
Why Didn’t it Fly?
This movie came at a time when superheroes were riding high on television with the three shows mentioned above pulling decent ratings from CBS and the Bionic shows (Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) having had some success on their networks a few years earlier. However, Dr. Strange went way over budget which likely caused the network executives to hesitate on committing to the property as an ongoing series. Plus, the ratings for its initial airing were not great, though that was in a large part because it ran against a repeat of Roots which pulled much higher viewership than expected. CBS had also decided that they did not want to become labeled the “superhero network”, and all but The Incredible Hulk were gone from the network’s schedule by the end of the 1978-79 season. Ultimately, the show was probably far too cosmic for Prime Time in the ’70s, and the network had soured on superhero shows anyway. Hollywood Reporter did an interesting look back the pilot that you can read at this link.
Would It Have Worked as a Series?
The CBS version of the Doctor Strange character took plenty of liberties with the source material (just like the other comic book adaptations at that time) and the telefilm was ploddingly slow and marred by subpar acting and cheesy special effects. But it could actually be somewhat inventive and stylistic at times–especially with the portrayal of the demon realm–and it showed some definite potential. It likely would have delivered less in the way of cosmic stories due to budget constraints, but it still could have given us some interesting tales of the Sorcerer Supreme. Peter Hooten did a pretty good job with the character, and Clyde Kusatsu was decent as Wong though he did not get much to do in the pilot. And if it had gone to series, CBS could have possibly done a team-up with Dr. Strange, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, and Captain America (more on that Cult-SciFi.com).
Should It Be Rebooted?
A Doctor Strange TV series would certainly be enjoyable, but with the revival of the character on the big screen, it seems unlikely we would get any more than a mini-series on Disney+. Benedict Cumberbatch certainly has a busy schedule and it is doubtful that he would have time to work on an ongoing show based on the character. In addition, Disney+ has been easing back on its MCU entries because they are quite costly and also because of the recent superhero burnout. But a mini-series featuring the character is possible and would be welcome. And perhaps that could spin off into an ongoing series featuring Benedict Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme, which would be a ton of fun. Or maybe a Doctor Strange animated series could happen, and Cumberbatch could perhaps find time to voice the character.
Where Can You Watch It?
The TV movie did get a DVD release which has since gone out of print, it is still available from third-party sellers at a reasonable price. Shout! Factory has just released it on Blu-ray which is exclusive to their website as of this writing. It is not currently available for streaming, but it does show up on YouTube from time to time. I recommend giving it a look as yet another cheesy 70’s take on a popular comic book character that may not match up to the current MCU movies, but that can be fun in its own way.
Read about more Sci Fi TV pilots that did not fly at this link.
Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
