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.
The 1990s was a bad decade for sci fi and fantasy television on the broadcast networks. While we did get The X-Files, Star Trek: Voyager, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and a few other notable genre entries, those were few and far between. Meanwhile, as the networks cranked out a ton of sitcoms, procedurals, and family dramas, they would throw out a series of interest to sci fi fans from time to time only to see it disappear from the schedule rather quickly. Here are five “blink and you missed them” shows from that decade that you may never have realized existed. You can find episodes of the show on YouTube from time to time if you search around.
The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (NBC)
Aired: 1991, One Season Totaling 7 Episodes
This series had nothing to do with Jack Black as it followed the ghost of the pirate Black Jack Savage played by Steven Williams (The X-Files, Supernatural) who teams up with a Wall Street con-man who buys the castle that the pirate once lived in. They are required to save 100 lives to make up for their own sins and to ensure that their souls do not get cast to damnation. This started out as a tryout movie on Disney Presents (with a different actor in the title role) and then moved to series, but it did not last long. It only ran for seven low-rated episodes, unable to compete in the Sunday 7PM EST timeslot against Top 10 series 60 Minutes. This show was created by action series mogul Stephen J. Cannel (The A-Team, Hunter, 21 Jump Street) as well as James Wong and Glen Morgan. The latter two would go on to work on The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, Millennium, and more after this early entry from their resume disappeared to the Television Wasteland.
Dark Shadows (NBC)
Aired: 1991, One Season Totaling 12 Episodes
Many genre fans are familiar with the original Dark Shadows which was a supernatural/gothic soap opera that aired from 1966 to 1971. But not many know about the short-lived attempt to revive the series in Prime Time that aired briefly in 1991. Original creator Dan Curtis was brought onboard for the revival, and he delivered a pretty darn good supernatural drama. He drew on the stories and themes of the original, but he had much better production values to work with, and this show could have turned into a notable genre entry if given a chance. It started off as a four-hour mini-series event and pulled strong ratings, but when it moved to its regular Friday timeslot, the numbers dropped. In addition, coverage of the Gulf War frequently preempted episodes, and instead of moving the show to a better timeslot that would give it the opportunity to build an audience, NBC cancelled it after only twelve episodes had been produced. It was collected on DVD, but that has gone out of print and is fetching pretty high prices. You can buy it VOD from sellers like Amazon.com.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures (FOX)
Aired: 1992, One Season Totaling 7 Episodes
Most sci fi fans are familiar with the Bill & Ted movies, and many may also remember the animated series from the early ’90s. But how many recall the the live-action comedy series that aired briefly on FOX during the 1991-92 season? That one brought in an all new cast as the two lovable slackers continue their journeys through time and space. The show failed to recapture the spirit of fun from the movies and it also failed to develop much of an audience. The network scheduled it Sundays at 7 PM EST hoping to tap into the family audience, but it also aired during the Summer months and not many people were tuning it. It disappeared after seven episodes and has since been mostly forgotten, but all of the episodes are on YouTube if you want to give it a look.
Woops! (FOX)
Aired: 1992, One Season Totaling 13 Episodes
This much-reviled sitcom focuses on six people who survive a nuclear war that was set off accidentally and destroyed most of the world. It certainly seemed like an odd premise for a comedy series, but maybe since the Cold War had recently come to an end, the network execs thought that people could finally laugh about the end of the world. That didn’t work out so well, though, as the show sunk in the ratings on Sundays at 10:30 PM EST and it was yanked after only ten episodes aired. TV Guide has since listed it as the 42nd-worst TV show of all time, and referred to it as a “post-apocalyptic Gilligan’s Island“. Several episodes are available on YouTube if you want to check this one out.
Meego (CBS)
Aired: 1997, One Season Totaling 13 Episodes
Yet another misguided sci fi sitcom, this series had Bronson Pinchot (Beverly Hills Cop, Perfect Strangers) channeling Mork from Orc as he plays an alien that crash-lands on Earth and ends up becoming the nanny to three children. On paper, this probably sounded like the perfect vehicle for the talented Pinchot, but it lacked the spark that made similar sitcoms like Mork and Mindy and Alf surprise hits. It landed on the Fall schedule but proved a disaster and was yanked after only six episodes were aired. The show has never been released on home video and it is not currently available for streaming, but you can find episodes on YouTube if you search around.
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