5 Forgotten '70s Sci-Fi TV Shows That Still Hold Up Today
by Sam Stone · /FilmThe 1970s was a great decade for science fiction, with plenty of sci-fi movies that still hold up today. This distinction spread to television, with the decade seeing everything from "Star Trek: The Animated Series" to the creation of "Battlestar Galactica." More grounded, but no less iconic, sci-fi television shows during the '70s included "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." However, not every sci-fi show from the decade is as fondly remembered today — if they're remembered by the wider public at all.
For every TV series, regardless of genre, that lives on in our collective memory decades later, there are many more shows that have fallen into obscurity. This is certainly true of science fiction, with everything from quirky premises to television adaptations of popular sci-fi movies growing forgotten over time. We're highlighting the best shows from the decade that barely get mentioned anymore, giving them the reappraisal that they each deserve. With that in mind, these are five forgotten '70s sci-fi TV shows that still hold up today.
Planet of the Apes
After the "Planet of the Apes" movie series ended its original run with 1973's "Battle for the Planet of the Apes," it received a television spin-off the following year. Simply titled "Planet of the Apes," the show holds a unique place in the franchise's timeline. Rather than being a continuation of the classic films, it's a loose retelling of the original movie, with time-displaced 20th century astronauts Alan Virdon (Ron Harper) and Peter Burke (James Naughton) crashing on a 31st century Earth. Discovering that super-intelligent apes have subjugated humanity, Virdon and Burke team up with Galen (Roddy McDowall), a young chimpanzee, while being hunted by ape society.
While "Planet of the Apes" is one of the longest-running sci-fi franchises around, most people today don't know that it received its own live-action television series. Only running for a single season in 1974, the show offered its own take on the mythos while maintaining its core premise. Years later, several episodes were edited together to form five television movies, along with newly filmed wraparound scenes. An interesting attempt at continuing the franchise through a soft reboot for television, "Planet of the Apes" is best enjoyed by fans of the movies.
Space: 1999
Before "Star Wars" and the resurgence of "Star Trek" on the big screen, there was the British television series "Space: 1999." Set in the then-near-future of 1999, the show has the Moon used by humanity for dumping its nuclear waste while hundreds live in a large research station. When cosmic radiation accidentally triggers the nuclear stores on the lunar surface, the Moon is propelled across the galaxy at tremendous speed, separating the research station from Earth. Using this planetoid as a de facto spaceship, the crew searches for a way to return to their home solar system.
Running for two seasons, from 1975 to 1977, "Space: 1999" offers its own approach to the type of spacefaring sci-fi that "Star Trek" epitomized. The show features all the distinct and strange alien civilizations that come with the premise, anchored by veteran American actors Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Interestingly, "Space: 1999" caused "Star Wars" to redesign the Millennium Falcon because of its visible similarities to the series' smaller spaceship, the Eagle Transporter. Filling the void left behind by "Star Trek" for much of the '70s, "Space: 1999" is cozy, spacefaring sci-fi.
Future Cop
Beloved character actor Ernest Borgnine pivoted to a sci-fi police procedural with 1977's "Future Cop." Starting out with a television movie of the same name in 1976, the subsequent series had Borgnine playing veteran Los Angeles police officer Joe Cleaver. Joining Cleaver and fellow beat cop Bill Bundy (John Amos) on patrol, is their new android partner John Haven (Michael J. Shannon). As the two longtime cops get used to their new partner and his special abilities, they take on nefarious criminals around the City of Angels.
The highlight of "Future Cop" isn't so much its titular android but the character actors around him. Borgnine and Amos are both in reliably fine form, with Amos fresh off his starring stint on the pivotal '70s sitcom "Good Times." Their reactions to their new robotic buddy provide the show with its appeal, distinguishing it from the plethora of cop shows throughout the decade. More known for being the subject of a lawsuit involving Harlan Ellison and Isaac Asimov, "Future Cop" is a quirky, offbeat police procedural.
Man from Atlantis
As live-action superhero shows saw a resurgence in the '70s with "Wonder Woman" and "Shazam!," the decade also featured a forgotten superhero show with Aquaman vibes. Running for a scant 13 episodes, "Man from Atlantis" premiered in 1977 with its own original undersea hero in Mark Harris. Played by Patrick Duffy, Harris possesses the abilities to breathe underwater, swim at fast speeds while enduring intense deep-sea pressures, and communicate with certain sea life. Working with an oceanic research team from their experimental submarine, Harris explores the mysteries of the seas, including strange portals leading to different time periods.
"Man from Atlantis" is an absolutely wild show, with Harris doing everything from visiting the Wild West to confronting aliens. At the same time, he faces a megalomaniacal villain trying to conquer the ocean and devastate the surface world. The show makes less and less sense the more one thinks about it, but it is a tremendous source of campy, aquatically-centred fun. Patrick Duffy bounced back with the long-running series "Dallas," but "Man from Atlantis" is an interesting blip earlier in his television career.
Logan's Run
Another classic sci-fi movie to receive its own television adaptation in '70s is "Logan's Run," debuting in 1977, the year after the film. Like the movie, the show takes place in a distant post-apocalyptic future where humanity shelters in tightly controlled communities while executing those who reach the age of 30. Because of this lethal age limit, Logan 5 (Gregory Harrison) and Jessica 6 (Heather Menzies) flee their home rather than risk execution. Running between futuristic cities, Logan and Jessica are pursued by armed enforcers while being aided by their android companion Rem (Donald Moffat).
The "Logan's Run" show begins recreating the broad strokes of the movie before expanding its main characters' flight into a full-on cross-country saga. This included original stories featuring several distinct far-future communities, including one consisting entirely of robots like Rem. Behind-the-scenes, the show had some serious creative pedigree, including "Star Trek" veteran D.C. Fontana as one of its writers and story editors. Despite this, "Logan's Run" only ran for a single season, unable to reach the sci-fi bar set by "Star Wars" released earlier in the year.