Many of us have fond memories of the days when Saturday mornings were dominated with cartoons and there were several shows like Jonny Quest, The Jetsons, Space Ghost, and more that were staples in the lineups (and later cable reruns) and that we would watch over and over again. But surprisingly, even though we may have remembered watching these shows for years, quite a number of Saturday morning shows did not produce a lot of episodes in their original runs. Here are five sci fi-oriented cartoons that had relatively short runs even though they have lived on in reruns for years.
Jonny Quest
(Original Run: ABC, 1964-65, 1 Season Totaling 26 Episodes)
This sci fi/adventures series following the adventures of Jonny, his father Dr. Benton Quest, his friend Hadji, and their bodyguard Race Bannon is an iconic Saturday-morning series, but it got its start in Prime Time. The first season aired on ABC during the 1964-65 season, though it did not draw strong enough ratings to earn it a second round of episodes (especially after getting scheduled against Top 20 entry The Munsters, more on that at this link). Instead, the twenty-six eps produced were shipped to the Saturday-morning lineup where they would remain in the rotation for years, shifting to each of the three broadcast networks. In the 1980s, a second season of thirteen episodes would be produced, and another revival would arrive in the 1990s, but it is the original twenty-six eps that are most remembered by fans and that received the most airtime.
The Jetsons
(Original Run: ABC, 1962-63, 1 Season Totaling 24 Episodes)
Like Jonny Quest, the futuristic comedy The Jetsons also got its start airing one season in Prime Time on ABC (both were following the success of The Flintstones which premiered in 1960). After a twenty-four ep run following the antics of George Jetson and his family, ABC decided the show would work better in the Saturday morning lineup, but they did not produce any new episodes. It would not be until the 1980s that two more seasons would be produced (bringing the total to 75 eps), but the original run lasted the longest and is best remembered by fans of this show.
Space Ghost
(Original Run: CBS, 1966-67, 1 Season Totaling 20 Episodes)
Unlike the two shows above, the cosmic superhero Space Ghost got its start as a Saturday morning entry, though its original run did not last long. The character shared a half-hour show with Dino Boy in the Lost Valley across twenty episodes, though Space Ghost had 42 segments vs. 18 for Dino Boy (each about eight minutes long). The Ghost of Space would go on to become a standard on Saturday mornings, sometimes sharing a timeslot with other shows like The Herculoids, but no new episodes were produced. The character later showed up in the late-night parody show Space Ghost Coast to Coast (which had a rather long run of 109 episodes) and he would also get a revival at DC Comics along with Dino Boy, Jonny Quest, The Herculoids, and other Hanna-Barbera creations starting in 2016.
Star Trek: The Animated Series
(Original Run: NBC, 1973-74, 2 Seasons Totaling 22 Episodes)
This animated continuation of the famous Gene Roddenberry series is one of only two shows on the list to have two seasons, but it only amassed twenty-two episodes over that tenure. Saturday morning shows did not typically have long runs because kids would watch the same shows over and over. But since this one also had appeal to adults–and it brought a couple of Emmy Awards to NBC–you might have thought it would have produced more episodes. But the network capped it off at twenty-two which were rerun over and over for several years. While not regarded as one of the better Trek entries, it did produce some notable episodes like “Yesteryear” and “The Slaver Weapon” and some aspects of it are considered canon (Kirk’s full name, James Tiberius Kirk, was first mentioned in this show).
Thundar the Barbarian
(Original Run: ABC, 1980-81, 2 Seasons Totaling 21 Episodes)
The second entry on this list to run for two seasons, this post-apocalyptic sci fi/fantasy series ran for a total of twenty-one episodes even though it had an extended presence in the Saturday morning lineup. Comic book legends Steve Gerber, Alex Toth, and Jack Kirby all contributed to the series and helped it develop a cult following. It continued in reruns for several years after its second season (later shifting to NBC), but no new adventures were ever produced. Interestingly, a Sunday comic strip version was planned with Jack Kirby providing the artwork, but that ended up getting scrapped.
