Logan’s Run became a popular sci fi franchise in the days before Star Wars, and this short-lived TV series carried that on for a brief time on television.
What Is It?
This television reboot of the 1976 feature film follows two people fleeing from a society where the population is put to death at the age of thirty. Logan 5 and Jessica 6 escape from the domed city where they have lived most of their lives and search for a mythical place called “Sanctuary.” The city elders, who rule the domes without the knowledge of the younger people, send Francis 7 to bring back Logan and Jessica, promising him a place on their council and the chance to live past 30 if he succeeds.
Aired: CBS, 1977-78, 1 Season Totaling 14 Episodes
Starring: Gregory Harrison, Heather Menzies, Donald Moffat, Randy Powell
Developed By: William F. Nolan, D.C. Fontana
Legacy:
This series spun out of the popularity of the 1976 hit film, but it could not carry that very far on television. It has since been mostly forgotten, though it has developed a cult following from devoted fans of the franchise.
A Closer Look:
Back in 1976, Logan’s Run became a bit of a phenomenon, especially among the sci fi community, inspiring Logan-mania one year before Star Wars took the world by storm. The 1967 novel was already well-regarded, and the film that came out in the Summer of ’76 proved to be a Box Office hit. That led to sequels to the original book, a comic book series, and a television show. Unfortunately, each iteration delivered diminishing returns, and the television series seemed to be the last gasp for the franchise. It changed the story of the book (where people only lived to the age of 21) and the movie, as the show dropped most of the dystopian aspects and quickly turned into formulaic sci fi. Logan and Jessica escape from the dome cities and team up with an android on the outside, conveniently finding an all-terrain hovercraft which carries them to a new society each week on a post-apocalyptic–but very well-groomed–Earth. And Francis is in pursuit of the two runners, so the show has its expected, ongoing antagonist.
The basic premise was not necessarily bad, but it really had very little to do with the source material, and the show added nothing really new to the “Land Trek” format that had previously been established by the Gene Roddenberry pilot Genesis II (more on that at this link). The stories seemed mostly copy-and-paste and/or dumbed down by the network at a time when challenging television was definitely not championed by TV execs. And the main characters acted like they were Starfleet officers for no other reason than that was what was expected from sci fi shows at that time. In addition, their perfect clothes and perfect hair fit very much with the image-conscious ’70s, but seemed rather out of place in a post-apocalyptic world.
Gregory Harrison would have better days on television, but in this show he and Heather Menzies basically delivered by-the-numbers performances. The always enjoyable Donald Moffat (The Thing) at least had some fun with his role as the android Rem, but sadly the scripts did not do much to really flesh out his character. There were a few decent stories in the show’s run (most notably Harlan Ellison’s contribution “Crypt”), but even the best episodes had a hard time surviving the network oversight which pushed most programming on the schedule toward blandness. Still, this one can be fun for its ’70s cheesiness and its at least sincere attempt to deliver some sci fi to a Prime Time schedule mostly devoid of the genre. But it is much more a piece of nostalgia from its era than a hidden gem.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Yes. As with most genre shows during the ’70s, especially those that went heavy on the sci fi look and feel, this one was quickly cancelled by its network. After a decent debut ratings-wise, the curious onlookers bailed from the show as Logan-mania was fading, with a little film known as Star Wars having captured the interest of the sci fi community. Logan’s Run also could not compete with the highly-rated Little House on the Prairie, which it aired against, and it did not help that the network frequently preempted the show. It produced for fourteen episodes before the network gave it the ax, and the Logan’s Run phenomenon died out shortly after.
Should It Be Rebooted?
A big-screen reboot of the franchise has been in the works for a while—and that is really where the property belongs—but it has slipped into Development Hell after multiple directors and actors have been attached to the property. It is viewed as a potential major franchise and will almost certainly return at some point, but there is no reason to reboot the 1977 TV series as it just pasted a formulaic sci fi premise onto a well-known brand, and the two did not mix well.
Interesting Facts:
Star Trek alum D. C. Fontana wrote for and served as executive producer on Logan’s Run. The season before it debuted, a show called The Fantastic Journey aired on NBC, and Fontana worked on that one as well. It had a similar premise with a group of people encountering a different society each week, though they were traveling through different time zones in the Bermuda Triangle (more on that show at this link). That one was cancelled after ten episodes, and Fontana along with several others from the creative staff moved over to start working on Logan’s Run. The premise of a group of people visiting a different society on the same planet each week in a sci fi setting originated with the Gene Roddenberry pilot Genesis II, which aired on CBS in 1973 (you can read more about that at this link).
After the cancellation, the last three episodes were not aired across all markets in the U.S., though I seem to remember watching all fourteen installments, perhaps through a Summer burn-off run. The show did attract more of a following in Europe, actually turning into a hit in Great Britain.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD from Amazon, though it is out of print and you are at the mercy of Amazon Sellers. You can also purchase it on VOD from Amazon which is the more affordable option. It is not available for streaming on any of the major services.
