Saturday morning has given us any number of sci fi TV gems over the years including Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973), Land of the Lost (1974), The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979), and The Real Ghostbusters (1986). But the weekend schedule aimed at younger viewers has also had its fair share of… shall we say… dubious entries as well. Here is a look at several of those that certainly make you wonder what network executives were thinking (or smoking) when they gave them the green light:
Gilligan’s Planet
What Is It? After years of being stranded on a small island in the Pacific with no means of escape, the professor comes up with the brilliant idea to build a rocket ship to get the castaways back to civilization because… of course. Gilligan messes things up again, though, and the ship goes spiraling out into space, stranding them on a distant planet. Hi-jinks ensue…
Aired: CBS, 1982, One Season Totaling 13 Episodes
But Why? Some may consider the 1960s Gilligan’s Island sitcom a comedy classic, while others may recognize it for the contrived television farce that it is (though I loved it). But it became a major force in syndication during the late-’60s and into the ’70s, and network execs kept trying to get more from that three-season wonder. An animated version first appeared on Saturday mornings in 1974, continuing the adventures of the castaways on the island and running for two seasons and endless repeats. Then, in 1982, somebody came up with the brilliant idea to revive the animated series, but shoot the castaways into space to deliver even more ludicrous adventures. They had already been trying to revive the show in Prime Time with a Gilligan’s Island meets The Love Boat type of premise, and that eventually petered out with the third TV movie, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. Whether that counted as an all-time low point for television or if Gilligan’s Planet took it even lower is up for debate. But neither is worth watching and neither should have ever happened. You can read more about the animated series at this link.
Far Out Space Nuts
What Is It? Two service workers are loading up the food supplies for a rocket ship set to travel into space, and one hits the wrong button, “Launch” instead of “Lunch”. This sends them spiraling into space where they encounter many strange aliens and worlds. Once again, hi-jinks ensue…
Aired: CBS, 1975-76, One Season Totaling 15 Episodes
But Why? Poor Bob Denver. He was actually a talented actor and pretty darn funny, but he was typecast after Gilligan’s Island and was tied to that show or pale imitations of it (see also Dusty’s Trail) for the majority of his career. This Saturday morning entry was essentially Gilligan’s Island in outer space seven years before they actually did Gilligan’s Island in outer space (see above), though without all the castaways. Chuck McCann basically takes the role of the Skipper while Denver channels Gilligan, and they deal with the alien-of-the-week instead of headhunters, mad scientists, and the random stranded person. Kids tuned in because it was on Saturday morning, but this one surely is not considered by anybody to be a lost classic from the era.
Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
What Is It? The Partridge Family. You know, the singing family with a single mom that smarmed their way through four seasons in Prime Time. But this time they are in a very Jetsons-like 2200 A.D., though with no real explanation. Just go with it…
Aired: CBS, 1974, One Season Totaling 16 Episodes
But Why? Launching sitcom characters into the future seemed to be somewhat of a thing on Saturday mornings in the ’70s and ’80s, though this one actually started out as a revival of The Jetsons. But some network exec thought it would be a great way of keeping The Partridge Family going (which had wrapped up its fourth and final season in Spring 1974 but was already proving popular in syndication), and took that family and put them in a world that looked very much like the one from the ’60s sci fi animated series (there was never a crossover, though). As you might expect, the scripts were not updated much, and they just threw in a few sci fi elements and a lot of slapstick to keep the kids watching. The Jetsons would eventually get a revival in the 1980s, and that proved much more entertaining than this hackneyed, throw-together animated “comedy”.
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
What Is It? Fonzie, Richie, Ralph, and Mr. Cool the dog are hanging around and doing there thing when a traveler from the future shows up and whisks them off through time and space in a faulty time machine. Just another normal day in Milwaukee…
Aired: ABC, 2 Seasons Totaling 24 Episodes
But Why? We have already seen two sitcoms launched into the future in this list, why not send another one into the past (and the future a few times)? The general idea of a Happy Days cartoon made sense because the live-action show was pretty family-friendly and the Fonz appealed to younger viewers. But whatever made them decide to to the Bill and Ted thing nine years before Bill and Ted were a thing is uncertain. One of the amazing aspects of this series is they actually got Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, and Donny Most to voice their characters. Even more amazing is that it actually lasted two seasons. And it would later crossover with the Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy animated shows, both of which incorporated their own “sci fi” elements. Happy Days are here again…
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
What Is It? Siblings Carlos and Lisa, along with their friend Toni, discover a Rubik’s Cube, and upon solving the puzzle it turns into a wisecracking, shape-shifting companion with magical powers. An evil wizard wants to reclaim the cube which he previously owned, so now the three children must keep it out of his hands. And once again, hi-jinks ensue…
Aired: ABC, 1983, One Season Totaling 12 Episodes
But Why? The 1980s was the decade when it became okay to create children’s programming that marketed products to the audience, and that led to shows/toy lines like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and The Transformers. But some network executive was on something pretty trippy at the time this dubious Saturday morning shill received the greenlight. And I guess the sales of the Rubik’s Cube blinded the other people in the boardroom, because they went along with it. This could count as one of the most ridiculous premises ever for a kids’ show (but wait, check the next entry), and it did not prove nearly as popular as the toy it was based on.
RoboCop
What Is It? Cyborg cop Alex Murphy fights to save the city of Old Detroit from the vile criminal element that has overtaken it. Though, this time around, we have a kinder, gentler RoboCop…
Aired: Syndicated, 1988, One Season Totaling 12 Episodes
But Why? This one makes a ton of sense! Take a violent, R-rated movie drenched in satire and turn it into a Saturday morning cartoon aimed at kids! What could go wrong? Anybody tuning in and hoping the show would continue the tone of the movie that starred Peter Weller (though I do not know why they would) must have been disappointed by this watered-down, kid-friendly romp. Guns were replaced with non-lethal lasers, the violence was sanitized with cartoon-style action, and they went heavy on gadgets and action-adventure stories instead of crime drama. But it was Saturday morning. What else would you expect? They did try this again in 1998 with RoboCop: Alpha Commando with a little bit better results since it was aimed at the afternoon timeslots and faced fewer restrictions. But some of the same creative team was involved with that, and it also fell short as a decent continuation of the movies.
