1967’s The Invaders delivers some ’60s cheesiness, but it also gives us a creepy and at times effective series following one man on a crusade against a silent invasion by aliens.
What Is It?
This series follows architect David Vincent, who uncovers a silent invasion by aliens that have taken human form. He goes on a crusade to stop the invaders and prove to the world that they are a threat. As the show progresses, he convinces others that the aliens are real, and they join his mission to save Earth.
When Did It Air? ABC, 1967-1968, 2 Seasons Totaling 43 Episodes
Starring: Roy Thinnes, Kent Smith
Created By: Larry Cohen
Legacy:
This was one of the first television shows following the alien invasion theme, and it could be rather creepy at times as it follows one man fighting against an enemy that no-one else believes in. It could also get rather formulaic, but it still delivers a notable sci fi TV entry that is worth a look.
A Closer Look:
This show has become close to legendary among ’60s sci fi entries and the shots of the saucer-like alien spaceship descending to Earth are iconic from the era. But it has not dated too well and falls just short of must-watch sci fi TV status, counting more as a cult entry in the genre. The show starts out strong enough by establishing a level of paranoia that tapped into the Cold War fears of its day. But instead of zeroing in on the underlying terror at the core of its premise, The Invaders all too quickly settled into a Prime Time friendly format. For all practical purposes, it became The Fugitive with aliens as the primary antagonist encounters and interacts with different people each week while on the run (not coincidentally, ABC had brought that show’s creator Quinn Martin onboard as executive producer). Invaders creator Larry Cohen had envisioned a more serialized format for the show, similar to nighttime soap opera Peyton Place which was popular at that time. But ABC wanted to play it safe with this alien invasion drama and that may have hampered it kept it from developing into the classic it could have been.
Across the ocean, British sci fi often worked in horror elements to its TV shows, and those can blend quite easily with the science fiction themes. That was obvious at the time from reports of children hiding behind the couch when antagonists like the Daleks would come onscreen during episodes of Doctor Who, and it continues to be prevalent in their genre entries today (watch the 2022 mini-series adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos for a recent example of this). The American broadcasters have not been as interested in making the audience uncomfortable, and tend to prefer a more formulaic approach that tends toward the bland. Give Roy Thinnes credit for doing what he could as an actor to get the most out of the scripts, even if the network did not want much in the way of scares and jolts in the episodes.
The stories were mostly self-contained, though Vincent did manage to slowly convince others of the truth of the invasion and ultimately pulled together a group of alien fighters with a wealthy backer when the show went through a shift in the second season. The episodes can still be fun to watch, especially with all the notable guest stars that made appearances (Gene Hackman, Roddy McDowell, Dabney Coleman, Suzanne Pleshette, Barbara Hershey, and many more). But they do start to blend together after a while and have a familiar feel because of the rather routine treatment of the central theme, and they definitely have a ’60s cheesiness to them. But it is worth watching some of the early episodes as well as some of the later ones when Vincent is no longer fighting alone to get a feel for the overall show. And the final episode did provide some resolution as Vincent managed to convince some high government officials of the threat, but I’m sure fans would have liked a more satisfying ending, similar to what Quinn Martin’s The Fugitive delivered.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Yes. This show bowed at mid-season in January of 1967 and initially pulled decent numbers, but those slipped notably by the end of its first year. ABC considered replacing Roy Thinnes as the show’s lead because they did not feel he was very likeable. That didn’t happen, but the show went through some behind-the-scenes shakeups during its second season and was shuffled around the schedule. The ratings continued to decline and ABC decided to ax The Invaders after only a season and a half on the air.
The Story Continues:
In 1995, an Invaders mini-series aired on FOX which starred Quantum Leap alum Scott Bakula and saw Roy Thinnes appear briefly to pass the torch on to a younger alien fighter. Bakula’s character begins to have visions of the aliens while in prison, and after he is later released, his mind is taken over by the invaders. But he breaks their control and then goes on a mission to fight against them and expose their presence on Earth. The mini-series had some links to the original show, particularly the David Vincent appearance, but it had a very different look and feel. It apparently did not draw strong ratings and was not picked up to series, and it has since been mostly forgotten.
There were also six tie-in books written at the time the show was airing that adapted episodes from the series while also adding some new stories. Two were written by science fiction author Keith Laumer and are well-regarded, and several other authors produced the remaining volumes. All of these are out of print, but worth seeking out for fans of the show.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Yes. This is one of those shows that had a good premise but never quite lived up to its potential, in part because of the cancellation and also in part because the network was too focused on making it more Prime Time friendly. A reboot of this show could work if it really taps into the themes of paranoia and isolation and also brings in some of the horror elements core to its premise. And it could actually fit quite well in the current political climate. So perhaps it is time to dust this property off and give it a modern remake/continuation. There have been talks from time to time about bringing this one back on the big screen, but nothing substantial has happened with that and perhaps television is the best medium for this property.
Interesting Fact:
Series creator Larry Cohen originally intended The Invaders to air as a twice-per-week serial with a cliffhanger in the middle. The show did not follow that format, but Cohen claims ABC “borrowed” that idea for its Batman series.
Some of the invaders can be identified by the fact that their “fourth finger” sticks out and does not bend. It is actually the pinky–technically the fifth finger–but perhaps the thumb was not counted in the math. This is described as a “defect” from them taking over human bodies, though it was mentioned that they were trying to correct that and later in the series the defect was hardly seen on the aliens.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD, but it is not currently streaming on any of the services that I am aware of and it is also not available to purchase VOD. It also airs on the digital channel MeTV.
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