Me too, but, even as a kid I noticed that in the credits shot you see the car driving along a curving seaside highway and the part where the car has to make a gradual turn is off the bottom of the screen so you don't see it. Deliberately so, I assume so as to not spoil the 90 degree turn rule. I always wondered if, in the show's reality, the car had to make dozens of 90 degree turns to complete gradual bends in the road.
One of the shows you need to put on the next list is M.A.N.T.I.S.. This was one of the first African American Superheroes to have a show on Network TV and was produced by Sam Raimi. I used to watch that show when I was little, it was a really Kool show.
One of my favorite Scifi shows was "Time Trax". A future cop sent to the past to capture criminals. Using a Hologram from his credit card to help. Lol.
I disagree. We have almost everything promised other than deep space travel. What we weren't expecting was how the technology would make humans less likeable. Although, there were some scifi that did predict us losing our humanity.
@@n.d.m.515 I can’t help but think of an episode in the 90’s *The Flash* that addressed this. The villain was frozen in the 1930’s and revived. He winds up transferring his consciousness into a computer and remarks “there were supposed to be flying cars and bases on the Moon by 1990… but who could have imagined how powerful computers would have become! To take something that fit inside of a building and condense it into a small box you can fit on a table!”
I had an Automan action figure, and an Automan paperback novel... but I don't think I ever saw the actual show. (Yes, I did get them from a supermarket.)
As a seven year old swede, Automan was a huge deal in 83-84! Me and my friends all loved the show! Granted, pickings were slim in Sweden in the early 80s with just two tv-channels - so every sci fi-show was important for us.
Have you ever heard of the TV series The Wizard? It's a kind of action-adventure/family show about this toymaker named Simon, played little person actor by David Rappaport (Time Bandits) who helps this policeman, played by Douglas Barr (The Fall Guy) solve crimes and such. I've only seen the first episode, but it's a fun series.
I loved probe as a kid. I still remember the episode where Austin's smart elevator kills someone and they blame Austin for the malfunction. It turns out that someone hacked the elevator so it would open the doors to the empty shaft and installed a holographic generator in a piece of modern art that projected the illusion of the elevator car being there. The victim then just fell through when he stepped into the elevator.
Mine was a tie between the one where the kids figure out how to control the adults in their neighborhood using subliminal messages and the one where the guy faked his murder in the nuclear plant. Would so buy a Blu-Ray of Probe....
@@johnst3296 yeah, wasn't part of how he caught the nuclear plant guy due to the programmed robot he used to sneak the body in running the program again?
I love that one of the hype quotes for The Phoenix is "...it could become a television classic." I take it that won out over, "Well, it's definitely a TV show."
For animated shows, Sealab 2020 would be a good one to mention, especially considering the fact it has two lost episodes and it’s a rare serious show from Hanna-Barbera’s post Scooby-Doo era. It was created by Alex Toth, creator of Space Ghost, Birdman and The Herculoids.
Same but for more of the POV like tracking then lockon and the white ver that his brother had... That was the reason he became a cop to find his brothers killer
Automan, Phoenix and Probe are among my "gee, I miss these" shows. I'd recorded the full run of Probe as I am a fan of Asimov's work and appreciate "genius" heroes [Holmes and others as well]. The other I recall and truly miss is Misfits Of Science, a wonderfully funny superhero series.
YES, yes, and yes! Even years later when Judson Scott appeared on the XFiles I thought, "Phoenix!!" Also adored Misfits of Science! Another one was Shadow Chasers with Trevor Eve and Dennis Dugan
I'm so jelous of that Automan show. I would've loved it as a kid. Probably would try to paint my Legos with fluorescent paint and manically try to recreate the car in plastic form. Omg someone remembers Lightning Force! Oh the amount of guns I made with Legos... Don't judge me, I loved recreating TV stuff with Legos as a kid.
Watched every bit of Automan. Enjoyed Super Force season one. Loved PROBE. When he described building a castle down to the last detail in his mind and then conquering it and burning down. Amazing. You have to cover The Highwayman. Transforming semis with weird sci-fi happenings. It was great.
Oddly enough I have long had a very distinct childhood memory of running downstairs for the premiere episode of The Phoenix, having LOVED the original pilot/tv movie and taken note of ads for its rebirth!!
LOVE THIS SERIES! Automan was one of my favorites! There is a very little know series (or tv movie series) that I can't remember the name of. But I remember specific aspects of it. I remember it had something to do with a guy traveling from the future. I also remember him having a A.I. sidekick that looked a bit like a brown floating monitor that was similar to looking like an eye. That's all I remember, so I deeply hoping you stumble across it. As I've been going nuts for decades, trying to locate it again. I'm starting to believe it was a just a strange vivid dream.
This is a series you can pretty much do forever if you wanted to. There are countless new shows that debut & get forgotten about every year. I get excited every time you mention one I remember. 😄 Keep up the good work. 👍
Yes I remember “Automan”...nice car & “Super Force”...nice armor suit. “The Phoenix“ made for TV movie was ok. I only remembered Parker Stevenson from “The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew mysteries in the late 1970s. The others sound worth checking out. Thanks Cecil, fun stuff...keep them coming.!
I do remember Phoenix pilot because it was so...Zen. Once the series was picked up Scott appeared as *another alien* on the pilot of The Powers Of Matthew Star. I'm surprised that went under your radar...
Ok, I had to pause at 2:00....Automan is NOT forgotten! One of the very best shows of my childhood and I'm often reminiscing about it; hard to believe they only aired 13 episodes. There should have been at least 3 seasons of it.
I love this new series of yours. You've given me so much to watch and I thank you greatly. Watching your videos is like being wrapped in a warm blanket after a long day. And I'm not kidding in the least when I say that I'd pay so much money for your voice to speak for my directional app
I especially remember and like Phoenix and Probe. I saw about half the shows you've collected in this series of Forgotten TV shows. I would love for you to have some network themed versions, most notably UPN, CW and the WB. Another theme for one of these lists: Big Screen To Small: Movies Turned TV shows. Forgotten shows I do remember include Alien Nation, RoboCop and F/X series'. I especially remember Roddy Piper on RoboCop and Kevin Dobson in Brian Dennehy's shoes as Leo McCarthy on F/X. Plus a pre-Matrix Carrie Anne Moss also on the latter.
Superboy was my jam in syndication in the 90's. I also enjoyed the 90's Flash. Superforce was fantastic also. All on DVD, but will never see BluRay release. All hold up very well as I watched them recently.
I remember watching the Phoenix. It was also one of my favorite games. It existed before the show so I think the show was just capitalizing on a popular game and the coincidence of their names. I even remember that episode well.
Automan was always a favorite. Phoenix was so awesome & I had been telling my buddies about it for years. Here in Philly, Superforce, Lightning Force, Superboy, My Secret Identity & Dracula would air on channel 170 or 57 on Saturday afternoons. An all time favorite forgotten gem was 1998's "Prey". Starring a pre Will & Grace, Debra Messing & soap star, Roger Howarth. It was never released on DVD & his super hard to find anywhere. Check it out.
Yes! I was trying to remember the other shows in the block on 57. Prey ended up on sci-fi as many of these shows did. I thought it was cool but sadly, they never were able to finish out the storyline.
@@GoodBadFlicks I may have gotten the timeline a little messed up because it's been 30 years. But at some point, all those half hour show did air here in Philadelphia on Saturdays on either channel 17 or 57. Originally, before Comcast, channel 57 was "Prizm". You needed a Converter Box to access Prizm. My grandpop Hughes had this. Anyone who wanted to watch the Fliers games, movies & Soft Porn had Prism. My grandpop was a perv & watched the Porn. LOL!
I hope "The Highwayman" gets your treatment. I remember pretending to be sick to skip out on my older sister's Jr. High School play to watch and remember being bored. I WAS just there for the trucks though.
Another show that is a forgotten sci fi gem was the Highwayman. The series beyond the pilot included Australian football player Mark "Jacko" Jackson and was kind of a cross between Knight Rider and Mad Max
Automan has remake potential. Contrary to something like Knight Rider (nowadays with things like Tesla cars, Alexa, etc.; KITT isn't as WOW! as it was for viewers in the 1980's), Automan deals with a type of tech that still is very much in speculative fiction territory.
2:00 a... Policenaut? But no seriously, this is just a tokusatsu premise. Toku, metal heroes in particular, is full of robot cops, alien cops or astronaut superheroes wearing suits like that to fight crime. Just look up winspector, which is about one dude who puts on a super armored suit (one REALLY well done with pratical effects, including a helmet that locks in place and unlocks realistically) and two robots fighting crime and dealing with natural disasters. And yet... people in the west often look down on tokusatsu as being silly or 'japan viable only' ideas.
While you were talking about P.R.O.B.E., I was thinking to myself "the main character sounds like Monk" and then a minute later you literally made the same comparison.
Oh man, I'd totally forgotten Super Force until I watched this! Probe was also really good. A bit that sticks out in my head is when he asks an AI on what hand he wears his watch. The computer scans him, then the guy who built it reads off the computer's reply, which was to the effect of "You stand like a right-handed person, most right-handed people wear their watch on their left wrist, but because you thought this question would trick me, you actually wear your watch on your right wrist." And the computer was right. And then it killed its creator. Ah, good times.
I loved automan as a kid. For years people thought I was nuts as nobody else seemed to remember it and I couldn't remember it's name and describing it didn't help much 🤣. It got to the point that even I started to think I had just imagined it. until one day a friend of my brothers also remembered it and new the name so I could look it up on TH-cam. Sanity restored 🤣
It's wild to see the old syndicated shows from the late 80's into the 90's. These two, Baywatch and of course Thunder In Paradise with Hulk Hogan. With the advent of Fox, and then The WB and UPN, the stations airing them had plenty of time that wasn't filled by the network. But Automan! DUDE! Now THAT was truly a blast from the past!
Automan is my all time favorite TV-series. It's such an interesting super hero and I love the humor and interesting scenarios they end up in. It has the perfect 80's vibe I don't think is possible to recreate today.
Never heard of any of these shows, and they look awesome, especially P.R.O.B.E. I love anything Asimov related. Thank you for sharing this fascinating piece of history. Your channel is truly one of the best places I get content from these days. Keep on!
OH MY GOSH I’ve been wondering for years what that show with the forehead guy was I saw as a kid! The video torture scene made me cry and disturbed for days.
Almost every single show Glen Larson came up was "borrowed" from a popular movie. Automan - Tron. BJ & the Bear - Every Which Way But Loose. The Highwayman - Mad Max. The list goes on and on. He even got the name Glen Larceny because of it.
As a teen I got a random survey call from the production company behind "Probe" and really got enthusiastic about the plot they described. I feel I was partly responsible for it airing. Too bad it didn't do well. They never called me back LOL
I haven't heard of Lightning Force in an eternity. The show briefly aired here very early in the morning, Saturdays, on the local NBC Affiliate before their normal Saturday morning cartoon content would begin.
I am really enjoying these videos Cecil, most of these shows I have never heard of. I know about Automan because I remember seeing it on Sci Fi Channel in the 90s. Thanks!
Ok, #1; YES! PLEASE do 5 animated shows! #2; 'P.R.O.B.E.' sounds very smart! Anything with Asimov's personal stamp on it is bound to be of a higher quality. He was very meticulous in his research. Also, the lead character sounds very much like an early autism-coded character, and I think it would be welcomed today. #3; And it could ABSOLUTELY work today! I personally could envision it as a sort of high-concept version of 'Psych'. I love the series! Hope you do 'Dark Angel' sometime! =)
Other than the Lightning Force, the shows you talked about in this video were a big part of my childhood. Probe is on YT and I have rewatched it. And after all these years, it is still a very smart show.
Wow!! I never even heard of these shows! Makes me think about those shows that played late on Saturday nights when I was a little kid. Suggestion, Psi factor and a show called Burmuda Depths with a giant glowing sea turtle. ✌
Hey, Great video like always. I'd recommend putting a little gap between these segments. Wait this again at 1:51. It sounds like the thirteenth episode of Automan is "super force"... I was like "Wait they aired a pilot to another show as the final episode that didn't air?" Lol, kind of confusing for a moment.
So, all these forgotten shows made me remember one from I think the early 90s. There are only three things I remember of the pilot. #1 the pilot's entire gimmick was centered on a giant fire-breathing robot dinosaur truck which only showed up at the end of the pilot. #2 It only showed up at the end because the lead willed it into reality because the truck was his late son's favorite toy? #3 the villain in the pilot (who I think killed the son) was gloriously cheesy.
I love Prob to this day. Still have my original recordings of all but the pilot and the episode with the witch and the virus. I also have those episodes from other sources. Asimov’s science essays were my favorites back then.
Introducing M.E.T.A. A show about Zuck, an out of touch awkward techno billionaire who goes out of his way to Solve mysteries while also resisting the urge to blink his lizard eyes sideways in front of people.
It looks like I missed out on some pretty kooky shows in the 1980's. None of these shows ring a bell, but the Super Force actually sounds cool. Thanks for sharing your TV memories with us, Cecil.
OH MY GOSH, I’ve been wondering for years what that show was I saw as a kid with the white superhero guy and the black scientist guy that suddenly had a laugh track out of nowhere. Little kid me was very confused! THANK YOU
I remember Lightning Force. It was a cool idea at the time but the acting and action was not done very well. Sure wish they would release The Darkroom in some form.
I would love you to cover “Something is Out There”. I think it was about an alien that made you forget to breathe. There was a cop and a female alien played by Maryam Dabo, I think.
"With Asimov helping the *Foundation* of the show..."
I see what you did there!
:)
haha I was about to post this exactly :)
I was about to post that, and then also about to post this.
Am I an NPC?
@@dantezcome too LOL, had to delete my comment
Automan and his 90 degree turns will forever live in my heart
Me too, but, even as a kid I noticed that in the credits shot you see the car driving along a curving seaside highway and the part where the car has to make a gradual turn is off the bottom of the screen so you don't see it. Deliberately so, I assume so as to not spoil the 90 degree turn rule.
I always wondered if, in the show's reality, the car had to make dozens of 90 degree turns to complete gradual bends in the road.
Every once in awhile I think of Automan because I wish I could drive like that.
The driving/turning gag in Automan never got old.
One of the shows you need to put on the next list is M.A.N.T.I.S.. This was one of the first African American Superheroes to have a show on Network TV and was produced by Sam Raimi. I used to watch that show when I was little, it was a really Kool show.
I have that one for a "superhero" themed episode
@@GoodBadFlicks Ah-ha. ☺️👍🏾👍🏾
I was probably one of the few black kids who HATED the show at the time because it was so cheesy. I prefer reading Spawn.
@@Madbandit77 Did you ever see the original pilot?
@@OmegaII Yes. It was cheesy then.
One of my favorite Scifi shows was "Time Trax". A future cop sent to the past to capture criminals. Using a Hologram from his credit card to help. Lol.
Holy crap I just posted on someone's comment about Time Trax! Dale Midkiff right?
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Lol. Yep!
As someone who grew up in the 80s, 2020 was nothing but a letdown. We were promised so much!
No joke !
We have a Space Force.... Technically.
I disagree. We have almost everything promised other than deep space travel. What we weren't expecting was how the technology would make humans less likeable. Although, there were some scifi that did predict us losing our humanity.
I was told there would be jetpacks.
@@n.d.m.515 I can’t help but think of an episode in the 90’s *The Flash* that addressed this.
The villain was frozen in the 1930’s and revived. He winds up transferring his consciousness into a computer and remarks “there were supposed to be flying cars and bases on the Moon by 1990… but who could have imagined how powerful computers would have become! To take something that fit inside of a building and condense it into a small box you can fit on a table!”
I had an Automan action figure, and an Automan paperback novel... but I don't think I ever saw the actual show. (Yes, I did get them from a supermarket.)
I would have loved an Automan action figure. I've never even seen one at trade shows.
Ashens, hEllO!
Sounds cooler than the Autofelatemake toy I had as a lil tacka. Pretty sure nan would've meant to ask for Autoinflateman at the shops.
You need the costume, Stuart.
But did you ever manage that Polybius heist?
These "Forgotten" videos are really becoming a favorite of mine. Keep up the good work & keep them coming.
Thanks!
Can't wait to see M.A.N.T.I.S. covered!
That was an awesome show.
I agree
“…With Asimov helping the foundation of the show…” I see what you did there.
:)
Remember "Earth 2" from the mid 90s. Great cast and fantastic concept with huge potential.
As a seven year old swede, Automan was a huge deal in 83-84! Me and my friends all loved the show! Granted, pickings were slim in Sweden in the early 80s with just two tv-channels - so every sci fi-show was important for us.
Have you ever heard of the TV series The Wizard? It's a kind of action-adventure/family show about this toymaker named Simon, played little person actor by David Rappaport (Time Bandits) who helps this policeman, played by Douglas Barr (The Fall Guy) solve crimes and such. I've only seen the first episode, but it's a fun series.
I loved probe as a kid. I still remember the episode where Austin's smart elevator kills someone and they blame Austin for the malfunction. It turns out that someone hacked the elevator so it would open the doors to the empty shaft and installed a holographic generator in a piece of modern art that projected the illusion of the elevator car being there. The victim then just fell through when he stepped into the elevator.
Mine was a tie between the one where the kids figure out how to control the adults in their neighborhood using subliminal messages and the one where the guy faked his murder in the nuclear plant.
Would so buy a Blu-Ray of Probe....
@@johnst3296 Here is a link to all probe episodes on TH-cam... (while it lasts) th-cam.com/video/kcJM8Agwoj0/w-d-xo.html
PROBE had allot of potential, I would buy it on DVD.
@@johnst3296 yeah, wasn't part of how he caught the nuclear plant guy due to the programmed robot he used to sneak the body in running the program again?
@@jonarse yes!!! The robot was in the intro of every episode.
I love that one of the hype quotes for The Phoenix is "...it could become a television classic." I take it that won out over, "Well, it's definitely a TV show."
I get as much enjoyment out of these videos as I do when Anthony Cumia watches infomercials from the 50s. Great work Cecil.
There were infomercials in the 1950s? 😕
LLLLiiiiiinger longerrrrrrrrrrrrr
@@GoodBadFlicks that generally made me laugh.
Funny I just sent him that vid
Someone here is a compond media fan
For animated shows, Sealab 2020 would be a good one to mention, especially considering the fact it has two lost episodes and it’s a rare serious show from Hanna-Barbera’s post Scooby-Doo era. It was created by Alex Toth, creator of Space Ghost, Birdman and The Herculoids.
It was parodied as the Adult Swim series, Sealab 2021.
It also then allowed Sealab 2021 a few decades later
When I was around seven years old I was obsessed by the armor of Superforce. I drew it over and over again because it just looked damn cool.
Same but for more of the POV like tracking then lockon and the white ver that his brother had... That was the reason he became a cop to find his brothers killer
@@Mehlmo Oh yes, I drew the POV as well. Loved the pixelated low resolution view.
Automan, Phoenix and Probe are among my "gee, I miss these" shows. I'd recorded the full run of Probe as I am a fan of Asimov's work and appreciate "genius" heroes [Holmes and others as well]. The other I recall and truly miss is Misfits Of Science, a wonderfully funny superhero series.
Misfits was fun and weird.
YES, yes, and yes! Even years later when Judson Scott appeared on the XFiles I thought, "Phoenix!!" Also adored Misfits of Science! Another one was Shadow Chasers with Trevor Eve and Dennis Dugan
Ah! And a fellow 'Banzai' -fan too, I see! =)
When SciFi had an Automan marathon, Chuck Wagner was on social media talking with fans. He's a down to earth guy.
Is he Robert’s son?
I don't think so. That would be great if Stephanie Powers gave birth to a hologram.
I'm so jelous of that Automan show. I would've loved it as a kid. Probably would try to paint my Legos with fluorescent paint and manically try to recreate the car in plastic form.
Omg someone remembers Lightning Force! Oh the amount of guns I made with Legos...
Don't judge me, I loved recreating TV stuff with Legos as a kid.
Damn never noticed how much Desi looked like his dad. I remember Automan could take turns on the street like he was in a lightcycle on the game grid.
Watched every bit of Automan. Enjoyed Super Force season one. Loved PROBE. When he described building a castle down to the last detail in his mind and then conquering it and burning down. Amazing. You have to cover The Highwayman. Transforming semis with weird sci-fi happenings. It was great.
Oddly enough I have long had a very distinct childhood memory of running downstairs for the premiere episode of The Phoenix, having LOVED the original pilot/tv movie and taken note of ads for its rebirth!!
Man... Probe and The Phoenix were shows that are stuck in my brain as well as Automan. Thanks for bringing it back around.
It's good to be back on the the Patreon and watching the vids early. Really enjoying these old TV show vids. Keep it up my dude.
Thanks and welcome back! I appreciate the support!
LOVE THIS SERIES!
Automan was one of my favorites!
There is a very little know series (or tv movie series) that I can't remember the name of. But I remember specific aspects of it.
I remember it had something to do with a guy traveling from the future. I also remember him having a A.I. sidekick that looked a bit like a brown floating monitor that was similar to looking like an eye.
That's all I remember, so I deeply hoping you stumble across it. As I've been going nuts for decades, trying to locate it again. I'm starting to believe it was a just a strange vivid dream.
That had Martin Cove as the alien. It may have been *Doing Time on Planet Earth.*
If you IMDB Martin Kove, you could probably find it there.
@@TheRealNormanBates
Thanks for trying,.
But that's clearly not it.
This is a series you can pretty much do forever if you wanted to. There are countless new shows that debut & get forgotten about every year. I get excited every time you mention one I remember. 😄 Keep up the good work. 👍
Yes I remember “Automan”...nice car & “Super Force”...nice armor suit. “The Phoenix“ made for TV movie was ok. I only remembered Parker Stevenson from “The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew mysteries in the late 1970s. The others sound worth checking out. Thanks Cecil, fun stuff...keep them coming.!
I do remember Phoenix pilot because it was so...Zen. Once the series was picked up Scott appeared as *another alien* on the pilot of The Powers Of Matthew Star. I'm surprised that went under your radar...
Ok, I had to pause at 2:00....Automan is NOT forgotten! One of the very best shows of my childhood and I'm often reminiscing about it; hard to believe they only aired 13 episodes. There should have been at least 3 seasons of it.
Glad you mentioned Monk because PROBE sounds like a definite inspiration
You tackled SUPER-FORCE! It fills me with dorky joy.
thanks for covering Probe! It was a great/oddball series that I would have enjoyed for years.
I love this new series of yours. You've given me so much to watch and I thank you greatly. Watching your videos is like being wrapped in a warm blanket after a long day. And I'm not kidding in the least when I say that I'd pay so much money for your voice to speak for my directional app
I especially remember and like Phoenix and Probe. I saw about half the shows you've collected in this series of Forgotten TV shows. I would love for you to have some network themed versions, most notably UPN, CW and the WB.
Another theme for one of these lists: Big Screen To Small: Movies Turned TV shows. Forgotten shows I do remember include Alien Nation, RoboCop and F/X series'. I especially remember Roddy Piper on RoboCop and Kevin Dobson in Brian Dennehy's shoes as Leo McCarthy on F/X. Plus a pre-Matrix Carrie Anne Moss also on the latter.
'Hey, what do you do for a living?'
'I travel around the world and kick ass!'
'Sounds interesting.'
So glad you added that Judson Scott was also in Wrath of Khan - I knew I "knew that guy" but couldn't place him!
Yep, and Judson was also in the TNG episode "Symbiosis" along with his TWOK co-star, the late Merritt Butrick
@@gspendlove Scott also did episodes of The Greatest American Hero and The A-Team and was one of the Visitors on "V: The Series".
Superboy was my jam in syndication in the 90's. I also enjoyed the 90's Flash.
Superforce was fantastic also.
All on DVD, but will never see BluRay release. All hold up very well as I watched them recently.
I remember watching the Phoenix. It was also one of my favorite games. It existed before the show so I think the show was just capitalizing on a popular game and the coincidence of their names. I even remember that episode well.
Automan was always a favorite. Phoenix was so awesome & I had been telling my buddies about it for years. Here in Philly, Superforce, Lightning Force, Superboy, My Secret Identity & Dracula would air on channel 170 or 57 on Saturday afternoons. An all time favorite forgotten gem was 1998's "Prey". Starring a pre Will & Grace, Debra Messing & soap star, Roger Howarth. It was never released on DVD & his super hard to find anywhere. Check it out.
Yes! I was trying to remember the other shows in the block on 57. Prey ended up on sci-fi as many of these shows did. I thought it was cool but sadly, they never were able to finish out the storyline.
@@GoodBadFlicks I may have gotten the timeline a little messed up because it's been 30 years. But at some point, all those half hour show did air here in Philadelphia on Saturdays on either channel 17 or 57. Originally, before Comcast, channel 57 was "Prizm". You needed a Converter Box to access Prizm. My grandpop Hughes had this. Anyone who wanted to watch the Fliers games, movies & Soft Porn had Prism. My grandpop was a perv & watched the Porn. LOL!
'80's Dan' is filmed in front of a live studio apartment.
I can't wait to see the animated shows!
Me either!!!
Now this is an AWESOME way to start this Monday morning! Thank you Cecil! ♥
FYI. How could forget Chuck Wagner or AUTOMAN! both are AWESOME!!!
I am LOVING this obscure TV show series
Thanks!
Please keep it going GBF. These have become lil gems! Great fn work.
Thanks!
Automan! Hell Yeah, I remember his car could make a 90 degree lighting fast!
I hope "The Highwayman" gets your treatment. I remember pretending to be sick to skip out on my older sister's Jr. High School play to watch and remember being bored. I WAS just there for the trucks though.
Another show that is a forgotten sci fi gem was the Highwayman. The series beyond the pilot included Australian football player Mark "Jacko" Jackson and was kind of a cross between Knight Rider and Mad Max
This is a good idea for a series. You could make these forever!
Well, I like the usual exploration and mocking videos.
i haven't forgotten automan, it was kewl
Automan has remake potential. Contrary to something like Knight Rider (nowadays with things like Tesla cars, Alexa, etc.; KITT isn't as WOW! as it was for viewers in the 1980's), Automan deals with a type of tech that still is very much in speculative fiction territory.
Automan gave me my Tron fix right in my living room. I used the Tomy Tron figure as him with my Star Wars figures.
2:00 a... Policenaut?
But no seriously, this is just a tokusatsu premise.
Toku, metal heroes in particular, is full of robot cops, alien cops or astronaut superheroes wearing suits like that to fight crime.
Just look up winspector, which is about one dude who puts on a super armored suit (one REALLY well done with pratical effects, including a helmet that locks in place and unlocks realistically) and two robots fighting crime and dealing with natural disasters.
And yet... people in the west often look down on tokusatsu as being silly or 'japan viable only' ideas.
Give it time. A lot of Japanese entertainment that used to be considered fringe is pretty mainstream these days.
@@spiff2268 Truth. Look how Power Rangers is going on strong after 28 years.
I always enjoy seeing Cecil talk about obscure tv shows
While you were talking about P.R.O.B.E., I was thinking to myself "the main character sounds like Monk" and then a minute later you literally made the same comparison.
Oh man, I'd totally forgotten Super Force until I watched this!
Probe was also really good. A bit that sticks out in my head is when he asks an AI on what hand he wears his watch. The computer scans him, then the guy who built it reads off the computer's reply, which was to the effect of "You stand like a right-handed person, most right-handed people wear their watch on their left wrist, but because you thought this question would trick me, you actually wear your watch on your right wrist." And the computer was right.
And then it killed its creator. Ah, good times.
I loved automan as a kid. For years people thought I was nuts as nobody else seemed to remember it and I couldn't remember it's name and describing it didn't help much 🤣. It got to the point that even I started to think I had just imagined it. until one day a friend of my brothers also remembered it and new the name so I could look it up on TH-cam. Sanity restored 🤣
It's wild to see the old syndicated shows from the late 80's into the 90's. These two, Baywatch and of course Thunder In Paradise with Hulk Hogan. With the advent of Fox, and then The WB and UPN, the stations airing them had plenty of time that wasn't filled by the network. But Automan! DUDE! Now THAT was truly a blast from the past!
Don't forget The Pointman and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
Anybody remember Time Trax or Dark Justice?
I loved Automan and The Phoenix. My sister loved Probe though. Especially the monkey mystery episode.
Automan is my all time favorite TV-series. It's such an interesting super hero and I love the humor and interesting scenarios they end up in. It has the perfect 80's vibe I don't think is possible to recreate today.
👏hits 👏keep👏coming! In my hazy memory Phoenix is paired with Otherworld. Looking forward to Sectaurs (?) trivia
@@kalamac1961 Glad I'm not the only one!
You just did an entire episode of sci-fi shows that were cancelled, and you didn't even mention a fox show, I'm impressed.
I figured I'd give them a break this week lol
@@GoodBadFlicks okay, don't forget to do Invasion USA
I gotta say I really like the design of Super Force's gadgets and vehicles
Remember 10 speed and Brown shoe? Jeff Goldblum was in it a buddy cop comedy. Square Pegs? Misfits of Science? Riptide?
Tenspeed and Brownshoe was a private detective comedy. That and Riptide were from Stephen J. Cannell.
Dude, except for Automan I have not heard of any of these shows. Well done. Please, please do a cartoon version of this.
Never heard of any of these shows, and they look awesome, especially P.R.O.B.E. I love anything Asimov related. Thank you for sharing this fascinating piece of history. Your channel is truly one of the best places I get content from these days. Keep on!
Thank you! Glad you like em, lots more to come :)
Ok was that supposed to be an in joke about Asimov helping the FOUNDATION of the show lol 😂😂😂
Thanks thanks for showing those sci-fi forgotten gems Cecile really brings back good memories looking forward to next thanks
Thanks for watching!
If Probe was made now, The main character would have aspergers or autism, or both, because that equals ratings in the first couple of epsiodes
OH MY GOSH I’ve been wondering for years what that show with the forehead guy was I saw as a kid!
The video torture scene made me cry and disturbed for days.
Almost every single show Glen Larson came up was "borrowed" from a popular movie. Automan - Tron. BJ & the Bear - Every Which Way But Loose. The Highwayman - Mad Max. The list goes on and on. He even got the name Glen Larceny because of it.
Sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison came up with the nickname. I think "Quincy M.E." was the only original show Glen came up with.
@@Madbandit77 that's the guy! I knew what he wrote just blanked on his name. Thanks.
Just mention Richard Lynch two times in this episode, Richard Lynch was also the villain in Invasion USA, it's way overdue Cecil.
As a teen I got a random survey call from the production company behind "Probe" and really got enthusiastic about the plot they described. I feel I was partly responsible for it airing. Too bad it didn't do well. They never called me back LOL
I hope you'll cover "The Wizard" and "Mr Merlin". I remember loving those shows, but I bet no one else even remembers them.
I enjoyed Automan. I was the right age for it and Manimal. Great stuff.
I remember watching PROBE on SciFi Channel back in the day and loving it!
I haven't heard of Lightning Force in an eternity.
The show briefly aired here very early in the morning, Saturdays, on the local NBC Affiliate before their normal Saturday morning cartoon content would begin.
I saw "Super Force" in the thumbnail and you *immediately* got my attention!
I also remember "Lightening Force"! Shame its nowhere to be found. :-(
Just got Super Force on DVD, I'm excited to check it out
I am really enjoying these videos Cecil, most of these shows I have never heard of. I know about Automan because I remember seeing it on Sci Fi Channel in the 90s. Thanks!
Glad you like them!
Automan!! That show always rolls around in my consciousness! Nobody I tell ever remembers this
Love love loving this series your doing...you bring back so many memories I forgot I had!
I'm glad that Super Force got a DVD release. I remember Larry Scott as FX, and the first season was especially fun
Ok, #1; YES! PLEASE do 5 animated shows!
#2; 'P.R.O.B.E.' sounds very smart! Anything with Asimov's personal stamp on it is bound to be of a higher quality. He was very meticulous in his research. Also, the lead character sounds very much like an early autism-coded character, and I think it would be welcomed today.
#3; And it could ABSOLUTELY work today! I personally could envision it as a sort of high-concept version of 'Psych'.
I love the series! Hope you do 'Dark Angel' sometime! =)
Please keep making more of these!
Other than the Lightning Force, the shows you talked about in this video were a big part of my childhood. Probe is on YT and I have rewatched it. And after all these years, it is still a very smart show.
Wow!!
I never even heard of these shows!
Makes me think about those shows that played late on Saturday nights when I was a little kid.
Suggestion, Psi factor and a show called Burmuda Depths with a giant glowing sea turtle.
✌
AutoMan was awesome! Manimal, and Street Hawk, along with The Master and AutoMan were my childhood!
Other than your explore series, this is quickly becoming my favorite thing you do.
:)
Hey, Great video like always. I'd recommend putting a little gap between these segments. Wait this again at 1:51. It sounds like the thirteenth episode of Automan is "super force"... I was like "Wait they aired a pilot to another show as the final episode that didn't air?" Lol, kind of confusing for a moment.
So, all these forgotten shows made me remember one from I think the early 90s. There are only three things I remember of the pilot. #1 the pilot's entire gimmick was centered on a giant fire-breathing robot dinosaur truck which only showed up at the end of the pilot. #2 It only showed up at the end because the lead willed it into reality because the truck was his late son's favorite toy? #3 the villain in the pilot (who I think killed the son) was gloriously cheesy.
I'd not even heard of these shows, but I'm really enjoying this series.
:)
I love Prob to this day. Still have my original recordings of all but the pilot and the episode with the witch and the virus. I also have those episodes from other sources. Asimov’s science essays were my favorites back then.
Introducing M.E.T.A. A show about Zuck, an out of touch awkward techno billionaire who goes out of his way to Solve mysteries while also resisting the urge to blink his lizard eyes sideways in front of people.
A very well put together commentary on classic Sci-Fi T.V. Series
Thanks!
It looks like I missed out on some pretty kooky shows in the 1980's. None of these shows ring a bell, but the Super Force actually sounds cool. Thanks for sharing your TV memories with us, Cecil.
OH MY GOSH, I’ve been wondering for years what that show was I saw as a kid with the white superhero guy and the black scientist guy that suddenly had a laugh track out of nowhere. Little kid me was very confused!
THANK YOU
You are welcome :)
I remember Lightning Force. It was a cool idea at the time but the acting and action was not done very well. Sure wish they would release The Darkroom in some form.
I would love you to cover “Something is Out There”. I think it was about an alien that made you forget to breathe. There was a cop and a female alien played by Maryam Dabo, I think.
Yep