By GFR
| Published 26 seconds ago
The 1970s were an important time in the evolution of science fiction in pop culture. The eventual release of Star Wars in 1977 would change sci-fi on the big screen forever, but there were just as many fascinating and revolutionary stories being told on the small screen.
So, let’s travel back in time and look at the 1970s science fiction television shows that are still worth watching today.
The Six Million Dollar Man
Anyone who loves lo-fi sci-fi will enjoy The Six Million Dollar Man, a show that answers the question: “What if James Bond was a Transformer?”
The basic premise of the show sees astronaut Steve Austin (not that one) get severely injured in a plane crash and his body must be rebuilt with bionic parts. Those parts cost (you guessed it) a whopping six million dollars, but the government effectively gets its money back when this bionic man uses a bevy of gadgets to complete missions as a secret agent.
While the entire show is entertaining, the best part is the performance from leading man Lee Majors. He helps to ground the goofier plot elements, which included frequent scenes of slo-mo action that were basically bullet-time on a budget.
The Six Million Dollar Man is a killer show that managed to transform both the sci-fi and spy genres in ways that still seem fresh and innovative.
Battlestar Galactica
Back when sci-fi was completely dominated by Star Trek and Star Wars, the original Battlestar Galactica transfixed audiences with a tale of humanity’s final days, relentlessly pursued across the cosmos by unstoppable killer robots.
Battlestar Galactica follows the adventures of the titular military vessel and a fleet of civilian starships as they try to stay one step ahead of the murderous Cylons. These robots have already wiped out the rest of humanity, and they won’t stop until they finish the job and wipe out mankind altogether.
The best part of this show is its apocalyptic premise. Less optimistic than Star Trek and less swashbuckling than Star Wars, this series is one part cautionary tale and one part glorious throwback to the science fiction of beloved authors like Isaac Asimov.
While the remake gets all the attention, the original Battlestar Galactica remains one of the most compelling sci-fi shows in broadcast history.
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Years before the debut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the franchise unveiled an animated series that brought back Captain Kirk and his crew for wild adventures in the vein of The Original Series.
Star Trek: The Animated Series follows The Original Series formula by continuing Kirk and the Enterprise Crew’s five-year mission of exploring new worlds and encountering new life out on the fringes of the final frontier. And the animated format allowed for crazy concepts and characters that Gene Roddenberry would never have been able to afford for his earlier show.
The single best thing about Star Trek: The Animated Series is that almost all of the original cast returns as voice actors. That makes this underappreciated show more or less the honorary fourth season of The Original Series.
Come for the original cast and stay for a show that has been influencing Star Trek’s best stories for decades.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Any die-hard X-Files fans out there? If so, you need to take a look at 1974’s Kolchak: The Night Stalker, the one-season series that Chris Carter cited as a tremendous source of inspiration for his own sci-fi media franchise that dominated the 90s.
Carl Kolchak is a reporter who follows nobody’s rules but his own as he stumbles across bizarre crime scenes involving supernatural entities that don’t have a reasonable explanation for their existence. With each episode, Kolchak finds himself chasing new leads that the authorities wouldn’t be caught dead seeking out, all in the pursuit of truth.
Though the monsters may seem dated due to the technical limitations of the time, Darren McGavin’s performance as Kolchak is noteworthy because he’s stubborn and unflappable, but has enough charm to get him where he needs to go.
Channeling some serious crime noir energy, Kolchak: The Night Stalker has more pulp than a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, combining horror with cynicism and just the right amount of journalistic integrity that will inspire you to keep asking questions when nobody else is seeking answers. The truth has always been out there.
Survivors
Survivors is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series that doesn’t require a lot of bells and whistles, or even the suspension of disbelief to get its point across thanks to its commitment to showing a grounded version of the end times without any fancy theatrics muddling its narrative.
Centering on a small group of British survivors trying to rebuild society after a mysterious flu-like epidemic decimates the world’s population, Survivors doesn’t hinge on the supernatural, but rather a real-world pandemic that’s just as, if not more horrifying than the zombie or alien attacks you’d see in The Walking Dead or War of the Worlds.
Survivors doesn’t need an out-of-this-world antagonist to generate suspense because real-world problems like food shortages, government overreach, failing institutions, and a general sense of distrust take center stage as common citizens fight for survival during uncertain, unprecedented times.
Offering substance that doesn’t need to be supplemented with style in the form of special effects, Survivors doesn’t offer answers to life’s difficult questions. Instead, it provides a startling glimpse of what it means to cling to humanity when the natural order of things breaks down to its most basic components.
Logan’s Run
Logan’s Run is a stylish continuation of the 1976 film that further explores the concept of a utopia gone wrong as its protagonists search for freedom under extenuating circumstances.
Searching for the ever-elusive and mythical “Sanctuary” after escaping from the City of Domes where nobody lives past the age of 30, Logan 5 and Jessica 6 find themselves evading authorities while encountering robots, aliens, and secret societies along the way.
Setting itself apart from other retro-futuristic romps through a post-apocalyptic United States, Logan’s Run is a cut above its contemporaries thanks to its ambitious worldbuilding, visually enthralling set designs, vast cityscapes, and charismatic protagonists portrayed by the infinitely charming and charismatic Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies.
Logan’s Run is an absolute treat to look at, and has plenty of existential dread to round things out while you stare in awe at the utopia that could have been while wishing for a brighter future.
Sealab 2020
In 1972, Hanna-Barbara released their take on Star Trek: The Original series, but instead of exploring space, SeaLab 2020 went deep beneath the waves.
Each episode covers an adventure of the SeaLab crew ranging from reuniting a dolphin family to saving a submarine trapped under the arctic ice. The animation, which puts emphasis on character closeups and realistic movement makes the 50-year old series timeless and its corny, hokey plots become a selling point for another generation of fans.
Best of all, after watching SeaLab 2020, you can then enjoy the Adult Swim parody, SeaLab 2021, one of the greatest sci-fi comedies of all time.
Mork and Mindy
“Nanu Nanu!”
Those two words are enough to send an entire generation into a nostalgic fit over Mork and Mindy, the series that turned Robin Williams into a star.
The legendary comedian played Mork, an alien from the planet Ork assigned to observe humans, who lived with Mindy, a relatively normal woman in Boulder, Colorado.
Williams improvised most of his lines, and thanks to his off-brand sense of humor, the sci-fi sitcom doesn’t fall victim to a lot of dated awkwardness that makes some of its contemporaries hard to watch today.
Robin Williams makes almost everything worth watching, and the same holds true for the four-season series that could barely contain this comedic force of nature.
The Man From Atlantis
One of the strangest shows of the 70s, The Man From Atlantis features future Dallas and Step By Step star, Patrick Duffy, as the last survivor of Atlantis.
Using superhuman strength and the ability to withstand the extreme depths of the ocean, the amnesiac man dubbed Mark Harris works with the government to explore the deep sea.
Unexplained by the series, the deep sea includes mystical portals that transport Mark across time to meet Romeo and Juliet, and cracks that lead into the land of giants. The Man From Atlantis only lasted 13 episodes, but it’s such a bizarre series that goes from being weird to outright hilarious. This is one you’ll want to share with your friends just to see their reactions.
