VideoTyme

Irwin Allen has been called a visionary and a science fiction genius in some circles. I don't know about that. He launched four science fiction television series in the 1960s, but none of them lasted longer than three years, and that happened to be "Lost in Space". Three out of four of the plot lines dealt with characters that were lost and with little hope of returning to where they began.

Lost in Space

I saw the original pilot and I think it was called "Space Family Robinson". Some legality somewhere caused the name to be changed. The pilot did not include Dr. Smith or any kind of sabotage. Some of the footage from the pilot was used in later in the episodes of the first season, which were all aired in black and white. Whenever the old footage was shown, Dr. Smith was conspicuously missing from the scenes.

Most of the first season (1965-1966) was done in a serious manner. By the second season it degraded into a campy show that seemed to be aimed at children. By the third season, it was evident it wouldn't make it to a fourth season. Of course, the crew of the Jupiter 2 never made it back to the Earth for their time period before the cancellation of the series.

Time Tunnel

Lasting only one season, from 1966-1967, it's easy to understand why the series didn't last. They used the same gimmick as "Lost in Space". This time, however, the characters were lost in time (pardon double time usage).

The reason why it was easy to see it dying out real fast was because every place the main characters landed, it happened to be a historical period and place. I credit the writer or writers with an incredible lack of creativity.

Land of the Giants

It's well known that "Land of the Giants" was a copy and paste job from "Lost in Space". Perhaps that's why it lasted two seasons, from 1968-1970. Instead of being lost in space, they're stranded on an alien planet filled with giants.

I've always liked movies with giants in them, but this TV series was horrible. At the age of 8 and 9, I couldn't stand it and always left the room when my brothers were watching it. That should say something since I was always a science fiction fan.

Star Trek: Voyager

In 1995, the fourth series in the Star Trek television franchise was launched. Guess what the premise was? Yes, they were lost in space, catapulted some 70 or so light years from our galaxy in the first episode. The seven years that it was on was spent doing killing time while they were trying to find a way back home.

Unlike "Lost in Space", the crew of Voyager made it home at the end of the seventh season.

Stargate: Universe

In the summer of 2009, "Stargate Universe" will be airing on the SCI FI channel in the US. Guess what the premise is going to be? Yes, they're going to be lost in space, stuck on board and "Ancient" spacecraft on a predetermined course that can't be changed.

I'm a huge fan of everything Stargate, but I predict this particular series won't last for very long, perhaps one or two seasons. That is, of course, unless the writers are very, very good.