Forgotten TV Heroes: Misfits of Science

Clipped from Wikipedia: Misfits of Science is an American superhero fantasy television series that aired on NBC from October 1985 to February 1986. It features super-powered humans and their madcap adventures. A double-length pilot and 15 additional episodes were created; however one episode did not air before the show was cancelled due to low ratings.

The Misfits:

• Dean Paul Martin as Dr. Billy Hayes – the non-powered yet undisputed leader of this misfit team. Billy is a young research scientist at the Humanidyne Institute who specializes in "human anomalies".
• Kevin Peter Hall as Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln – Billy's colleague and close friend. El is a towering man who gives himself the ability to shrink for minutes at a time from his height of seven-foot-four to eleven inches via hormonal treatments which he activates by pressing a nerve on the back of his neck.
• Mark Thomas Miller as Johnny "Johnny B" Bukowski – a rock and roll musician who was electrocuted on stage, thus giving him formidable electrical powers. He wears sunglasses because his eyes glowed when he is fully charged, he can hurl lightning bolts and run at superhuman speed, easily outracing in one episode a parody of the Six Million Dollar Man, but he is vulnerable to water which short circuits him and burns his flesh. He is a big Chuck Berry fan, in the pilot singing "Johnny B. Goode" when he goes into battle.
• Courteney Cox as Gloria Dinallo – a troubled telekinetic teen with a history of juvenile delinquency and a mother in a mental institution who claims Gloria's father is from outer space. She has a major crush on Johnny.
• Mickey Jones as Arnold "Beef"/"Ice Man" Beifneiter – got his power to freeze anything he touches from placing himself in an experimental cryogenic suspended animation unit back in 1937 due to grief caused by the loss of his beloved Amelia Earhart. The team drives around in an ice cream truck because the lumbering and now rather simpleminded Ice Man dies if he gets too warm, so they keep him in the freezer. Beef only appears in the pilot episode due to legal objections from Marvel Comics who published a similar character in X-Men, but the characters continue to use the ice cream truck.

Rob's Room: Automan

Yeah... I watched this as a kid...  Growing up in the 80's was difficult!
(idea via Masters of the 80's tumblr)

Forgotten TV Heroes: Anderson's The Day After Tomorrow

Clipped from Wikipedia: The Day After Tomorrow (also known as Into Infinity in the United Kingdom) is a 1975 British science-fiction television drama produced by Gerry Anderson between the two series of Space: 1999. Written by Johnny Byrne and directed by Charles Crichton, it stars Brian Blessed, Joanna Dunham and Nick Tate, and is narrated by Ed Bishop. It first aired in the United States on NBC, as an episode of the children's science education series Special Treat, in December 1975. In the UK, BBC1 broadcast the programme as an independent special in December 1976, and again in December 1977. 

Plot: The Day After Tomorrow relates to the interstellar mission of Altares, a science vessel of the future that can travel at the speed of light. Departing from its original destination, Alpha Centauri, Altares moves deeper into space and her crew of three adults and two children encounter phenomena such as a meteor shower, a red giant star and, finally, a black hole, which pulls the ship into another universe.

Origin: Originally commissioned to produce a child-friendly introduction to Albert Einstein's special relativity theory in the form of an action-adventure, Anderson and Byrne conceived The Day After Tomorrow as the pilot episode of a TV series. To this end, writer and producer proposed the alternative title "Into Infinity", although their limited budget precluded the production of further episodes. 

Reviews: Reception to The Day After Tomorrow remains mixed. Although the model effects and music have been praised, critics have offered both favourable and unfavourable comparisons of the programme's "psychedelic" images to the visual style used by film director Stanley Kubrick. While Byrne's script writing has been described as "lyrical", and it has been suggested that The Day After Tomorrow includes allusions to the 1960s TV series Lost in Space, the plot has been criticized for a lack of suspense, generally attributed to the fact that The Day After Tomorrow is primarily a children's science education programme. Further criticism has been directed at the acting, with Martin Lev's performance in particular being poorly received. Home video releases of The Day After Tomorrow are limited to one VHS and one DVD, both of which are available only to members of the official Gerry Anderson fan club, Fanderson. Author Douglas R. Mason's novelization of The Day After Tomorrow remains unpublished. 

Release: Licensed releases of The Day After Tomorrow are limited to a 1997 VHS and a 2002 DVD, both of which are exclusive merchandise available to Fanderson members only. Space Police (a pilot that inspired the series Space Precinct) is included on the DVD, which presents both films in a digitally remastered format.

Fun Fact: The visuals of Space: 1999 influenced both special effects technician Martin Bower, the designer of the scale models that appear in the programme, and production designer Reg Hill, who re-used set elements from various episodes of Space: 1999 to construct the Altares interiors.
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Forgotten TV Heroes: Captain Power & the Soldiers of the Future

Clipped from Wikipedia: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future is a 1987–88 Canadian-American science fiction/action television series, merging live action with animation based on computer-generated images, that ran for 22 episodes in Canadian and American syndication. A toy line was also produced by Mattel, and during each episode there was a segment that included visual and audio material which interacted with the toys. A production of "The Landmark Entertainment Group," Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was created by Gary Goddard and Anthony "Tony" Christopher (neither of whom actually wrote any of the stories) and developed by Marc Scott Zicree, with J. Michael Straczynski becoming de facto head writer.
 
Plot: The storyline was set on Earth in the 22nd century following the Metal Wars, a cybernetic revolt that resulted in the subjugation of the human race by intelligent machines. Captain Jonathan Power and a small group of guerrilla fighters, called "The Soldiers Of The Future," oppose the machine forces that dominate Earth.
 
Cancelled: J. Michael Straczynski commented about the show's cancellation and the planned second season.

"...Yeah, that's a show that is an example of what to strive for, and how sometimes good intentions can get derailed. We genuinely wanted to come up with a long-term story, and by and large, we succeeded. The problem was the marketing in front of the show, and the merchandising behind the show...we got killed from both sides. There's an entire second season of unproduced CP scripts, story edited by Larry DiTillio, in which he follows up on the arc that I and others established during the first season. You would have found out what Dread became, what happened to Power's mother, where Eden was (and there would be direct contact), what the secret was in Soaron's programming, and so on."

Fun Fact: In 1987, Captain Power was one of the targets of anti-toy related children's television advocates who claimed that the series focused on selling children expensive toys for full participation.

Fun Fact: The show also spurred a short-lived comic-book of the same name, published by Continuity Comics in 1988–1989, illustrated by Neal Adams with stories by J. Michael Straczynski, who was also the series story editor, writing half the episodes and providing stories or outlines for many more.

Release: On 2011-12-06 the complete series was released on a 4 disk DVD set in region 1. The set contains all 22 episodes plus much bonus material including interviews and commentaries with cast members

Forgotten TV Heroes: Sidekicks

Clipped from Wikipedia: History: Sidekicks is a 1986-1987 martial arts TV series, a spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special, The Last Electric Knight. The series starred Ernie Reyes, Jr. as Ernie Lee, the Last Electric Knight, and Gil Gerard as Sergeant Jake Rizzo. Sidekicks aired on ABC Friday nights at 9pm and then Saturdays at 8pm.

Plot: Sergeant Jake Rizzo (Gil Gerard) is chosen by Sabasan as tutor of his grandson Ernie Lee (Ernie Reyes, Jr.), the last heir of an antique clan of special martial artists and a highly trained karate fighter. 

Through the series, Ernie tends to often get into dangerous situations where bullies at school or in the streets of Los Angeles threaten him or his friends, or in dangerous situations where his adoptive father ends up needing his help after criminals which he has captured try to escape or try to harm him. With help of his quick moves, unique powerful skills and the clever advice of his deceased grandfather, Ernie manages every time to overcome all of the dangerous situations he gets into and manages to overwhelm his opponents.

Forgotten TV Heroes: M.A.N.T.I.S.

Clipped from wikipedia:
History: M.A.N.T.I.S. is an American science fiction television series that aired for one season on the Fox Network between August 26, 1994 and March 3, 1995. The original two-hour pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and developed by Sam Hamm. It stars actor Carl Lumbly.

Plot: The wealthy, mild-mannered doctor Hawkins is shot in the spine during a riot, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. After losing a lawsuit against a police officer he holds responsible, he uses his company's resources to invent a powered exoskeleton that not only enables him to walk but gives him superhuman abilities. 

Using a vast array of technology, including a large underwater lab and a hovercraft called the Crysalid to fly around the city, he assumes the persona of the vigilante "M.A.N.T.I.S." (Mechanically Augmented Neuro Transmitter Interception System).

Midway through the show's run, minor characters were jettisoned, and more fantasy adventure elements were incorporated into the premise, including parallel universes, time travel, super-villains, and monsters. In one particular episode, the M.A.N.T.I.S. is accidentally thrown 32 years into the future, where he finds that his own technology has been exploited to create a supercomputer that is being used to enslave the Port Columbia population. He destroys it and sets the human population free before returning to his own time.

In the series' final installment, Miles Hawkins and Lt. Maxwell are killed disposing of an invisible prehistoric dinosaur. John Stonebrake seals off the records and technology that had created the M.A.N.T.I.S., thus averting an apocalyptic future. While the title character's death was given a sense of finality, the story was left open in one respect: when Miles Hawkins returned to 1994 from the year 2026 (a 32 year difference), he did so precisely 32 seconds after his vehicle sent him forward in time, thus altering the computer-controlled future that his disappearance had led to. As such, Miles Hawkins, while dying in the reality that he returned to, was also sent forward in time to an unknown future.

Fun Fact:  The pilot featured Gina Torres as pathologist Dr. Amy Ellis.

Releases: M.A.N.T.I.S. was released on Amazon's Digital Download service Unbox on April 2, 2008. A DVD release of the series was released on January 27, 2009.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Bigfoot and Wildboy

Clipped from wikipedia:  

History: Bigfoot and Wildboy is a Sid and Marty Krofft live action children's television series on ABC. It began in 1976 as a part of The Offtrack Supershow on Saturday mornings. Each episode was 15 minutes long, with cliffhanger endings resolved the following week. It became its own series in 1979 with twelve 30-minute episodes. There were a total of 28 episodes produced. Bigfoot and Wildboy was very similar to five episodes from another ABC series The Six Million Dollar Man, which included Bigfoot, who was the protector of aliens from outer space.

Plot:  Bigfoot (Ray Young) finds a young boy lost in the vast wilderness of the American northwest. Bigfoot raises the boy and calls him Wildboy (Joseph Butcher). Now, 8 years later, they fight crime and aliens who show up around their forest home.

Releases: Only two releases were available in the 1980s by Embassy Video, "Bigfoot and Wildboy Volume One" and "Bigfoot and Wildboy Volume Two." Both are now out of print. Columbia House released The World Of Sid and Marty Krofft series, which contained Bigfoot and Wildboy episodes. Rhino Video released a three-DVD collection also called The World Of Sid and Marty Krofft in 2002 included "The Return Of The Vampire" episode. 

Forgotten TV Heroes: The Merry Marvel TV Movies

Dork Note: Instead of breaking these all up into their own posts I decided to lump them all under one post called - The Merry Marvel TV Movies

Sorry Rob - I know how much you hate it when I post a shitload of videos on a page:)

The Incredible Hulk (1977)

Fun Fact: The TV series led to a syndicated newspaper strip that ran from 1978 to 1982. It used the same background and origin story as the TV series but narrated stories outside the TV series.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)

The Incredible Hulk Death in the Family (1977)

Dr. Strange (1978)

Fun Fact: In an interview found in the January 1985 issue of Comics Feature magazine, Stan Lee recounted largely positive experiences working on Doctor Strange, especially compared with the other live-action Marvel Comics adaptations under the publisher's development deal with CBS and Universal in the late 1970s, "Just as with the Hulk, Lee had few problems with the TV movie adaptation done of Dr. Strange. 

"I probably had the most input into that one. I've become good friends with the writer/producer Phil DeGuere. I was pleased with Dr. Strange and The [Incredible] Hulk. I think that Dr. Strange would have done much better than it did in the ratings except that it aired opposite Roots. Those are the only experiences I've had with live action television. Dr. Strange and the Hulk were fine. Captain America was a bit [of a] disappointment and Spider-Man was a total nightmare."

Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978)

Captain America (1979)

Spider-Man the Dragon's Challenge (1979)

Fun Fact: The CBS Television Network canceled it, along with Wonder Woman, to avoid being called "the superhero network."

Captain America II Death Too Soon (1979)

The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988)

Fun Fact: This television movie acted as a backdoor pilot for an unproduced television series featuring the Thor comic book character. This is the first time another character or element from the Marvel Universe appeared in the milieu of the TV series. Thor's appearance differs from the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, resembling a more realistic and divine version of the "Norse God of Thunder" but still closely following the comic in that he is sent to earth to learn humility.Thor was played by Eric Allan Kramer and Dr. Donald Blake by Steve Levitt. In this version Blake does not become Thor, who is a separate character. By holding Thor's hammer Mjolnir and shouting "Odin!" Blake can summon the Viking Warrior to help him, the two interacting and openly discussing their situations: Blake wants Thor off his back, but the latter will not be admitted into Asgard until he has proven himself worthy. The hammer is also not restricted by the worthiness test.

The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989)

Fun Fact: This movie was the first Marvel film or television project to feature a cameo appearance from famed creator Stan Lee, as the jury foreman in Banner's imagined trial. During this scene the Hulk also wears his signature purple pants, the first time the Bixby/Ferrigno Hulk did so. 

The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990)

Fun Fact: Despite the Hulk's apparent death in the 1990 film, the program's makers had always intended for him to return in The Revenge of the Incredible Hulk, in which he would be revived in a state in which the Hulk had Banner's mind. This third Hulk telefilm was initially announced to feature the Marvel Comics character She-Hulk, just as the previous two had featured Thor and Daredevil. As of early July 1989, it was still firmly expected to do so, and to air that autumn, with Iron Man under consideration for a follow-up. As of July 10, 1990, a script was being written. However, the project was canceled when Bill Bixby's health declined. He died of cancer in November 1993.

Power Pack (1991) (unaired)

Generation X (1996)

Fun Fact: The mansion used for the Xavier Institute is Hatley Castle which was also used in the X-Men films X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as for the home of young Lex Luthor in the Smallville series.

Fun Fact: In the British version there was significantly more swearing and racial slurs. These were edited out of the U.S. version. When Skin encounters Russel Tresh in the Dream World, Tresh calls Skin a "wetback" and threatens to mind-rape Skin's sister if he doesn't help get Tresh back into his body. This scene was edited to remove the racial slur and mind-rape wording in the U.S. version.

Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998)

Man-Thing (2005)

Bonus - Jack Kirby in The Incredible Hulk

Forgotten TV Heroes: Cleopatra 2525

History: Cleopatra 2525 is an American science fiction television series that aired in syndication for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001.

Plot: When complications arise during her breast augmentation surgery, 20th-century exotic dancer Cleo (Jennifer Sky) is put into suspended animation. Waking 525 years in the future, Cleo joins two women in their fight against the Baileys, armed flying machines who now control Earth's surface. Her team leader, Hel (Gina Torres), is commanded by a mysterious female entity called "Voice", who relays orders via a communications implant under Hel's left ear. Voice controls many other teams and gives them their orders in a similar fashion, in effect forming a resistance to the Baileys, with their ultimate goal to retake the Earth's surface. Their final team member is Sarge (Victoria Pratt), whose sister belongs to a cult that regards the Baileys with reverence and willingly sacrifices themselves to them.

Humanity has moved underground and built a complex of elaborate shafts and tunnels created by the "shaft builders" to survive the Bailey menace. Cleo (pictured above on the right) wows the 26th century denizens with her philosophical sayings (many of which come from the 20th century popular culture).

Fun Fact: Cast member Gina Torres performed the show's theme song, which is based on Zager and Evans' 1969 hit "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)", albeit with altered lyrics.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Mutant X

History: Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Marvel Studios, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering.

Even though the series had high ratings and was meant to be renewed for a fourth season, it was abruptly canceled in 2004 after the dismantling of Fireworks Entertainment, one of the show's production companies.

Plot: Several years ago a company called Genomex carried out a series of illegal and immoral experiments on human subjects, forever altering the DNA of any children they might have, to make them mutations from the norm. Now many of those children have grown up, and it has become increasingly difficult for the rest of the world to ignore the New Mutants in their midst. Genomex, under the direction of Mason Eckhart, one of the original scientists, seeks to exploit its creations. Others seek to protect them. A New Mutant Underground has sprung up, and one of the most prominent cells in that organization is Mutant X, a team of powerful New Mutants led by Adam Kane, head chief biogeneticist of The Genomex scientists who participated in the experiments which have altered the world forever.

Fun Facts: In 2001, 20th Century Fox sued Marvel, Tribute Entertainment, and Fireworks Entertainment for breach of their licensing agreement and false advertisement. Fox stated it had exclusive rights from Marvel to develop the X-Men property, and anything similar was an infringement. Marvel counter-sued Fox, saying that the two were dissimilar and asking the courts to allow Mutant X production to go forward. Production was allowed, as long as X-Men material was not used in the promotion of Mutant X. Apparently, the title "Mutant X" itself was deemed too close to "X-Men" to be effectively leveraged.

In 2003, Fox and Marvel resolved their differences in a confidential settlement of their suits. Meanwhile, Fox continued to pursue their case against Tribune and Fireworks. Tribune sued Marvel for fraud and breach of contract, claiming Marvel encouraged Tribune to connect Mutant X to the X-Men, misrepresented what they were getting in their license, and caused millions in losses due to the need to alter story lines and characters to ensure the mandated distance between Mutant X and X-Men, as well as fighting Fox's litigation.

Comics: Two comics were made for this TV series.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Wonderbug

Dork Note: Not to be confused with the animated show - Speed Buggy.

History: Wonderbug is a segment of the first and second season of the American television series The Krofft Supershow, from 1976 to 1978. It was shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The show was rerun as part of ABC's Sunday morning series.

Plot: Wonderbug's alter ego "Schlepcar" (so named due to its personalized California license plate "SCHLEP") was an old, beat up, conglomeration of several junked cars that looked like a rusty dune buggy. Like Herbie of Disney movie fame, Schlepcar was alive and could drive itself, and could also talk in a mumbling voice. It was found in a junk yard by teenagers Barry Buntrock (David Levy), C.C. McNamara (John-Anthony Bailey) and Susan Talbot (Carol Anne Seflinger). Schlepcar transformed into the shiny metal-flake orange Wonderbug when a magic horn was sounded. In his Wonderbug identity, Schlepcar had the power of flight and was able to help the three teens capture crooks and prevent wrongdoing.

Wonderbug Merchandise:

Bonus - Speed Buggy

Forgotten TV Hero: Solarman (UPDATE)

Read an Article about Solarman

Animated History: A cross between Shazam and Star Wars, Marvel created a pilot for an animated TV series based around him. However, the show was never picked up. On October 24, 1992, this pilot aired as a special on Fox Kids.

Comic History: Despite scripts by Stan Lee and art by Jim Mooney, Mike Zeck and Nestor Redondo, his comic book was published in 1989 and only lasted only two issues.

Plot: Solarman is teenager Benjamin Tucker, who dreams of becoming an artist for Marvel Comics even though his Los Angeles gym-owner father wants him to become a jock. A blue-skinned alien cyborg warlord named Commander Gormagga Kraal tried to use his technology to drain the energy from Earth's sun, but his white-bearded head scientist, Sha-han, refused and fled to Earth with Kraal's Circlet of Power, which he gave to Ben along with a helpful little robot the boy, for obvious reasons, dubs Beepie. Thereafter, Ben could expose the Circlet (which is worn on his wrist like a bracelet and cannot be removed) to sunlight and transform into the golden-haired adult Solarman who possesses superhuman strength, is capable of super-sonic flight and survival in deep space and can control light, heat and other forms of energy, although his weakness is that his powers would fade without constant exposure to sunlight, causing him to revert to his powerless teenage form.
Fun Fact: Credited creator David Oliphant had actually published three digest-sized issues of a more educationally-oriented version of Solarman back in 1979 under the Pendulum Illustrated imprint. This Solarman was an alien "Solarite" named Davos from a land inside the Sun called "Coresun" who came to Earth with his stiff-legged android servant Arman and used his superior abilities to become a baseball player while preaching the virtues of solar energy. In addition to the tremendous strength granted to him by Earth's lower gravity, his Solarcell Medallion, which also allowed him to recharge his life energy via exposure to sunlight, made him able to fly through the air in a giant fireball and shoot flames from his eyes.

Dork Note: Join the Solarman Collectors Club! I wonder how many kids did and if any of them still have their Solarman Collector Club Poster etc.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Now And Again

History: Now and Again is an American television series that aired in the US from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the perfect human body for use in espionage, but not being able to yet perfect the brain. In an attempt to get the project up and running, they take the brain of overweight family man Michael Wiseman, who is killed in a subway accident.

Given a new life, Michael is kept in an apartment where he is trained by government experts, led by Dr. Theodore Morris, in the art of espionage. Despite his new life and new abilities, Michael longs to return to his wife Lisa and daughter Heather, who are themselves discovering that not all is as it seems with Michael's death.

Dork Note: I really enjoyed this show and was bummed it ended on an unresolved cliffhanger.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl

History: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl is a Sid and Marty Krofft live action children's television series from 1976. The series lasted 16 weeks (i.e., one season) as part of the umbrella series The Krofft Supershow. During the second season, it was dropped, along with Dr. Shrinker. When later syndicated in the package "Krofft Super Stars" and released on home video, the 16 segments, which were each about 12 minutes long, were combined into eight episodes.

The program playfully, but deliberately, lampooned the superhero combo of Batman and Robin, taking many of its cues from the earlier Batman television series. The show followed the crime-fighting exploits of female caped crusader Electra Woman (played by Deidre Hall) and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl (Judy Strangis), who worked in their off-time as reporters for a magazine. In each episode, the duo would don skintight spandex in a bright flash of light called an "Electra-Change", hop in the Electracar, and use an array of technically advanced gadgets to thwart an eclectic collection of supervillains. They are assisted by Frank Heflin, a scientist who stays at their "ElectraBase" while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComs".

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl Merchandise:

Electra Woman & Dyna Girl 2001 (pilot): The Warner Brothers Television Network commissioned a pilot for a new version of the show in 2001 starring Markie Post as Electra Woman and Anne Stedman as Dyna Girl. The new series was written in the form of a cynical parody of the original show (and the superhero genre in general). It was set 25 years after the original series, with a retired Electra Woman brought back into action by a fan who ends up becoming the new Dyna Girl.

The pilot portrayed Electra Woman as a disillusioned, bitter, sexually promiscuous alcoholic, much in contrast to the character's original portrayal. In the pilot, Electra Woman had been married and divorced since the end of the original series, her husband having left her for the original Dyna Girl. Although the pilot was shot, the series was not picked up.

The pilot omits the character of Frank Helflin, but includes an in-joke reference to his former portrayer, Norman Alden. The university's alumni function is attended by Aquaman whom Alden had voiced on The Superfriends.

Forgotten TV Heroes: Man from Atlantis

Dork Note: I spent a summer in our pool trying to swim like a friggin' "Man from Atlantis" dolphin. All I got for my trouble was a back ache.

Clipped from Wikipedia: Man from Atlantis is a short-lived American science fiction television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–1978 season, following four successful television films that had aired earlier in 1977.

History: The series stars Patrick Duffy as an amnesiac man given the name of Mark Harris, believed to be the only surviving citizen of the lost civilization of Atlantis.[1] He possesses exceptional abilities, including the ability to breathe underwater and withstand extreme depth pressures, and superhuman strength. His hands and feet are webbed, his eyes are unusually sensitive to light, and he swims using his arms and legs in a fashion suggestive of how a fish or marine mammal uses its flippers. Following his discovery, he is recruited by the Foundation for Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that conducts top secret research and explores the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the Cetacean.

Fun Fact: On the 12th episode, a new female lead character replaced Elizabeth Merrill, Dr. Jenny Reynolds, played by actress Lisa Blake Richards. The last episode did not feature any female lead character.

Fun Fact:: The "Foundation for Oceanic Research" headquarters building was represented by the Point Fermin lighthouse in San Pedro, California.

Novels and Comics: In 1977, Dell Publishing published a novelization titled Man from Atlantis #1, written by Richard Woodley, which was followed by Man from Atlantis #2: "Death Scouts" from the same author. The line continued unnumbered with Killer Spores (1977) and Ark of Doom (1978), also by Woodley, the latter being the retitled novelizaton of "The Disappearances". In 1978, Marvel Comics published seven issues of a Man From Atlantis comic book, written by Bill Mantlo with art by Frank Robbins and Frank Springer.
Toys: Kenner began development on a Man From Atlantis line of action figures and toy vehicles in 1977, but it never proceeded past the prototype stage.

Forgotten TV Heroes: The Powers of Matthew Star

Clipped from Wikipedia: The Powers of Matthew Star is an American sci-fi television series that aired from September 17, 1982 through April 8, 1983, on NBC. It starred Peter Barton as the title character, alien prince Matthew ‘E’Hawke’ Star of the planet Quadris. Also starring were Amy Steel as Pam Elliot, Matthew’s girlfriend at Crestridge High, and Louis Gossett, Jr. as Matthew’s guardian Walt ‘D’hai’ Shepherd.

History: The series was originally called The Powers of David Star. With this title and a somewhat altered premise, the original pilot was to deal with teenaged David Star, who lived with the school janitor, Max (Gerald S. O'Loughlin). Max had a secret he was not sharing with David, who had no idea that he and Max were from another planet. As his powers began to surface, David started to understand who he was. Hot on their trail was the FBI. The original pilot was aired as the last episode of the series.

TV Guide's 1981 Fall Preview issue's network schedule grid lists the original series title as The Powers of Daniel Star. The program, originally slated to debut in 1981 with the new title and storyline, was delayed when Peter Barton fell backward onto pyrotechnics and was badly burned, while co-star Louis Gossett, Jr., tied to a chair, had fallen on top of Barton but managed to rescue him. After months in the hospital, Barton was released, and the show resumed shooting.

Fun Fact: Star Trek actors worked behind the scenes; Leonard Nimoy directed the episode "Triangle" and Walter Koenig wrote the episode "Mother".

Fun Fact: Peter Barton and Amy Steel beat out actors Tom Cruise and Heather Locklear for the roles of Matthew Star and Pam Elliot, respectively.

Fun Fact: The Powers of Matthew Star was put on the list of TV Guide's 50 worst TV Shows of all time, Ranked #22.

Dork Note: WHATEVER TV Guide...you stupid! The show was cool!

Forgotten TV Heroes: Manimal

Clipped from Wikipedia: Manimal is an American action–adventure series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centers on the character Dr Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale), a shape-shifting man who possessed the ability to turn himself into any animal he chose. He used this ability to help the police solve crimes.

For every episode except the pilot, actor William Conrad recites the opening narration that tells of Chase's wealthy present life and his early days in Africa with his missionary father.

Dr Jonathan Chase... wealthy, young, handsome. A man with the brightest of futures. A man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa's deepest recesses, to the rarefied peaks of Tibet, heir to his father's legacy and the world's darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man... Manimal!

Fun Fact: Manimal appeared (after the show was canceled) once more in a 1998 in a crossover with Night Man.

Dork Note: I remember watching this as a 13 year old thinking it was cool and that Melody Anderson was super hot!

Forgotten TV Heroes: Automan

Clipped from Wikipedia: Automan is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes (although 13 were made) on ABC between 1983 and 1984.

Automan was inspired by Steven Lisberger's film Tron, which had come out a year earlier. In order not to seem to be plagiarizing Tron, Glen A. Larson involved Donald Kushner, who had been an operating producer of Tron, and his partner, Peter Locke, as operating producers of Automan.

Although similar in appearance, the special effects used to create the Automan look were completely different from the hand-painted effects used in Tron. Automan cinematographer Charles "Chuck" Barbee reports that what they actually did was use reflective material and portable projectors, though the end result looks simply like some kind of blue/green screen chromakey overlay.

Automan (the "Automatic Man") follows the adventures of a police officer and computer programmer named Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz, Jr.), who had created an artificially intelligent crime fighting program that generated a hologram[1] (Chuck Wagner) able to leave the computer world and fight crime.

While in the real world, Automan posed as a government agent by the name of "Otto J. Mann." This was a secret to all except Walter's close associate, Roxanne Caldwell (Heather McNair).

Cursor was his sidekick, a floating, shifting polyhedron which could "draw" and generate physical objects as needed. Cursor could only "draw" one object at a time. Exceptions to this included conventional clothing to hide Automan's unusual glowing body and various vehicles with glowing blue piping. The most common forms taken were a car (Auto Car), plane, and helicopter, all of which could defy the laws of physics such as making a 90 degree turn.