Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About

Although not one of television's predominant genres in terms of overall programming hours, science-fiction nonetheless spans the history of the medium, beginning in the late 1940s as low-budget programs aimed primarily at juvenile audiences and developing, by the 1990s, into a genre particularly important to syndication and cable markets. For many years, conventional industry wisdom considered science-fiction to be a genre ill-suited to television. Aside from attracting a very limited demographic group for advertisers, science-fiction presented a problematic genre in that its futuristic worlds and speculative storylines often challenged both the budgets and narrative constraints of the medium, limitations especially true in television's first decades. Over the years, however, producers were to discover that science-fiction could attract an older and more desirable audience, and that such audiences, though often still limited, were in many cases incredibly devoted to their favorite programs. As a consequence, the eighties and nineties saw a tremendous increase in science-fiction programming in the U. S., especially in markets outside the traditional three broadcast networks.

As a children's genre in the late 1940s and early 1950s, science-fiction programs most often followed a serial format, appearing in the afternoon on Saturdays or at the beginning of prime time during the weeknight schedule. At times playing in several installments per week, these early examples of the genre featured the adventures of male protagonists working to maintain law and order in outer space. These early "space westerns" included Buck Rogers (ABC 1950-51), Captain Video and His Video Rangers (Dumont 1949-54), Flash Gordon (Syndicated 1953), Space Patrol (ABC 1951-52), and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (CBS/ABC/NBC 1950-52). Each series pitted its dynamic hero against a variety of intergalactic menaces, be they malevolent alien conquerors, evil mad scientists, or mysterious forces of the universe. All of these programs were produced on shoe-string budgets, but this did not stop each series from equipping its hero with a fantastic array of futuristic gadgetry, including radio helmets, ray-guns, and Captain Video's famous "decoder ring." Viewers at home could follow along with their heroes on the quest for justice by ordering plastic replicas of these gadgets through popular premium campaigns. Of these first examples of televised science-fiction, Captain Video was particularly popular, airing Monday through Friday in half-hour (and later, fifteen-minute) installments. One of the first "hits" of television, the program served for many years as a financial linchpin for the struggling Dumont network, and left the air only when the network itself collapsed in 1954.

As was typical of much early programming for children, Captain Video concluded each episode by delivering a lecture on moral values, good citizenship, or other uplifting qualities for his young audience to emulate. Such gestures, however, did not spare Captain Video and his space brethren from becoming the focus of the first of many major public controversies over children's television. In a theme that would become familiar over the history of the medium, critics attacked these shows for their "addictive" nature, their perceived excesses of violence, and their ability to "over-excite" a childish imagination. In this respect, early science fiction on television became caught up in a larger anxiety over children's culture in the fifties, a debate that culminated with the 1954 publication of Dr. Fredric Wertham's "Seduction of the Innocent," an attack on the comic book industry that eventually led to a series of Congressional hearings on the imagined links between popular culture and juvenile delinquency.

Science-fiction programming aimed at older audiences in early television was more rare, confined almost entirely to dramatic anthology series such as Lights Out (NBC 1949-52), Out There (CBS 1951-52), and Tales of Tomorrow (ABC 1951-53). As with other dramatic anthologies of the era, these programs depended heavily on adaptations of pre-existing stories, borrowing from the work of such noted science-fiction writers as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury. Tales of Tomorrow even attempted a half-hour adaptation of Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein." When not producing adaptations, these anthologies did provide space for original and at times innovative teleplays. Interestingly, however, as science fiction became an increasingly important genre in Hollywood during the mid-late-1950s, especially in capturing the burgeoning teenage market its presence on American television declined sharply. One exception was Science Fiction Theater (1955-57), a syndicated series that presented speculative stories based on contemporary topics of scientific research.

Science-fiction's eventual return to network airwaves coincided with the rising domestic tensions and cold war anxieties associated with the rhetoric of the Kennedy administration's "New Frontier." As a response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik, for example, CBS' Men Into Space (1959-60) participated in the larger cultural project of explicitly promoting interest in the emerging "space race" while also celebrating American technology and heroism that had been threatened by the Soviets' success. Other series were more complex in their response to the social and technological conflicts of the New Frontier era. In particular, The Twilight Zone (CBS 1959-64) and The Outer Limits (ABC 1963-65), programs that would become two of the genre's most celebrated series, frequently engaged in critical commentary on the three pillars of New Frontier ideology--space, suburbia, and the superpowers.

Hosted and for the most part scripted by Rod Serling, a highly acclaimed writer of live television drama in the fifties, The Twilight Zone was an anthology series that while not exclusively based in science-fiction, frequently turned to the genre to frame highly allegorical tales of the human condition and America's national character. Some of the most memorable episodes of the series used science-fiction to defamiliarize and question the conformist values of post-war suburbia as well as the rising paranoia of cold war confrontation. Of these, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" was perhaps most emblematic of these critiques. In this episode, a "typical" American neighborhood is racked with suspicion and fear when a delusion spreads that the community has been invaded by aliens. Neighbor turns against neighbor to create panic until at the end, in a "twist" ending that would become a trademark of the series, the viewer discovers that invading aliens have actually arrived on earth. Their plan is to plant such rumors in every American town to tear these communities apart thus laying the groundwork for a full-scale alien conquest.

More firmly grounded in science-fiction was The Outer Limits, an hour-long anthology series known primarily for its menagerie of gruesome monsters. Much more sinister in tone than Serling's Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits also engaged in allegories about space, science, and American society. But in an era marked by the almost uniform celebration of American science and technology, this series stood out for its particularly bleak vision of technocracy and the future, using its anthology format to present a variety of dystopic parables and narratives of annihilation. Of the individual episodes, perhaps most celebrated was Harlan Ellison's award-winning time-travel story, "Demon with a Glass Hand," an episode that remains one of the most narratively sophisticated and willfully obtuse hours of television ever produced. While The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits remain the most memorable examples of the genre in this era, science-fiction television of the mid-1960s was dominated, in terms of total programming hours, by the work of producer Irwin Allen. Allen's series, aimed primarily at juvenile audiences on ABC, included Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (ABC 1964-68), Lost in Space (CBS 1965-68), Time Tunnel (ABC 1966-67 ), and Land of the Giants (ABC 1968-70 ). Each series used a science-fiction premise to motivate familiar action-adventure stories. Of these, Lost in Space has been the most enduring in both syndication and national memory. Centering on young Will Robinson and his friend the Robot, the series adapted the "Swiss Family Robinson" story to outer space, chronicling a wandering family's adventures as they tried to return to earth.

Many other television series of the sixties, while not explicitly science fiction, nevertheless incorporated elements of space and futuristic technology into their storyworlds. Following the success of The Flintstones, a prime time animated series about a prehistoric family, ABC premiered The Jetsons (1962-63), a cartoon about a futuristic family of the next century. The sitcom My Favorite Martian (CBS 1963-66), meanwhile, paired an earthling newspaper reporter with a Martian visitor, while I Dream of Jeannie (NBC 1965-70) matched a NASA astronaut with a beautiful genie. The camp hit Batman (ABC 1966-68) routinely featured all manner of innovative "bat" technologies that allowed its hero to outwit Gotham City's criminals. Also prominent in this era was a cycle of spy and espionage series inspired by the success of the James Bond films, each incorporating a variety of secret advanced technologies. Of this cycle, the British produced series, The Prisoner (CBS 1968-69), was the most firmly based in science-fiction, telling the Orwellian story of a former secret agent stripped of his identity and trapped on an island community run as a futuristic police state.

By far the most well-known and widely viewed science-fiction series of the 1960s (and probably in all of television) was Star Trek (NBC 1966-69), a series described by its creator, Gene Roddenberry, as "Wagon Train in space." Although set in the 23rd century, the world of Star Trek was firmly grounded in the concerns of sixties America. Intermixing action-adventure with social commentary, the series addressed such issues as racism, war, sexism, and even the era's flourishing hippie movement. A moderately successful series during its three-year network run, Star Trek would become through syndication perhaps the most actively celebrated program in television history, inspiring a whole subculture of fans (known variously as "trekkies" or "trekkers") whose devotion to the series led to fan conventions, book series, and eventually a commercial return of the Star Trek universe in the 1980s and 1990s through motion pictures and television spin-offs.

Like Star Trek, the BBC produced serial, Dr. Who, also attracted a tremendous fan following. In production from 1963 to 1989, Dr. Who stands as the longest running continuous science-fiction series in all of television. A time-travel adventure story aimed primarily at children, the series proved popular enough in the United Kingdom to inspire two motion pictures pitting the Doctor against his most famous nemesis-the Daleks (Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966). The series was later imported to the United States, where it aired primarily on PBS affiliates and quickly became an international cult favorite.

While most television science-fiction in the 1950s and 1960s had followed the adventures of earthlings in outer space, increasing popular interest in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) led to the production, in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, of a handful of programs based on the premise of secretive and potentially hostile aliens visiting the earth. The Invaders (ABC 1967-68) chronicled one man's struggle to expose an alien invasion plot, while UFO (Syndicated 1972) told of a secret organization dedicated to repelling an imminent UFO attack. Veteran producer Jack Webb debuted Project UFO (NBC) in 1978, which investigated, in Webb's characteristically terse style, unexplained UFO cases taken from the files of the United States Air Force. Such series fed a growing interest in the early seventies with all manner of paranormal and extraterrestrial phenomena, ranging from Erich von Daniken's incredibly popular speculations on ancient alien contact in Chariots of the Gods to accounts of the mysterious forces in the "Bermuda Triangle." Such topics from the fringes of science were the focus of the syndicated documentary series, In Search Of (Syndicated 1976), hosted by Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy.

For the most part however, science-fiction once again went into decline during the 1970s as examples of the genre became more sporadic and short-lived, many series running only a season or less. Series such as Planet of the Apes (CBS 1974) and Logan's Run (CBS 1977-78) attempted to adapt popular motion pictures to prime time television, but with little success. A much more prominent and expensive failure was the British series, Space: 1999 (Syndicated 1975). Starring Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, the program followed a group of lunar colonists who were sent hurtling through space when a tremendous explosion drives the moon out of its orbit. The series was promoted in syndication as the most expensive program of its kind ever produced, but despite such publicity, the series went out of production after only 48 episodes.

Two of the more successful science-fiction series of the era were The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC 1975-78) and its spin-off The Bionic Woman (ABC/NBC 1976-78). The "six million dollar man" was Lt. Steve Austin, a test pilot who was severely injured in a crash and then reconstructed with cybernetic limbs and powers that made him an almost superhuman "bionic man." Austin's girlfriend, also severely injured (in a separate incident) and rebuilt (by the same doctors) debuted her own show the following season (complete with a "bionic" dog). The moderate success of these two series sparked a cycle of programs targeted at children featuring superheros with superpowers of one kind or another, including The Invisible Man (NBC 1975-76), Gemini Man (NBC 1976), Man From Atlantis (NBC 1977-78), Wonder Woman (ABC/CBS 1976-79), and The Incredible Hulk (CBS 1978-82).

Also moderately successful in the late-1970s were a pair of series designed to capitalize on the extraordinary popularity of George Lucas' 1977 blockbuster film, "Star Wars." Both Battlestar Galactica (ABC 1978-80), starring Bonanza's patriarch Lorne Greene, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (NBC 1979-81) spent large amounts of money on the most complex special effects yet seen on television, all in an attempt to recreate the dazzling hardware, fast-paced space battles, and realistic aliens of Lucas' film. Less successful in riding "Star Wars'" coat-tails was the parodic sitcom, Quark (NBC 1978), the story of a garbage scow in outer space.

In England, the 1970s saw the debut of another BBC produced series that would go on to acquire an international audience. Blake's Seven (BBC 1978-81) was created by Terry Nation, the same man who introduced the Daleks to the world of Dr. Who in the early 1960s. Distinguished by a much darker tone than most television science-fiction, Blake's Seven followed the adventures of a band of rebels in space struggling to overthrow an oppressive regime.

Alien invasion was once again the theme on American television in 1983, when NBC programmed a high-profile mini-series that pitted the earth against a race of lizard-like creatures who, though friendly at first, were actually intent on using the earth's population for food. V (NBC 1984-85) proved popular enough to return in a sequel miniseries the following year, which in turn led to its debut as a weekly series in the 1984-85 season. More provocative was ABC's short-lived Max Headroom (ABC 1987), television's only attempt at a subgenre of science-fiction prominent in the eighties known as "cyberpunk." "Max," who through commercials and a talk-show became a pop cult phenomenon in his own rite, was the computerized consciousness of TV reporter Edison Carter. Evoking the same "tech noir" landscape and thematic concerns of such cinematic contemporaries as "Blade Runner," "Robocop," and "The Running Man", Max and Edison worked together to expose corporate corruption and injustice in the nation's dark, cybernetic, and oppressively urbanized future.

Less weighty than Max, but certainly more successful in their network runs, were two series that, while not necessarily true "science fiction," utilized fantastic premises and attracted devoted cult audiences. Beauty and The Beast (CBS 1987-90) was a romantic fantasy about a woman in love with a lion-like creature who lived in a secret subterranean community beneath New York City, while Quantum Leap (NBC 1989-93) followed Dr. Sam Beckett as he "leapt" in time from body to body, occupying different consciousnesses in different historical periods. The series was less concerned with the "science" of time travel, however, than with the moral lessons to be learned or taught by seeing the world through another person's eyes.

By far the most pivotal series in rekindling science-fiction as a viable television genre was Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndicated 1987-94), produced by Paramount and supervised by the creator of the original Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry. Already benefiting from the tremendous built-in audience of Star Trek fans eager for a spin-off of the old series, Paramount was able to bypass the networks and take the show directly into first-run syndication, where it quickly became the highest rated syndicated show ever. In many ways, Next Generation had more in common with other dramatic series of the 1980s and 1990s than it did with the original series. In this new incarnation, Star Trek became an ensemble drama structured much like Hill St. Blues or St. Elsewhere, featuring an expanded cast involved in both episodic and serial adventures. Broadcast in conjunction with a series of cinematic releases featuring the original Star Trek characters, Next Generation helped solidify Star Trek as a major economic and cultural institution in the eighties and nineties. After a seven year run, Paramount retired the series in 1994 to convert the Next Generation universe into a cinematic property, but not before the studio debuted a second spin-off, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated 1992-), which proved to be a more claustrophobic and less popular reading of the Star Trek universe. A third spin-off, Star Trek: Voyager (Syndicated 1995-), served as the anchor in Paramount's bid to create their own television network in 1995.

The success of the Star Trek series in first-run syndication reflected the changing marketplace of television in the 1980s and 1990s. As the three major networks continued to lose their audience base to the competition of independents, cable, and new networks such as FOX, Warner Brothers, and UPN, the entire industry sought out new niche markets to target in order to maintain their audiences. The Star Trek franchise's ability to deliver quality demographics and dedicated viewership inspired a number of producers to move into science fiction during this period. These series ranged from the literate serial drama, Babylon 5 (Syndicated 1994), to the bizarre police burlesque of Space Precinct (Syndicated 1994-). Also successful in syndication were "fantasy" series such as Highlander (Syndicated 1992-) and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Syndicated 1994).

For the most part, the three major networks stayed away from science fiction in the 1990s, the exceptions being NBC's Earth 2 (1994-95) and Seaquest DSV (1993-), the latter produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. By far the most active broadcaster in developing science fiction in the 1990s was the FOX network, which used the genre to target even more precisely its characteristically younger demographics. FOX productions included Alien Nation (1989-91), M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994-95), Sliders (1995), VR.5 (1995), and Space: Above and Beyond (1995). FOX's most successful foray into science fiction, however, was The X-Files (1993-). A surprise hit for the network, The X-Files combined horror, suspense, and intrigue in stories about two FBI agents assigned to unsolved cases involving seemingly paranormal phenomena. Although the series originally centered on a single "spook" of the week for each episode, it eventually developed a compelling serial narrative line concerning a massive government conspiracy to cover up evidence of extraterrestrial contact. Like so many other science-fiction programs, the series quickly developed a large and organized fan community.

By the early 1990s, television science-fiction had amassed a sizable enough program history and a large enough viewing audience to support a new cable network. The Sci-Fi Channel debuted in 1992, scheduling mainly old movies and television re-runs, but planning to support new program production in the genre sometime in the future.

-Jeffrey Sconce

FURTHER READING

Bellafante, Ginia. "Out of This world." Time (New York), 3 April 1995.

Coe, Steve. "Networks Take a Walk on Weird Side: Programmers Tap Into Taste For Fantasy, Sci-Fi and the Bizarre." Broadcasting & Cable (Washington, D.C.), 30 October 1995.

Fulton, Roger. The Encyclopedia Of TV Science-Fiction. London: Boxtree, 1995.

Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York: Routledge, 1992.

Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film And Television Credits. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1994.

Littleton, Cynthia. "First-Run Faces Unreality: Fantasy, Sci-Fi and the Unexplained Have Proved Fertile Field for Syndication." Broadcasting & Cable (Washington, D.C.), 30 October 1995.

Menagh, Melanie and Stephen Mills. "A Channel for Science Fiction." Omni (New York), October 1992.

Okuda, Denise, Debbie Mirek, and Doug Drexler. The Star Trek Encyclopedia. New York: Pocket Books, 1994.

Peel, John. Island In The Sky: The Lost In Space Files. San Bernardino, California: Borgo, 1986.

Phillips, Mark, and Frank Garcia. Science Fiction Television Series: Episode Guides, Histories, and Casts and Credits for 62 Prime Time Shows, 1959 Through 1989. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1996.

Rigelsford, Adrian, and Terry Nation. The Making Of Terry Nation's Blake's 7. London: Boxtree, 1995

Schow, David. The Outer Limits: The Official Companion. New York: Ace Science Fiction Books, 1986.

Sconce, Jeffrey. "The 'Outer Limits' of Oblivion." In, Spigel, Lynn and Michael Curtin, editors. The Revolution Wasn't Televised: Sixties Television and Social Conflict. New York: Routledge, 1996.

Spigel, Lynn. "From Domestic Space To Outer Space: The 1960s Fantastic Family Sit-Com." In, Penley, Constance, editor, with others. Close Encounters: Film Feminism, and Science Fiction. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991.

Tulloch, John, and Henry Jenkins. Science Fiction Audiences: Watching Dr. Who And Star Trek. London: Routledge, 1995.

Van Hise, James. New Sci Fi TV From The Next Generation To Babylon 5. Las Vegas, Nevada: Pioneer, 1994

_______________. Sci Fi Tv: From The Twilight Zone To Deep Space Nine. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1993.

White, Matthew, and Jaffer Ali. The Official Prisoner Companion. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1988.

Wright Gene. The Science Fiction Image: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction In Film, Television, Radio And The Theater. New York: Facts on File, c1983.

Zicree, Marc Scott. The Twilight Zone Companion. New York: Bantam, 1982.

Highlights
Dorothy Fontana on the Star Trek episode "Friday's Child", over which she argued with Gene Rodenberry about the portrayal of women; she had a different ending
01:56
Richard Matheson on Rod Serling's complete involvement in The Twilight Zone and Serling's use of the sci-fi/fantasy genre to create "statement" stories
01:19
Robert Justman on "The Zanti Misfits" episode of The Outer Limits
02:24
Glen A. Larson on casting Battlestar Galactica
03:59
Mark Snow on being hired to work on The X-Files and composing the show's theme song
14:24
Who talked about this genre

Howard Anderson, Jr.

View Interview
Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles for The Invaders
01:36
Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles for The Outer Limits  and The Twilight Zone
03:11
Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles and special effects for Star Trek (Part 1)
08:01
Howard Anderson Jr. on creating special effects and titles for Star Trek (Part 2)
22:57

Alan A. Armer

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Alan A. Armer on producing The Invaders
12:58

Reza Badiyi

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Reza Badiyi on directing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
01:41

Richard L. Bare

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Richard L. Bare on directing The Twilight Zone
04:37

Donald P. Bellisario

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Donald Belisario on creating Quantum Leap
04:44

Rick Berman

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Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: The Next Generation (Part 1)
10:07
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: The Next Generation (Part 2)
29:22
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: The Next Generation (Part 3)
19:56
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (Part 1) 
09:14
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Part 2)
16:17
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Voyager (Part 1)
13:27
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Voyager (Part 2) 
12:51
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Enterprise  (Part 1)
16:33
Rick Berman on producing Star Trek: Enterprise (Part 2)
15:26

Robert Blackman

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Robert Blackman on costume designing for Star Trek: The Next Generation (Part 1)
37:32
Robert Blackman on costume designing for Star Trek: The Next Generation  (Part 2)
51:59
Robert Blackman on costume designing for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
06:11
Robert Blackman on costume designing for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise
15:16

William Blinn

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William Blinn on writing for The Invaders
01:21

Ernest Borgnine

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Ernest Borgnine on getting cast in Captain Video and His Video Rangers
01:59

Connie Britton

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Connie Britton on playing "Vivien Harmon" on American Horror Story
04:41

LeVar Burton

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LeVar Burton on the impact Nichelle Nichols had on the world by being on Star Trek and the inclusive nature of the show
00:28
Le Var Burton on his Star Trek: The Next Generation character "Geordi La Forge"
06:24
LeVar Burton on his Star Trek: The Next Generation character "Geordi La Forge"; on special effects, Trekkies, and beginning to direct episodes
23:06
LeVar Burton on his favorite episodes and series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation
11:39

Robert Butler

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Robert Butler on directing the original pilot of Star Trek  ("The Cage")
06:59

Glenn Gordon Caron

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Glenn Gordon Caron on casting Medium; on style choices on the show and a typical work week
27:08

Chris Carter

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Chris Carter on creating The X-Files
41:27
Chris Carter on The X-Files
58:08
Chris Carter on The X-Files
05:58
Chris Carter on Millennium
04:36
Chris Carter on The Lone Gunmen
02:29
Chris Carter on Harsh Realm
01:00

Richard Coogan

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Richard Coogan on acting as "Captain Video" in Captain Video and His Video Rangers
04:40
Richard Coogan on performing as "Captain Video" in Captain Video and His Video Rangers
28:11
Richard Coogan on performing in Captain Video and His Video Rangers
02:01

Alexander Courage

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Alexander Courage on writing the theme music for Star Trek
04:06
Alexander Courage on working for Irwin Allen on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
03:25
Alexander Courage on the Star Trek Theme
23:19

Ane Crabtree

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Ane Crabtree on costume designs for season one of Westworld
19:56

John Debney

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John Debney on composing for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation
03:10

Ramin Djawadi

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Ramin Djawadi on composing for Westworld
17:54
Ramin Djawadi on working with Guillermo del Toro on The Strain
00:28
Ramin Djawadi on scoring Blade: The Series
00:29

Elinor Donahue

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Elinor Donahue on guest starring on the Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis" (airdate: November 10, 1967)
05:37

Harlan Ellison

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Harlan Ellison the story unit on The Twilight Zone
10:51

Gerald Perry Finnerman

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Gerald Perry Finnerman being the cinematographer for Star Trek
05:44
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
15:44
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
28:30
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
06:47
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
28:50

Dorothy Fontana

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Dorothy Fontana on the original concept and vision of Star Trek, the pilot process, and the sale of the series to NBC
01:02
Dorothy Fontana on Star Trek's creation of aliens using "the Horta" from "The Devil in the Dark" episode as an example; on the technology used in Star Trek's world
04:33
Dorothy Fontana on the messages incorporated into Star Trek scripts
02:27
Dorothy Fontana on the characters and storylines of Star Trek: The Next Generation
18:06
Dorothy Fontana on writing for Star Trek
28:38
Dorothy Fontana on being executive story consultant on Logan's Run
03:17
Dorothy Fontana on writing for The Land of the Lost
00:34
Dorothy Fontana on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
01:34
Dorothy Fontana on Babylon 5  and on Michael Straczynski's vision for the series
05:28
Dorothy Fontana on Earth: Final Conflict
01:57

Gerald Fried

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Gerald Fried on his work on Star Trek (including his work on the episodes "Shore Leave", "Cat's Paw", "Amok Time", "The Paradise Syndrome")
13:45
Gerald Fried on demonstrations of some of his compositions from Star Trek
03:08

William Froug

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William Froug on getting involved with The Twilight Zone and meeting Rod Serling
01:54

David Gerber

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David Gerber on selling Lost in Space  and working with Irwin Allen
02:24

Vince Gilligan

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Vince Gilligan on his interaction with Standards & Practices and what he was able to show on The X-Files versus Breaking Bad - he couldn't show a gun held to a head during a game of Russian Roulette
Vince Gilligan on writing for The X-Files
59:23

Sandra Gimpel

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Sandra Gimpel on being Bill Mumy's stunt double on Lost in Space
33:23
Sandra Gimpel on her work on the original series of Star Trek
18:50

Lesli Linka Glatter

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Lesli Linka Glatter on directing Twin Peaks
12:13

Whoopi Goldberg

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Whoopi Goldberg on wanting to be in the Star Trek reboot, Star Trek: The Next Generation, because Star Trek was the first show to depict Black people in the future
04:19

Jerry Goldsmith

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Jerry Goldsmith on composing the theme for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", which later became the theme for Star Trek: The Next Generation, and composing for other "Star Trek" features and shows including Star Trek: Voyager  
04:00

Earl Hamner, Jr.

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Earl Hamner on writing teleplays for The Twilight Zone
12:02
Earl Hamner on his work on teleplays for The Twilight Zone
17:36

Jonathan Harris

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Jonathan Harris on playing "Dr. Zachary Smith" on Lost in Space
29:12
Jonathan Harris on Lost in Space
06:27
Jonathan Harris on guest-starring on Land of the Giants
01:31

Don Hastings

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Don Hastings on Captain Video and His Video Rangers
24:29

Leslie Hoffman

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Leslie Hoffman on the stunts she performed on Fantasy Island  and reflections on the cast 
03:46
Leslie Hoffman on doing stunts for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
07:05
Leslie Hoffman on stunts she performed on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Part 2)
05:04
Leslie Hoffman on doing stunts for Star Trek: Voyager
10:11

Lee Holdridge

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Lee Holdridge on writing music and winning two Emmys for his work on Beauty and the Beast
03:38

Felicity Huffman

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Felicity Huffman on appearing on an episode of The X-Files in 1993
02:24

Joseph Jennings

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Joseph Jennings on acting as art director for Star Trek
11:10
Joseph Jennings on doing art direction for Star Trek
02:42

Julie Ann Johnson

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Julie Ann Johnson on doing stunt work on Star Trek
01:06

George Clayton Johnson

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George Clayton Johnson on writing for The Twilight Zone and meeting Rod Serling
11:15
George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episodes "The Four of Us Are Dying" and "Penny for Your Thoughts"; on Rod Serling and the reality of The Twilight Zone; on The Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton
28:18
George Clayton Johnson on Buck Houghton suggesting ideas for The Twilight Zone; on the story behind The Twilight Zone episode "Execution," adapted by Rod Serling
08:48
George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episodes "Kick The Can," "Penny For Your Thoughts," and "Nothing in the Dark"
19:20
George Clayton Johnson on the The Twilight Zone episodes "Ninety Years Without Slumber" and "The Prime Mover"
15:18
George Clayton Johnson on how he came to write for Star Trek; on Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry; on Roddenberry rewriting his work
28:13
George Clayton Johnson on Gene Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek, race relations, and specific episodes of the show
28:26
George Clayton Johnson on arguments he had over storyline with the producers of Star Trek; on the legacy of Star Trek
05:52

Charles Floyd Johnson

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Charles Floyd Johnson on producing Quantum Leap
07:52

Robert Justman

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Robert Justman on working as a first assistant director on One Step Beyond
08:09
Robert Justman on working as a co-producer/production manager on The Outer Limits
21:29
Associate producer Robert Justman on the props and effects created for Star Trek
03:19
Robert Justman on working with the cast and crew of Star Trek; on various episodes of the series
27:31
Robert Justman on the development of Star Trek: The Next Generation; on the casting of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard
12:35
Robert Justman on ILM and Star Trek: The Next Generation
11:31

Elodie Keene

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Elodie Keene on directing for Ryan Murphy on the series Popular, Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story
23:56

Michael King

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Michael King on distributing Tales of the Haunted for King World
02:43

Walter Koenig

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Walter Koenig on playing "Pavel Chekov" on Star Trek
33:02
Walter Koenig on working on Star Trek
36:32
Walter Koenig on playing "Alfred Bester" on Babylon 5
07:45
Walter Koenig on playing "Alfred Bester" on Babylon 5
07:05

Kay Koplovitz

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Kay Koplovitz on the creation of the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy)
04:49

Perry Lafferty

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Perry Lafferty on making the transition into directing drama with Tales of Tomorrow and Robert Montgomery Presents
07:29

Glen A. Larson

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Glen A. Larson on the genesis of Battlestar Galactica 
07:35
Glen A. Larson on creating the universe of Battlestar Galactica
04:52
Glen A. Larson on the genesis of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
07:35
Glen A. Larson on casting Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
02:45

Jack Larson

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Jack Larson on playing "Jimmy Olsen" on Adventures of Superman
15:34

Lucy Lawless

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Lucy Lawless on playing the Cylon "D'Anna Biers" on Battlestar Galactica  (Part 1)
10:24
Lucy Lawless on playing "D'Anna Biers" on Battlestar Galactica  (Part 2) 
03:31

Nancy Malone

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Nancy Malone on directing Star Trek: Voyager  and her struggles with visual effects

Leslie H. Martinson

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Leslie H. Martinson on directing Diff'rent Strokes  and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
06:36

Richard Matheson

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Richard Matheson on Rod Serling's complete involvement in The Twilight Zone and Serling's use of the sci-fi/fantasy genre to create "statement" stories
01:19
Richard Matheson on his association with and opinion of science fiction
02:48

Bob May

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Bob May on playing "Robot" on Lost in Space
29:21
Bob May on specific episodes of Lost in Space; on learning the show would end
08:25

David McCallum

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David McCallum on a guest role in The Outer Limits episode "The Sixth Finger," the makeup transformation his role required, and his contributions to the script
03:41
David McCallum on working with Joanna Lumley on Sapphire and Steel
00:39

Eryn Krueger Mekash

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Eryn Krueger Mekash on her work on The Last of Us season one, episode five, "Endure and Survive"
01:38

Burt Metcalfe

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Burt Metcalfe on acting in the now-classic Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"
04:45

Vic Mizzy

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Vic Mizzy on writing the theme song for The Addams Family and directing the main title
02:24
Vic Mizzy on working with the cast, scoring and writing the theme song to The Addams Family
23:50

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on programming and developing The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Combat
03:26

Diana Muldaur

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Diana Muldaur on working on Star Trek
05:15
Diana Muldaur on working on Planet Earth
01:22
Diana Muldaur on joining the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation
09:18

Bill Mumy

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Bill Mumy on playing "Will Robinson" on Lost in Space  (Part One)
25:26
Bill Mumy on playing "Will Robinson" on Lost in Space (Part Two)
58:21
Bill Mumy on playing "Will Robinson" on Lost in Space (Part Three) 
16:21
Bill Mumy on playing "Lennier" on Babylon 5  (Part One)
29:55
Bill Mumy on playing "Lennier" on Babylon 5 (Part Two)
11:44

Nichelle Nichols

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Nichelle Nichols on playing "Nyota Upenda Uhura" on Star Trek
54:03
Nichelle Nichols on playing "Nyota Upenda Uhura" on Star Trek
01:01:43
Nichelle Nichols on playing "Nyota Upenda Uhura" on Star Trek
30:17
Nichelle Nichols on appearing on Heroes
01:43

Leonard Nimoy

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Leonard Nimoy on his Star Trek character "Mr. Spock"
28:46
Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek's set, actors, and behind-the-scenes staff
25:10
Leonard Nimoy on being Emmy-nominated for all three seasons of Star Trek, yet never winning due to his belief that there's a prejudice against awarding performances in the science fiction genre
01:28

Edward James Olmos

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Edward James Olmos on playing "Admiral William Adama" on Battlestar Galactica
24:09

Don Pike

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Don Pike on being technical director for Lights Out  and Your Hit Parade 
04:31

Cliff Robertson

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Cliff Robertson on appearing on The Twilight Zone episode "The Dummy"
05:19

Thomas Del Ruth

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Thomas Del Ruth on being director of photography for The X-Files and working with show creator Chris Carter
06:29
Thomas Del Ruth on acting as director of photography for The X-Files
02:57
Thomas Del Ruth on acting as director of photography for Charmed  
03:30

Ted Sarandos

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Ted Sarandos on Stranger Things
03:14
Ted Sarandos on Black Mirror
03:32

Joseph Sargent

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Joseph Sargent on directing Star Trek
08:39

Herbert S. Schlosser

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Herbert S. Schlosser on programming and developing Star Trek
05:19

Alfred Schneider

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Alfred Schneider on regulating portrayals of violence in Roots versus S.W.A.T. and The Six Million Dollar Man
01:55

William Self

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William Self on developing Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
01:09
William Self on developing Irwin Allen's Lost in Space
03:10
William Self on developing Land of the Giants with Irwin Allen, and on developing The Ghost & Mrs. Muir
03:03

Ralph Senensky

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Ralph Senensky on directing Star Trek, working with the actors, and the enduring nature of the show
23:29

William Shatner

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William Shatner on playing James T. Kirk on Star Trek
17:19
William Shatner on playing "Captain James T. Kirk" on Star Trek
17:08

Sid Sheinberg

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Sid Sheinberg on Steven Spielberg directing a segment of Night Gallery starring Joan Crawford
04:09

Doris Singleton

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Doris Singleton on working on The Twilight Zone episode, "A Kind of Stopwatch"
01:21

Mark Snow

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Mark Snow on being hired to work on The X-Files  and composing the show's theme song
14:24
Mark Snow on The X-Files theme song being released as a single
02:57
Mark Snow on composing for The X-Files
06:12
Mark Snow on using music to build emotion and suspense on The X-Files
03:09
Mark Snow on a typical work week on The X-Files
03:06
Mark Snow on the times he used an orchestra while scoring The X-Files and themes he wrote for characters
03:42
Mark Snow on specific The X-Files episodes
15:42
Mark Snow on working with directors on The X-Files, including Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny
07:49
Mark Snow on composing for The X-Files movies and the 2016 reboot of the show
15:51
Mark Snow on composing for The X-Files spin-offs Millennium and The Lone Gunmen
04:30
Mark Snow on composing for Ghost Whisperer
03:16

Herbert F. Solow

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Herbert F. Solow on how he first heard about Star Trek
03:22
Herbert F. Solow on the development process and eventual audience response to Star Trek
18:52
Herbert F. Solow on Star Trek
22:46
Herbert F. Solow on how The Man From Atlantis was created
05:55

Fred Steiner

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Fred Steiner on composing for Star Trek
19:08
Fred Steiner on scoring specific episodes of Star Trek
13:46
Fred Steiner on composing for Star Trek: The Next Generation
01:03

J. Michael Straczynski

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J. Michael Straczynski on Babylon 5 (Part One)
52:57
J. Michael Straczynski on Babylon 5 (Part Two)
39:50

Maxine Stuart

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Maxine Stuart on getting cast in The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder" and the impact of the episode
07:14

George Takei

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George Takei on Gene Roddenberry envisioning diversity as the strength of the Star Trek crew
01:47
George Takei on working with the special effects, props and costumes on Star Trek
04:49
George Takei on the legacy of Star Trek in promoting diversity
02:46

Michael Westmore

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Michael Westmore on makeup for Star Trek: The Next Generation
07:03
Michael Westmore on makeup for Star Trek: The Next Generation
29:06
Michael Westmore on makeup for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager
10:33
Michael Westmore on makeup research for Star Trek: The Next Generation
00:44

Joseph M. Wilcots

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Joseph M. Wilcots on doing visual effects for Star Trek
10:03

Dick Wolf

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Dick Wolf on producing Mann and Machine
01:34

David L. Wolper

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David L. Wolper on working on the syndication and sponsorship of Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves
01:21