MovieChat Forums > The Powers of Matthew Star (1982) Discussion > Top Friday Night sci-fi TV

Top Friday Night sci-fi TV

posted 18 years ago by gdeangel
23 replies | jump to latest

As a kid, Friday nights were "action" TV night. First it was the Dukes of Hazard, but when Knight Rider broke in on the action, I seem to recall a stream of Earthbound sci-fi which was always thoroughly entertaining. Eventually these "imagine that" series balkanized into discrete action hero shows, in particular cop action (like Miami Vice), but some featuring anti-cops like the A-Team and Stingray) vs. the "out of this world" action shows like Star Trek, Babylon 5, etc. Fast forward to the current string of "Buffy", "Angel", "Charmed", et. al. mysticism series and you find the bygone element of those earlier shows: fantastic feats by special people/machines exiting in a state of balance with Earth's natural/other laws.

I'm trying to think of all the great "earthbound" fantasy / sci-fi TV that used to air back in the day (i.e., excluding anything taking place in space) Add any others you can think of:

1. Knight Rider
2. Airwolf
3. Street Hawk
4. Matthew Star
5. Starman (the series)
6. Misfits of Science
7. Hard Time on Planet Earth
8. The 6 Million Dollar Man
9. The Bionic Woman
10. Alien Nation (he he - they were on Earth)

[–] sambuca 18 years ago

How about Beauty and the Beast?

Yeah I know it's not sci-fi but it does have that fantasy element in it.

One of my favourite series from the 80s - filled to the brim with good old-fashioned romantic atmosphere, charm, and great acting as well.

There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who can do maths, and those who can't.

[–] shearblack 18 years ago

You also had "V" and Wondwe Woman on Friday Nights. Automan, Tuckers Witch, Battle Star Galactica and Gemeni Man also come to mind.

[–] bfg2099 18 years ago

Don't Know if it was on Fridays but "Mann & Machine" was a series I liked. Also "Something is Out There."

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] snb0006 18 years ago

The Incredible Hulk. That was on Friday nights along with Mannimal (a man who could morph into an animal). Automan was on Mondays on ABC right. Here's a cool site to take you back:

www.retrojunk.com

[–] diskoboy 16 years ago

Automan was on Thursday nights. A secrent-agent show called 'Masquerade' was on after Automan.

I have no idea how I remember that...

But wasn't there a TV version of Blue Thunder on ABC on Fridays?

[–] jeanjaz 13 years ago

Oh, and the old Battlestar Galactica was way better than the new one. Couldn't stand the new one - changed the whole premise of the plot. :(

[–] whereyagoin 17 years ago

The Phoenix, though not sure which day it aired

[–] JoferJeff 17 years ago

What about "Otherworld"?? No one ever talks about that show anymore.

[–] HyperPup 13 years ago

"What about "Otherworld"?? No one ever talks about that show anymore."

Great show. Started out on Friday and then moved to Saturday night if I remember correctly.

Thousands die every day for no reason at all, where's your bleeding heart for them?

[–] BenGrimms_Thing 15 years ago

*Ahem* over 2 years later and no one has thrown out "Manimal"? I am appalled.

[–] mastertiger 15 years ago

yeah I liked Manimal!

[–] jeanjaz 13 years ago

Yeah, Manimal was great!

Does anyone remember a sci-fi show, I think it was British, called something like "2001"? I think it was before these shows we are talking about here, but I can't quite remember the title or enough about it to search for it despite watching it a lot.

[–] BenGrimms_Thing 13 years ago

Sadly, I do not know that one, can I get The Highwayman out there though?

[–] jeanjaz 13 years ago

Ben, if this is the show you are talking about, it is on Netflicks:

The Highwayman
1999R 93 minutes
Ziggy Watson's (Laura Harris) dull life has made her antsy for adventure, and the desire to find her father weighs on her mind. So when the jewelry store she works in is robbed by brutal outlaws Breakfast (Jason Priestley) and Panda (Bernie Coulson), she seizes an opportunity to fill the voids and takes off with the fugitives. But she doesn't count on the blood trail this road trip will leave behind. Stephen McHattie and Louis Gossett Jr. co-star

Cast:Stephen McHattie, Laura Harris, Jason Priestley, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Bernie Coulson, Louis Gossett Jr. Director:Keoni Waxman Genres:Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Crime Dramas, Dark Humor & Black Comedies, Action Thrillers, Lionsgate Home Entertainment This movie is:Violent Format:Streaming (DVD availability date unknown)

I copied this description from Netflicks, there was also a movie called "The Lady and the Highwayman" but that seemed to be taken from a B. Cartland romance - didn't think that was what you wanted. :)

~ Jean
Life is short and so am I.

[–] BenGrimms_Thing 13 years ago

Nope, not it, thanks very much though. This was a series starring Sam Jones of "Flash Gordon" infamy as some sort of government operative that drove a large semi with lots of technological goodies as well as a cab that turned into a helicopter. I think it ran two seasons on NBC.

[–] vietgamer45 14 years ago

I do not remember what day it was showing, but another very good sci-fi show series was "Sliders." I really loved that show, but I never got to see all of them for some reason. I thought it was well-done. I do not know how long it lasted for, but it did not last for that long either. :(

[–] timmytony80 8 years ago

Sliders actually ran for a few yrs. On a major network. It's what helped keep the star of that show relevant.

[–] assemblergod 14 years ago

M.A.N.T.I.S and Wild, Wild West were on Friday nights.

[–] dbird1140 14 years ago

I remember an early one.. The Man From Atlantis .. If I remember it correctly, it starred a young Patrick Duffy.

[–] jeanjaz 13 years ago

You can get Man From Atlantis on DVD, and yes it starred Patrick Duffy.

Sliders is available on Netflicks. They put 2 seasons in one set - don't remember how many episodes. My kids love it and are working their way through the ones you can download. :) Also, Quantum Leap which has a very similar premise (but less dark feel to it).

There was also "The Sentinel" one of my favs, and "7 Days" that didn't last too long. I may be getting my decades mixed up on some of those though. I've been trying to find 7 Days on DVD or streaming.

There was another show I enjoyed whose title I can't quite remember. The story was about a VERY naive and idealistic Canadian Mounty on loan/trade with the NYC police department. I LOVED that show the first season, and as they always seem to do, they changed the direction in the second season and it became a very dark sort of show. I think the title had the word 'South' in it.

There were also 'Remington Steele', 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King', 'Mork and Mindy,' and 'Smith and Jones' we enjoyed about that time as well. You know you are getting old when you find yourself saying, "They just don't make them like they used to."

Netflicks has a lot of these, some as streaming as well as DVD. My kids have been really enjoying my old favs that we can find on Netflicks.

[–] PLFellows 12 years ago

The show you talking about aired on CBS for the first two seasons and was called Due South.
The trade was with the Chicago police not the NYPD. I thought the same thing until I looked it up. Many of my favorite shows (including Due South) got moved around and of course that is death to a show. I hope I helped!

[–] jeanjaz 12 years ago

@PLFellows: Yeah that helps :) I just wish the networks' Idea of a Good Show matched the public's idea of a Good Show. Altho, it probably does, they are just greedy and don't want to settle for a Good Show, but shoot for a blockbuster that clears the other channels. :(

Greed & Power - plagues us in our entertainment and in our Presidential elections. :(

I've found some of these Friday Night Oldies on Netflix, but I wold really like to find Matthew Starr and Due South, at least its first season.

Life is short and so am I.