Some TV shows were so short-lived that they were forgotten by some who watched them and never heard of at all by most people.
Here are just a few of the most short-lived science fiction shows.
"Quark": Richard Benjamin commands an interstellar garbage truck in the 23rd Century.
This one only lasted 8 episodes, but while not consistently hilarious, it really isn't that bad.
The series parodied "Star Wars," "2001," "Flash Gordon," and especially, "Star Trek.
" Look for a young Tim Thomerson as Gene/Jean, a person with a full set of male and female chromosomes known as a "transmute.
" The rest of the cast includes the requisite Spock-style alien sidekick, Ficus.
He comes from a planet of humanoid plants called Vegetons.
A highlight for the guys were Cyb and Tricia Barnstable as the Bettys, one of whom was a clone.
Only each of them said the other was the clone, so we never knew for sure.
Ever.
Who knows if we ever would have? "Max Headroom": 20 minutes into the future - this series' subtitular time setting - TV off-switches are illegal, credit fraud is worse than murder, and a news reporter losing his/her vidicam is a hanging offense.
Sounds like a nightmare, all right.
According to this innovative series, the '80s icon turned out to be what one might call one of the first avatars, created by a young computer nerd from the brainwaves of crusading investigative reporter Edison Carter (Matt Frewer).
After a long wait, "Max Headroom" is finally on DVD! Give it a chance, with an open mind and maybe a few drinks.
"The Starlost": Infamous because creator Harlan Ellison disassociated himself from it, "The Starlost" ran for about half a season starting in the fall of 1973.
The Earthship Ark is an immense starship that's been carrying many separate biospheres into the farthest reaches of space for centuries.
Over time, this fact became forgotten by the generations.
It's up to three fugitives from an Amish-style biosphere to find someone to repair the Ark's guidance before it eventually collides with a star and defeats its purpose.
Seems a mysterious apocalypse wiped out Earth and some other planets in our solar system, and the Ark's been carrying the last of humanity for centuries.
The fact hasn't been handed down to the more recent generations, so they don't know they're traveling through space.
Will the Ark's course be corrected in time? The show's videotape format, including much-hyped chroma-key effects, didn't help "The Starlost.
" Worse yet, technical advisor Ben Bova also left, complaining that the production staff wouldn't listen to him.
He and Ellison each had the last laugh, though.
A protege of Ellison's wrote a novel version of the original "Starlost" pilot, and Bova wrote "The Starcrossed," a novel lampooning the whole mess.
It chronicles the failed production of the first 3DTV series, costarring a French jock who speaks broken English.
Nowadays, TV dramas with a dash of sci fi and fantasy ("Lost," " Fringe," "Ghost Whisperer") may coax up an audience.
Apparently Max was too weird and dystopian, and "Starlost" may have been either too pessimistic or just too low-budget.
Thanks to the Internet and DVD, countless shows can be enjoyed by those who missed them in first-run.
So if you can, give them a chance.
You may be surprised.
Here are just a few of the most short-lived science fiction shows.
"Quark": Richard Benjamin commands an interstellar garbage truck in the 23rd Century.
This one only lasted 8 episodes, but while not consistently hilarious, it really isn't that bad.
The series parodied "Star Wars," "2001," "Flash Gordon," and especially, "Star Trek.
" Look for a young Tim Thomerson as Gene/Jean, a person with a full set of male and female chromosomes known as a "transmute.
" The rest of the cast includes the requisite Spock-style alien sidekick, Ficus.
He comes from a planet of humanoid plants called Vegetons.
A highlight for the guys were Cyb and Tricia Barnstable as the Bettys, one of whom was a clone.
Only each of them said the other was the clone, so we never knew for sure.
Ever.
Who knows if we ever would have? "Max Headroom": 20 minutes into the future - this series' subtitular time setting - TV off-switches are illegal, credit fraud is worse than murder, and a news reporter losing his/her vidicam is a hanging offense.
Sounds like a nightmare, all right.
According to this innovative series, the '80s icon turned out to be what one might call one of the first avatars, created by a young computer nerd from the brainwaves of crusading investigative reporter Edison Carter (Matt Frewer).
After a long wait, "Max Headroom" is finally on DVD! Give it a chance, with an open mind and maybe a few drinks.
"The Starlost": Infamous because creator Harlan Ellison disassociated himself from it, "The Starlost" ran for about half a season starting in the fall of 1973.
The Earthship Ark is an immense starship that's been carrying many separate biospheres into the farthest reaches of space for centuries.
Over time, this fact became forgotten by the generations.
It's up to three fugitives from an Amish-style biosphere to find someone to repair the Ark's guidance before it eventually collides with a star and defeats its purpose.
Seems a mysterious apocalypse wiped out Earth and some other planets in our solar system, and the Ark's been carrying the last of humanity for centuries.
The fact hasn't been handed down to the more recent generations, so they don't know they're traveling through space.
Will the Ark's course be corrected in time? The show's videotape format, including much-hyped chroma-key effects, didn't help "The Starlost.
" Worse yet, technical advisor Ben Bova also left, complaining that the production staff wouldn't listen to him.
He and Ellison each had the last laugh, though.
A protege of Ellison's wrote a novel version of the original "Starlost" pilot, and Bova wrote "The Starcrossed," a novel lampooning the whole mess.
It chronicles the failed production of the first 3DTV series, costarring a French jock who speaks broken English.
Nowadays, TV dramas with a dash of sci fi and fantasy ("Lost," " Fringe," "Ghost Whisperer") may coax up an audience.
Apparently Max was too weird and dystopian, and "Starlost" may have been either too pessimistic or just too low-budget.
Thanks to the Internet and DVD, countless shows can be enjoyed by those who missed them in first-run.
So if you can, give them a chance.
You may be surprised.