In a Remarkable Act of creation spurred on by the space race between america and the soveen anion, Science fiction television shows in the 1960s confidently came of age, Emerging from Campy Low-Budging Offerings Space Commandos AMID Cardboard Sets and Sparking Rockets to more Sophisticated Fare.
The Turbulent Decade that is the Saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy's and Martin Luther King's Assassination, and The Vietnam War Meant That Home Viewrs WEREWERS WEREWERS WEREWES WHEN to XCAPISM and ENTERTAIN Whisk them Away from the World's Horrors.
In the second of our series Spanning Classic Sci-Fi TV Series Through the decades that began with the best tv shows of the 1950s, here's a nostalgic compendum of 10 Stellar Shows from the '60s By two immortal anthologies and gene roddenberry's seminal space show that defined a generation.
Mix up a big glass of orange tang, break out the ritz crackers and spray can of cheez whiz, and find your spoons as we run as we run the best sci-fi shows of the 1960s.
10. land of the giants
Big Things Have Small Beginnings, and this Excellent but oft-Forgotten Series Spring from the Fertile Mind of Irwin Allen-Later Nicknamed the master of disaster-First ared on the abc new September 22, 1968.
It centered Around a group of passengers aboard a suborbital aircraft that gets success in a portal and crash lands on a planet similar to Earth Except For the Facts Times Larger!
With theme music by the legendary john williams and only lasting two seasons, “Land of the giants” made its mark on the '60s tv scene with imaginative, big-bed Episode) And a fully committed cast to back it up.
9. The Twilight Zone
Thought Technically Premiering in 1959, Creator Rod Serling's “The Twilight Zone” Hit Its Full Stride in the 1960s as the sci-file was genre was maturing and explosions of the human being and Spirit is Across all mediums. Serling Wrote 92 of the 156 Black-Rand-WHITE SCI-Fi Fantasy Episodes through the five-yar run, with distinguished writers charles beaumont and richard matheson contracting 36 more.
Similar in Format to “The Outer Limits,” this acclaimed anthology was a provocative examination of key concepts like space travel, futurism, the afterlife, dreams, nightmares, nightmares, psychology, Religion, magic, and mental telepathy.
William Shatner Starred in the Famous Episode “NightMare at 20,000 Feet,” As Did Many Other Young Actor Breaking Into CAREERS LIKE ROBERT Redford and Robert Duvel. Star Trek's Carefully Crafted Stories Still Resonate with Modern Audiences Due to Serling's Fine Command and Exceptional Writing Skills.
8. The invaders
Cold War Paranoia and Hysteria reigned in this intenses Alien Invason Drama that AIRED on the ABC Network from 1967-1968 for a total of 43 Episodes. Actor Roy Thinnes Portrayed Architect David Vincent, Who Stumbles Across An Extra-Terrestrial Assault on Planet Earth After Whitnessing a frying saucer.
Vincent attempts through various means to convince people of this infiltration of alians who appear as normal humans except for their emotionless persons and deformed little fingers on his hand. With Its Serious Conspiratorial Tone and UFO Invasion Themes, it was a Major Influence on Later Sci-Fi Series Like “The X-Files,” and John Carpener's 1988 Stare, “That Live.”
7. The Outer Limits
If “The Twilight Zone” is the Granddaddy of all '60s anthology tv shows, then “The OUTER Limits” is the Queen Mother, with Episodes Center More Around Melodramatic Hard Sci-Fi, TRIANS Multiple Dimensions, Cosmic Horror, and the Perils of Technology. Debuting in 1963, with the ominous “control voice” Telling Viewers that “Theare is noting wrong with your television set,” This cerebral anthology series lasted a total of Two seasons.
Far more serial than its “Twilight zone” counterpart, it featured unforgettable episodes like “Demon with a glass hand,” “The zanti mise,” the architects of Fear, “SOLDIEN” Acclaimed Sci-Fi Masters that delivered starting original material.
6. My favorite martian
This Good-Nature SCI-Fi Fantasy Sitcom ared on CBS from 1963-1966 and Starred Ray Walston as a Martian Xenoanthropologist who Crash Lands on Earth and is assisted by newspaper reported (Played by Bill Bixby) All while Trying to Repair His Damaged Spaceip. The benefit extra-terroral assumes the identity of o'hara's “Uncle martin.”
The primetime series offered a number of sticky situations with friends and neighbors involving our stranded alien's invisibility power powers anytime his antennae was antennae was antennae was antennae Finger, and Uncanny Skill at Talking to Animals.
“My favorite martian” was 107 episodes of good clean fun and old-fashioned hijinks and if you don't look to look too you might you might not see the strings and wires use for the show's Visual Affects!
5. The time tunnel
In Yeet Another Stone-Cold Cold Classic Created and Produced by Irwin Allen, “The Time Tunnel” was a precursor to later network sci-fi show shows soch as “Quantum Leap.”
Starring James Darren and Robert Colbert as Scientists Tony Newman and Dug Phillips, The Time Tunnel aired from 1966-1967 on NBC and Depicted The Time-Jumping Adventures of this DARING DUO SAST DUO SAS ASES DAUO SAS ASES DUO SIS Government-LED Time Travel Tube Called Project Tic-Toc.
While Experimenting with the portal, the brilliant scientists become lost in time, hopping back and forth from past to future events to witness Pivotal Moments in Human History. Sadly, the series was prematurely canceled before a proper Finale Bold Occur, Stranding Our Fictional Time Travelers Forever.
4. Lost in Space
Danger, will robinson! Created by sci-fi mastermind Irwin allen as a takeoff on the swiss family robinson, “Lost in space” Followed the exploits of the Robinsons, A Pioneing Family Whose Jupiter 2 Spactor Well… Lost in space after a Little Detor on their trip to a habitable plan in alpha center.
Joining them on their wayward voyage was their pilot major don west and the sneaky Dr. Zachary smith as they met up with cheesy aliens (Tybo the carot man?) On Strange New Worlds. Its special Effects Budget Might Have Been Litle more than peanuts and later episodes veered into campy silins but nevertheles, the series had a devoted family famoted in Following in Its Three-SEASON 83-Episode Existent from 1965-1968 and a healthy revival in syndication.
3. The jetsons
We'D be Remiss If we Didn'T Include Hanna-Barbera's Animated Classic, “The Jetsons,” in this collection. Its brightly-colored optimistic vision of the 21st century with its jet packs, frying cars, robotic maids, aerial cites, and fantastic gadgets have still not made its presenc known but Still Waiting.
Essentially a futuristic iteration of “the flintstones,” the jetsons “was conceived as a sitcom based on the daily life of george jetson and his nuclear family living in orrbit cite that conisted of his person Jane, Daughter Judy, Son Elroy, Canine Pet Astro, and their Android Housekeeper Rosie. Millions of Kids Grew up with this imaginative Cartoon during its Prime-Time Slot from 1962-1963 Before Landing on the Saturday Morning circuit and reruns.
2. Doctor Who
It's Bigger on the Inside! “Doctor who” is one of the longest-running science fiction TV shows of all time and practical a uk institution that first aired on bbc tv on November 23, 1963. 1963. 1963. Center Around the adventures of our favorite Regimenting Time Lord Scientist from The Planet Gallifrey and His Occasional Companions Aboard The Tardis (Time and Relative Dimensions) in Spaces Annocent british police box.
Its ability to present different incarnations of the time lord that retained memories but exhibited different appearances and personalities helped keep the series fresh as the doctors battled monsters, aliens, Robots, Zombies, Weird Creatures, and Theose Pesky Extermination-Crazed Flows, The Dalks.
The show's first doctor was played by actor william Hartnell who Galavanted Around the Universe on “Doctor who” Until 1966, when patrick trusts inherited the Tardis keys for the respected. After 62 years, “Doctor who” remains an indelible part of sci-fi's creative evolution and tv history still entertaining audiences.
1. Star Trek
With its current grip on pop culture, it's hard to image anything of the decade eclipsing creator gene roddenberry's “Wagon train to the stars,” which was rescued from potential oblivion by luck Desilu Production Company.
Originally Airing on NBC for Three Seasons Starting in 1966, “Star Trek” Followed william shatner's capting james t. kirk, leonard nimoy's first officer spock, deforst kelley's first kelley aloneard “Bones” McCoy and the rest of the intreepid crew aboard the USS Enterprise on a five-year mission to explore the galaxy on an ambitious tour showcasing goodwill, scientific resentorch, alien enclosures, and Humanistic discovery.
With its character-based approach and storylines that often delved Into 20th-Tentury Politics, Race, and Religion, “Star Trek” Spawned Ann Entre Franchise That Latr Included Fan Consurations, Action Fan Consurations, Animated Series, Games, Feature Films, and Multiple TV Series. Often Imitated but Never Duplicated, this show's universal influence has studded the test of time more than another title on this list and continues to be reinterpreated and reinvented for bothe new fans and bot new fans.