5 Forgotten Sci-Fi TV Series That Deserve a Comeback
A nostalgic journey through five forgotten sci-fi TV series from the 60s and 70s that deserve a modern comeback. Subscribe: …
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March 26, 2025
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"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
A nostalgic journey through five forgotten sci-fi TV series from the 60s and 70s that deserve a modern comeback. Subscribe: …
source
My memory was of the Time Tunnel being a different kind of time travel show because (at least in earlier episodes) they fitted into the past they encountered – in other words, they didn't change the past because they had always been there and their presence was already part of history. I always reference it as the only non-annoying time travel show / movie for that very reason! I wonder if I completely misunderstood this (I last watched it at least two decades ago!) or if this changed after some point? I seem to remember the "walls of Jericho" episode including the reveal that they were taking the roles of actual people, but again it's been a long time!
Rather than any comeback how about a live action Fireball XL-5 ?
Well you’ve just listed five of my all time favourite sci-fi programs. None of them are forgotten as far as I’m concerned.
Gone, but certainly not forgotten.
Time Tunnel did have a reboot or sorts in the tv show 'Quantum Leap' which is very similar with regards to time travel & also had Dr. Sam Beckett alter certain events that happened in a person's lifetime.
great shows but the political mentality of the woke producers today would just ruin them as they do most things
One might argue that "Voyagers" was a sort of reboot of The Time Tunnel
Paul Darrow himself said that they did more or less reboot Blakes 7 as "Firefly" 🙂
If you truly are a lover of classic sci fi you should be calling for a ban on the remaking, sorry "reimagining" of these shows. Can you imagine the time tunnel with Bianca Del Rio and Ellen Degenerate visiting some form of white or male oppression every week. Sounds fun right. I waited 20 years for Asimov's Foundation to be made into a series. The same for the Lord of the Rings. What did we get? A faithful, respectful adaptation; no we got political propaganda in costumes.
I was never a fan of Blakes 7. It just felt like another cheaply done attempt at creating a Star Trek equivalent.
The characters of Blake and Avon were acted well but it just didn't compensate for the cheap sets average production.
I remember when UFO first came o, it was like nothing the UK had ever seen. A nice blend of characters and excitement, especially those women with the purple hair (Benedict Cumberbatch's mother was one of them).
Sadly, as time went on, there was little variation and the producers never introduced many new elements to take things forward. But great memories nonetheless. Even the string vests didn't put me off. All boys loved it.
The Invaders had a darkness that kept you on your toes.
Space 1999 finally took the visuals to a level sought after on British TV. Greats actors and actresses, with some great twists.
Th Time Tunnel was something that fit in with a few others shows with the same kinds of production, such as Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and Land Of The Giants. Always fun.
I would like to see Doctor Who return more to it's roots, not the nonsense that has been dished up in more recent years. Imagine a Tom Baker with 21st century visuals.
Whist I enjoyed the Lost In Space reboot, it didn't feel like the original, so I would like to see a recreation of all the originals episodes with modern visuals, a robot that actually looks and acts like the original and the other immortal words we always loved, 'never fear, Smith is here'.
Some overlap!
5. The Time Tunnel
4. Sliders
3. Buck Rogers
2. The Invaders
1. Red Dwarf
Three I’d want except they already got redone:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost In Space
Dr. Who
But we’re ready for another reboot of Battlestar!
🥰😍🤩🥳❤💢💥💫👍👍👍
Someone posted about Voyage To The Bottom Of The sea…. I really liked that show but I really liked Time Tunnel.
Vote REFORM to keep our way of life.
Who says they are forgotten?
8:34 With those two guys in silver, wardrobe should have won an academy award for best use of foil!
But seriously, Blade Runner should be made with a bunch of illegal Latino immigrants instead of Asian extras, except they would all be working at service jobs like construction and bus boys. So maybe it wouldn’t work because the Asian people were doing tech jobs like eyes for Replicates.
Dr.who,the tomorrow people,space 1999,
They did remake Blake's 7. It was called "Farscape."
I think these five SF series affected my way of thinking as a child watching them in the sixties and seventies.
The Invaders terrified me. I was probably made to go to bed early because of that.
The Time Tunnel started a genre of SF time travelling. I liked the variations of Earth in the Sliders series.
One of the early movies, I'd stay home from school to see was 'Forbidden Planet'. A few movies had the theme of aliens going extinct, but people do not heed this real warning. People often won't acknowledge that tech is frightening in the hands of the wealthy psychopaths – so it's more likely that humans will outdo what aliens were steriotyped for- humans are so parasitic.
I often point out we aren'treally in 2024, in that the common people don't get cancer cures etc. that were supposed be here by 2024. [Many people don't realize electric cars and trams existed in th 1890s. Beneficial tech has been suppressed – to the majority. Australian lifespans have decreased by 6 years. People in rural regions are neglected with rural males living 11 years fewer than people in large cities – as governments destroy equitable railway infrastructure – the poor cannot access where they could 50 years ago. More succumb to diabetes etc.
The big advance was penicillin and sterile surgery. Many grandparents lived into their eighties – if they eat well etc. Not today. Australia cuts taxes – how? Is it because many people with disabilities, and older folk on pensions are dying earlier. We're becoming so Orwellian – some see euthanasia as a solution of not providing for everyone. Some Australians adhere to 'tough love' and tell 'whingers' to shut up. 52% of Australians callthemselves 'middle class' and segregate from others.
Good list, I'd love to see more of those great shows! 👍👍
Blake's 7
I remember reading somewhere that Quantum Leap was loosely based on Time Tunnel.
'The Expanse" should be brought back.
I feel the problem with a Space 1999 reboot would be that the whole concept relies on a deep misunderstanding of the scale of space. I don't think that would really work anymore today.
The Thunderbirds; what a great show and wished it had been on your list. We seen the movie that came out like 10 or more times. Loved it as a kid!!
UFO was light years better than Space 1999 which I would replace with Voyage of the Star Lost (best thread of which involved the alien Oro's attempts to salvage the ship and was played by Chekov, Walter Koenig.
These shows shone bright and were gone as quickly. Of course they have their fans, but at the end of the day, they were very quaint, but hardly solid shows
Cool but where is Babylon 5 ?
Very good. I agree. Time Tunnel coming back would be great….but not like the dark remake they tried once before. The Invaders….you hit the mark there..perfect for today. President Lyndon Johnson told ABC TV he wanted the show toned down because he thought people would fear and distrust certain government people.
i Loved watching U.F.O., Space 1999, and The Time Tunnel. they should bring them back. 🙂
I think Sliders and Torchwood would be good for a reboot.
One word:
Quark!
Good coverage of the old shows. I noticed that the several i found to be dull were British. Could cultural differences contributed to their cancellations? IMHO Space 1999 was extremely dull. The actors reminded me of cardboard cutouts going through the motions of simulating a story
🔔 GREAT LIST! (EXCEPT FOR THE SHITTILY SCRIPTED "SPACE:1999".)
i saw the time tunnel too, great programme, i hear stargate is being rebooted, never saw it!
Tried watching Blakes 7 a month ago, was sooo slow had to go off, UFO, was great, remember it
I had a Space 1999 lunchbox when I was six. I loved this show. PBS showed Doctor Who (Tom Baker) during this time and I still watch it.
Babylon 5…
Thanks,I enjoyed watching this…Yes some of those series were good,but by now they would be so dated as to be almost painful to watch….UFO,I actually have it on DVD,.and its crummy sets silly costumes etc..looked good back then,just silly now though..Apparently Sylvia Anderson owned a fashion business and designed futuristic costumes,she also liked wigs,so Moonbase Alpha girls all work futuristic costumes and purple anti static wigs. I must admit that given the opportunity I would like to try making a new series of UFO..using a far mire considered approach,while retaining as much as I could of the original premise. We never had The Invaders here so cannot comment on that obe Though we got Blakes 7 which was OK but dated sets costumes ..Space 1999 had some good episodes..The Time Tunnel which seemed amazing as a child,but alnost ludricous as a adult..I remember Lee Meriwether being interviewed about her time on the show,saying that the producers had tried to pitch the series as educational to teachers,but got nowhere..( I wonder why.? LOL ) The idea was nice,but it was totally fanciful,and full of B-grade acting. .There was of course the fundamental problem of understanding how time travel actually works….a understanding of which contradicts the whole premise of the show,..that had them being flipped into different historical and geographical situations,all of course at pivotal times..and being able to converse and deal with the people they encountered ( who all conveniently spoke good english) …Thats why it failed…There was a attempt to make a new Time Tunnel series, of which I saw the pilot,and although modern with better SFX it was even worse..having all the original faults of the original premise remakes often are worse,they are at best "a repair" rather than a "new model" so to speak…..Rod Serling made a movie called the Time Travellers which dealt with the subject much better…Thanks again
Space: 1999? Are you kidding me? That show was utter crap. I used to watch The Time Tunnel and The Invaders when I was a kid, but I doubt I'd be interested in a reboot.
The biggest fear of any redos of classic shows is the woke mentality. It has just about buried Dr Who.
Another series might be The Starlost, a 1973 Canadian series created by Harlan Ellison about a huge generational starship where the passengers have forgotten their origins. The original series was very low budget, but with an adequate budget it could be very good.
every 'comeback' attempt ends up as a 'wokeback' remake flop (with perhaps some rare exceptions)
Check out VR.5. Great cast, now available on YouTube free.
Loved them all
How about five scifi shows that do not deserve to comeback?