Classic Sci Fi TV: Lost in Space (1965)

Classic Sci Fi TV: Our ongoing look back at many of the classics of science fiction and fantasy television.

[Updated]

What Is It? In the year 1997, the Robinson family departs from an overpopulated Earth in the Jupiter 2 on a mission to colonize Alpha Centauri. But the sinister Dr. Smith has stowed away and sabotages the ship, which sends it far off course. This results in all onboard, including Smith—who finds himself trapped on the ship—being sent on a wild journey through the cosmos as they find themselves lost in space.

Aired: CBS, 1965-68, 3 Seasons Totaling 83 Episodes

Starring: Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Jonathan Harris, Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Dick Tufeld

Created By: Irwin Allen

Is it Must-Watch Sci Fi? Yes. This is one of the classic so-bad-its-good shows and so many sci fi tropes come from this one. You have to experience all three seasons at some point, even if it is just a sampling from each.

The Skinny: Irwin Allen already had a sci fi hit on television in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea when this show debuted, and Lost in Space followed a similar trend to Allen’s first TV entry. The early episodes had a more serious, action-adventure tone, and the show would have had a very different legacy if it had remained on that course. But the shift to camp had begun by the middle of the show’s first season (Voyage didn’t slip into high-camp until its second year), and there was no turning back.  (This happened largely because LiS aired in a family-friendly timeslot as Dan Monroe discusses at this link.) This began with a heavier focus on Dr. Smith which included a notable change in his personality. Whereas Smith was a much more sinister villain in the early episodes, he turned into a buffoonish ne’er-do-well as the first year progressed, and the stories became ever more bombastic in the process. Instead of focusing on the full cast (or at least offering equal time to the multiple actors), Smith, Will Robinson, and the Robot became the center of most episodes, and the camp level was amped up each season. In all fairness, the show did still manage to deliver some fun episodes and some classic lines (“Danger, Will Robinson!”) and the special effects (especially the shots of the Jupiter 2 in flight) could be quite good at times. But by the time it was offering humans in ridiculous-looking dragon customs and a giant, talking carrot menacing Dr. Smith, it had definitely veered into new heights of absurdity. Still, this show did establish a lot of the early precedents for sci fi TV as it delivered a high-camp counterpoint to the more serious sci fi that Star Trek was providing over on NBC.

This one could just as easily be considered Retro Sci Fi TV, but because it has become so iconic, I’m pushing it into the Classic Sci Fi TV category. And it can still be great late-night viewing with a group of friends and plenty of alcoholic beverages, but you’re not going to sit through all of the episodes (or even half) like you might with a marathon of other classic sci fi entries from this era such as Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, or even The Invaders. A sampling of episodes from each season (which has to include “The Great Vegetable Rebellion”) is a worthwhile endeavor. Beware of brain damage, though, if you watch more than a dozen at a time!

Cancelled Too Soon? Perhaps. The cast and crew all expected to come back from a fourth season when the show was suddenly cancelled. Supposedly budget concerns in the face of dropping ratings were blamed, and also one or more CBS executives were not too fond of the show. But after facing off with space hillbillies, space vikings, a cosmic toymaker, angry vegetables, and other ludicrous antagonists, where else do you have to go?

Revival: There have been several revival attempts of this franchise, with Netflix picking up the torch just recently. In the 90’s Bill Mumy and others worked on a comic book series that checked in on the Robinsons’ adventures in space. In 1998, there was a Lost in Space feature film that tried to revive the franchise on the big screen, but it did not generate enough ticket sales to justify any sequels. In 2003, John Woo directed a pilot that was intended to bring the show back to television. It was a darker re-imagining of the show, but was not picked by the WB as an ongoing series (more on that at this link). Then in 2018, Netflix released its revival series that came closer to the early episodes of the original as it delivered a family-friendly sci fi adventure without the camp (and with Lost-like mysteries to appeal to the modern audience). That had a three-season run totaling 28 episodes with its third season announced in advance as its last and it may be all we see from the franchise for a while.

Interesting Fact: Before Lost in Space hit the air, CBS listened to Gene Rodenberry’s pitch for Star Trek then told him that they were not interested in his show. Seeing as LiS was already in the works, they likely just wanted to get a glimpse at the competition since they heard that another space-based show was getting shopped to the networks.

Where Can You Watch It? For the longest time, this series was a staple on Hulu, but it has since disappeared from the streaming service, probably relating to rights issues once Netflix kicked off their reboot in 2018. But that streamer does not have the original series either, nor is it on any of the services at the moment. It has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, though those are selling at a pretty high price. You can also purchase it VOD from sellers like Amazon.com.

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com

More Classic Sci Fi TV at This Link

Stream or Purchase Lost in Space VOD

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