The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All-Time: The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

This series focuses on astronaut Steve Austin, who is injured in a test flight and has parts of his body replaced with bionics. He receives a bionic arm, two bionic legs, and a bionic eye, which give him heightened strength, super-speed, and enhanced vision. He then goes to work for the government organization OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence), where he serves as a special agent.

Aired: 1973-78, 5 Seasons Totaling 99 Episodes + 6 TV Movies

Starring: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks

Developed By: Kenneth Johnson

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:

This show hit the air in the early ’70s and became a hit out of the gate, setting the template for successful sci-fi entries throughout the rest of the decade. It delivered a superhero-type character with procedural/guest-star-of-the-week stories, which appealed to network execs leery of greenlighting genre entries. They knew there was an audience out there, but sci-fi/fantasy shows didn’t fit into the standard prime-time formula, so this acted as the perfect compromise. Other shows that also found success with this format included spin-off series The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk (which also came from Kenneth Johnson), Wonder Woman, and The Amazing Spider-Man.

But one thing you have to give The Six Million Dollar Man credit for is that it actually worked some science fiction into its stories (as did The Bionic Woman). It had its procedural episodes where Steve Austin contended with the villain of the week, but then it would work in episodes with more of a sci-fi bent, so that genre fans could find plenty to like. Plus, even when it wasn’t emphasizing the sci-fi elements, the show still had decent scripts—at least through the first few seasons. It also had its memes that have since become classics, like the opening narration (“We can rebuild him.  We have the technology.”) as well as the sound effects and theme music that played when Steve Austin was using his bionics. And the show almost spun off an entire bionic universe, with The Bionic Woman followed by a bionic boy backdoor pilot, as well as a tryout for a bionic dog.

The show also had a great central cast, with Lee Majors as the perfect anchor in the lead role. He played the Steve Austin character straightforward and down-to-earth, making him a likable person. Sure, he mugged to the camera on occasion and may have gotten overly wrapped up in the role as the show lingered on, but he did help keep things mostly grounded. And Richard Anderson was a great presence as Oscar Goldman, the guiding force of the OSI, running things from behind the scenes while Steve had boots on the ground (and Anderson would continue in the role on The Bionic Woman).

The Six Million Dollar Man certainly doesn’t seem like a groundbreaking television series when you go back and watch it today, and many might count it as a “sci-fi-lite” entry. But the fact is that it was an important milestone for the small screen at the time it arrived, and it helped keep the genre going on television throughout the ’70s. It may not count as a Top 10 sci-fi TV show, but it has its merits and should be considered among the all-time greats.

Argument Against:

The Six Million Dollar Man is certainly an iconic series for the 1970s, but it does not hold up well to scrutiny when you go back and watch it today. Sure, it had an interesting premise (based on the book Cyborg by Martin Caidin), and it did work in some sci-fi elements. But for the most part, it became far too formulaic and—to an extent—a victim of its own success. Steve Austin would deal with the challenge of the week, whether a mad scientist, secret agents, a robotic Bigfoot (yes, really), aliens, or even a rogue shark (!), and by the end, he would go bionic and they would cue the theme song for him to save the day. Yes, the show had some good stories early on and ran with its central premise pretty well, but a little of this one goes a long way, and it already started to feel like it was running out of energy by its third season.  Plus, all the spin-offs they tried to push? The Bionic Woman worked well enough, but a bionic boy and bionic dog? The Six Million Dollar Man wore out its welcome pretty quickly, turned into a caricature of itself, and falls short of counting as a great example of sci-fi TV.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

I remember watching The Six Million Dollar Man when it first premiered (yes, I am that old), and I liked it well enough, but I was more a fan of Star Trek and Ultraman at the time, and the show didn’t have enough of the sci-fi I was looking for. I didn’t stick around too long after the initial movies, and I would only tune into the show from time to time throughout its tenure. But when the entire series went through its first full syndication run, I gave it another shot and realized it was a better show than I gave it credit for. Its sci-fi elements might have been more subtle, but the creative team did work them in on a regular basis. And there was some social commentary in the episodes, even if that only scratched the surface. I came to appreciate it as a notable sci-fi entry, and to this day I still have fond memories of watching it all the way through in the late-’70s/early-’80s version of binge-watching (daily syndication).  As mentioned above, this one may not belong in the upper echelon of sci-fi and fantasy shows, but it made its mark and deserves recognition as a genre classic.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray (as has The Bionic Woman).  It is available to stream with a subscription to Peacock, and you can also watch it for free (with ads) on The Roku Channel.

Do you consider The Six Million Dollar Man to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy shows or has it not passed the test of time? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.

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