Streaming Sci Fi TV: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest available on the streaming services. Note that these shows can be pulled from the services at any time with little notice.
What Is It?
In this “classic” Irwin Allen space adventure series, the Robinson family set off on a journey to colonize Alpha Centauri, but the sinister Dr. Smith sabotages the ship which sends it far off course causing all onboard to become lost in space.
Aired: CBS, 1965-68, 3 Seasons Totaling 83 Episodes
Starring: Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Jonathan Harris, Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright
Created By: Irwin Allen
Why Watch It?
When it comes to the 1960s, there were classically good sci fi TV shows like Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Prisoner, etc., and then there was classically bad sci fi TV, most often represented by the output of shlock-master Irwin Allen. And when it comes to his genre shows, Lost in Space is probably the best known of those and one that you just have to experience at some point. In its first season, the show started out more as an adventure series, following the Robinson family as they faced the dangers of the unknown planet where they crashed. But the show started to lean more heavily toward camp about midway through its first year as the focus of most episodes shifted to Dr. Smith (who turned from a sinister saboteur into a bumbling ne’er-do-well), Will Robinson, and the robot. By its second season, Lost in Space had moved from an action-adventure show with sci fi elements (and pretty decent special effects for its time) to a practical farce as the Robinsons encountered increasingly absurd characters such as ghosts, dragons, space Vikings, cosmic hillbillies, and a menacing, talking carrot!
But still, it can be fun at times, with the early eps delivering solid adventure stories, and then later throwing in some rather witty tales amongst its high-camp output. It also gave us some classic lines like the robot’s “Danger, Will Robinson!” and Dr. Smith’s alliterative insults like “Monstrous Mechanized Misguided Moron”. And it does count as a formative sci fi TV entry, even if that is because it mostly represented the excesses of the genre. Lost in Space has its moments, whether it is clever, well-written scripts or so-bad-it’s-good episodes like “The Great Vegetable Rebellion”. And while a little of this show goes a long way, it is still worth a look because it has since been counted among the greats of sci fi TV. (You can read more about the show at this link.)
Where Is It Streaming?
The entire series is available to watch with a subscription to Hulu. That service, which was among the earliest streamers, has a base plan that includes ads and a higher-tier option that lets you go ad-free. It also has several bundle options where you can include Disney+, ESPN+, and even HBO Max. You can see all the plans available at this link. You can also buy the series VOD from sellers like Amazon.com.
Stream or Purchase VOD
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Not available on Hulu since last summer. Any other ways to view?
Looks like currently it is only available VOD.