The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: The Incredible Hulk (1977)

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?

After Dr. David Banner loses his wife in a car accident, he begins studying the ability of some humans to demonstrate great feats of strength under extreme circumstances. He believes that gamma radiation may be the key, and he conducts an unauthorized experiment in which he exposes himself to high levels of gamma rays. This causes him to transform into a large, green-skinned creature known as the Hulk. After an accident in the lab, Dr. Banner’s partner is killed and Banner is presumed dead, with the Hulk blamed for the death. Banner then goes on the run while also searching for a cure to the condition that causes him to turn into a rampaging beast whenever he becomes angry.

Aired: CBS, 1977-82, 5 Seasons Totaling 81 Episodes (Plus 5 Movies)

Starring: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin

Developed By: Kenneth Johnson

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

The Incredible Hulk was one of several Marvel properties that CBS adapted in the late 70s (along with Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain America–more on that at this link), and it followed a formula that network execs were comfortable with that mixed superheroes with sci fi but did not go too heavy on the latter. The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and The Bionic Woman all had success with the format, and the networks were okay with letting these shows stick around on the Prime Time schedule.

The Incredible Hulk was a little bit different than the others, though, because it essentially delivered The Fugitive with a rampaging beast that would show up once or twice per episode. And while it would seem like that formula would get tired after a while, the show got the most it could from it. It had a certain pathos to it, following a man who was not in control of his situation, and who was hunted by a crusading reporter tracking down the Hulk, but he still found himself trying to help others. And while he succeeded at that more often than not, the episodes would end with a sense of melancholy as the plight of Dr. David Banner continued.

The show did take a lot of liberties with the comic book character, and it did not work in much in the way of sci fi themes throughout its run, but it had an endearing quality to it that kept you tuning in each week. And it also delivered some rather dramatic elements, which was uncommon for genre shows at that time. And Bill Bixby certainly carried the series with his tortured portrayal of a man afflicted by his own experiments. The Incredible Hulk may be a rather under-the-radar sci fi entry, but it did have some accomplishments during its run and is still well-remembered by those who followed, and it deserves to be considered a genre great.

Argument Against:

The best thing about The Incredible Hulk was Bill Bixby’s performance as Dr. David Banner, and Lou Ferrigno did a pretty good Hulk as well. The worst thing about the show was completely separating itself from its comic roots (including changing the character’s name from David to Bruce because it was less gay-sounding). The Hulk character had a long history in comics at that point, having first been introduced by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1963, and there were so many stories the show could have pulled from. I know the budget would have precluded bringing in some of the more epic battles the Hulk fought, but there were still plenty more stories they could have worked into the television run.

And The Amazing Spider-Man was airing on CBS at the same time, so they had the opportunity for the two heroes to team up (and could have later brought in Doctor Strange and Captain America), but never pursued that. Instead, they delivered by-the-numbers television plots that could have been lifted from many other shows and wrapped them up with a weekly Hulk rampage (with the latter sometimes verging on silliness). The formula got tired pretty quickly and kept what could have been a great superhero series from ever truly exploring its potential or counting as a genre great.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

I remember The Incredible Hulk as the sci fi series you watched back in the late-70s because there were very few other sci fi entries in Prime Time. It was a decent enough series and at least something for genre fans to tune into, but it didn’t quite scratch that sci fi itch. I have revisited it several times over the years, though, and found that it holds up better than I remember. In large part, that is because of Bill Bixby’s excellent performance as the troubled David Banner. But they also worked some good social commentary into the episodes and had some good dramatic moments. Nothing that would draw Emmy attention, but the show did offer some mature storylines while at the same time the viewer developed a connection with Dr. Banner because of his seemingly unending plight. I still would have liked more sci fi stories, as well as a deeper dive into the Banner/Hulk dual nature.  And it would have been great to see a team-up with Spider-Man. But still, The Incredible Hulk did deliver its fair share of good episodes and deserves to be considered one of the greats of the genre.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, and you can also purchase it VOD. It is not streaming on any of the major services at the moment, but I would expect to see this one show up there at some point.

Stream or Purchase VOD

Do you consider The Incredible Hulk to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy shows, or did it stray too far from its comic book source material? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.

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