Sci Fi TV Reboots That Should Happen: Quatermass (1953)

Sci Fi TV Reboots that Should Happen: Reboots are all the rage mostly because the entertainment industry prefers name recognition over original ideas. But there are some properties that truly deserve a do-over because they didn’t quite achieve their goal the first time around or they were cut short.

What Is It?

This was an early British series from the 1950’s that followed Professor Quatermass as he investigated alien contact with Earth. It aired three six-part serials in the 50’s that were notable for taking a serious approach to the genre at a time when it was considered mostly for kids as evidenced by shows like Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Space Patrol. There was also a fourth Quatermass series that aired in the late 70’s.

Aired: BBC, 1953-58, 3 Serials of 6 Episodes Each; ITV, 1979 1 Serial of 4 Episodes

Starring: Reginald Tate, John Robinson, Andre Morrell, John Mills

Created by: Nigel Kneale

Where Did the Original Fail?

It didn’t really, and I actually consider it a Classic Sci Fi TV series. But it has not dated well. The first three serials presented excellent sci fi/horror stories dealing with alien contact, but they did suffer from budget limitations and slow pacing. And the final serial delivered a rather unsatisfying conclusion for the franchise.

Why Reboot It?

This show represented an early high point for science fiction on television, and it can again if handled with the care given to the original. Creator Nigel Kneale wanted to take a serious approach to the genre, which had been geared mostly to kids at that point on television. Professor Quatermass makes a great central character for an ongoing series as an investigator specializing in alien contact.  The show could update the first three stories to start off with, and then head into new territory. And it would not be disrespecting the original series because that has become such a product of its time, and only two episodes from the first serial still exist (the BBC has a bad history of destroying its archival recordings). The third serial from the 50’s, Quatermass and the Pit, is an all-time great work of sci fi/horror that could definitely benefit if modern-day special effects were added to the mix to bring the story to life (even the classic 60’s feature film adaptation fell short in that respect).  Quatermass is well known among the British audience but has never had the same level of popularity in the States. An updating of the character could change that and deliver a truly great science fiction series.

Did It Before:

All three of the original Quatermass serials were adapted into films by Hammer in the 50s and 60s, and they are known to American audiences as The Creeping Unknown (1955), Enemy from Space (1957), and Five Million Years to Earth (1967). That last film counts as a sci fi classic, though some of its special effects have not dated well. The first Quatermass serial was also adapted as a television movie in 2005 (co-starring David Tennant) by the BBC since four of the original episodes no longer exist. There have been talks of another feature film reboot, most recently in 2019, but nothing has come of that yet.  And while bringing the character to the big screen might work, I still believe that an ongoing series is the better approach with this property.

Where Can You Watch It?

The original serials have had various DVD and Blu-ray releases (some in Region 2 only), so you can try to track them down that way.  The BBC remake of the first serial is available for streaming on BritBox.  You can also find the original serials streaming on YouTube.

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