Sci Fi TV Obscurities: A look at sci fi and fantasy TV shows that made it to the air only briefly before getting cast to the television wasteland.
[Updated]
What Is It? A mysterious travel agency locates people in need of a fantasy and sends them to an island hosted by the seemingly all-powerful Mr. Roarke where the fantasy they thought that they wanted may not turn out quite the way they expected.
Aired: ABC, 1998, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes
Developed By: Bob Josephon, Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Mädchen Amick, Louis Lombardi, Edward Hibbert, Fyvush Finkel, Sylvia Sidney
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi? No. This show delivers a darker take on the ’70s series and had some standout episodes, but does not quite count as a sleeper genre entry. Fans of the original will want to give it a look, though.
The Skinny: By the mid-to-late ’90s, the broadcast networks had warmed up to the sci fi and fantasy genre in a large part because The X-Files had become a huge hit for FOX. New genre entries heavily influenced by that series started to make it to the Prime Time schedule (more on that at this link), and the networks started looking to other shows that might attract the same audience as well. For ABC, it seemed like a no-brainer to dig into the vault and resurrect a hit series from the past and give it a modern take with a darker and more gritty feel. Fantasy Island had a solid seven-year run when it originally aired, and with hit producer Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family, Men in Black) attached to a reboot, it must have seemed like a sure thing.
Casting the lead was certainly one of the biggest challenges for the rebooted show, seeing as Ricardo Montalbán had delivered an iconic performance in the original. But Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek Generations) proved the perfect replacement as he made the role his own, delivering a more cynical and snarky version of the host of Fantasy Island. The show also gave him an excellent supporting cast with the young Mädchen Amick as his assistant (in an attempt to avoid replicating the Tattoo character) and Fyvush Finkel as the perfect huckster recruiting people to travel to the island.
All the pieces appeared to be in place for a hit show, but sadly it stumbled due to the writing. The Fantasy Island reboot had an excellent cast and the stylized look of a Sonnenfeld production as well as a quirky sense of originality. And the supernatural nature of Mr. Roarke and the island was much more apparent than in the original series. But it drew upon mostly stock television plots and also lacked the star power of the ’70s series with a dearth of recognizable guest roles. It still managed to produce some good episodes and might have been able to hit its stride if given another season. But a promising lead cast and as good of a concept as you could expect from a reboot was squandered, causing it to disappear after a thirteen-episode run.
ALSO READ – Sci Fi TV Flashback: Fantasy Island (1977)
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. The original series had proven quite popular on Saturday nights where it aired for seven years, so ABC execs decided that was the perfect schedule slot for the new show. However, viewership on that night had dropped considerably in the ’90s, and the reboot did not find much of an audience. Instead of trying to switch the show to a different slot where it might find more viewers, ABC cancelled it after half a season, and it faded into obscurity after that.
Should It Be Rebooted? It already has been. In 2020, a horror film arrived in theaters which acted as a prequel of sorts to the original series. Then, in 2021, a reboot series premiered on FOX which acts as a direct sequel to the ’70s series. That one was renewed for a second season, and did a pretty good job of carrying on the franchise with its own modern take on the concept. But it had the misfortune of airing on a channel that was not too open to its more progressive themes, and it was cut short after its second year. But the Fantasy Island concept is one that is ripe for a reboot from time to time, so perhaps it will return at some point in the future.
Interesting Facts: Mr. Roarke has three main assistants in this series, instead of just Tattoo and his successors. Plus, he has two assistants working in the travel agency who recruit people to the island. The full terms of their service are never fully revealed, but it is implied that at least some of them are working off some sort of Purgatory penance.
The original show was referenced in the pilot when Malcolm McDowell’s Mr. Roarke chooses to wear a black suit instead of the white one Ricardo Montalbán made famous. Also, when one of the assistants announces “The plane! The plane!” (Tattoo’s signature line), Mr. Roarke orders them never to say that again (though it is repeated in at least one other episode).
Where Can You Watch It? This show never received a DVD or Blu-ray release and pretty much disappeared into obscurity apart from a brief encore run on the Sci Fi Channel. But it has been made available on, most recently at The Roku Channel (along with the original series), and it should be of interest to Fantasy Island completists and Malcolm McDowell fans.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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