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by Jeffrey
Growing up with Nick at Nite and TV LandI absolutely watched my share of old school TV, and I’m a huge fan of it to this day. Green Acres isthe place to be. I do loveLucy. And Herman Munster and my dad have a lot in common.
But there are some very bizarre older shows out there hiding in the dark. Entire series based on secret robotic children, flying clergy and holographic crime fighters. Some you may be aware of, and some you surely aren’t. Let’s dive in.
The Flying Nun - 1967
I’m kicking it off with my favorite on the list. The Flying Nun; starring Sally Field before playing the totally-in-her-rights mom in Mrs. Doubtfire. The great part about the whole flying thing is the canon. She can fly because she’s 90 pounds and her hat is shaped just right. That’s it. And once she gets to flying, dude? That’s the rest of the episode. Every episode is written for problems that can be solved by flying, and plenty that could also be solved without the flying. It’s super quirky and funny though, and I genuinely do like it quite a bit. Totally worth watching the pilot if you also dig old TV.
Small Wonder - 1985
Uhhhh, this one is troubling. Small Wonder is a show about a whiny cry-baby scientist that creates a life-like and terribly creepy Daughter-bot (just played by a real human girl), who speaks in a mono-tone robot voice and navigates childhood with the biological son of the family, all while being harassed by the neighbor kid. That was a hard sentence to write. And while it’s accurate, it just doesn’t feelright.
Regardless of how not right it feels now, this show ran for FOUR seasons. I mean, I kind of get it. Can you imagine the amount of whacky misunderstandings and zany mischief this premise could bring?
Automan - 1983
Automan is if Small Wonder was a crime fighter. And also a hologram. And also drove a Tron’d out Lambo around 90 degree turns at full speed. Automan can walk through walls, morph his car into a helicopter and has a sidekick named “Cursor”. Did they want to cash in on the idea of Tron as a TV series? Absolutely. Did it last? No. But it did star Desi Arnaz Jr, so that’s something.
My Mother the Car - 1965
Hahahahaha duuuuude. How have I never heard of this one. Straight from the first minute of episode 1, we’re INTO it. Jerry Van Dykes mother had died previously, and she’s now come back as a car. It’s really just as simple as that. Of course Car-Mom convinces him to keep it a secret from his family and the world. And of course even when he lets it slip, no one believes him anyway.
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I love diving into these weird recesses of somewhat forgotten media. What are some lost shows, games or movies y’all remember from your childhood or discovered recently? Comment below!