"Automan" (1983) TV series 1983-1984

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

15 December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A computer generated superhero and his human creator fight crime in their city.

Plot Keywords:

Superhero | Character Name In Title

Cast

Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Walter Nebicher (13 episodes, 1983-1984)
Chuck Wagner	...	Automan (13 episodes, 1983-1984)
Robert Lansing	...	Lt. Jack Curtis (13 episodes, 1983-1984)
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Police Capt. E. G. Boyd (13 episodes, 1983-1984)
Heather McNair	...	Roxanne Caldwell / ... (13 episodes, 1983-1984)

Runtime:

50 min (12 episodes) | 70 min (pilot episode)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Retarded Animal Babies (2003) (V)

Automan to the rescue.

For some odd reason, I actually liked this show. I was only 16yr when it aired, but I loved the special effects. This show really seems like something Disney would make. It was a little bit of Tron with low-budget comedy crime fighter thrown in. The two things I remember the most is the title song and the auto-car. The song had a catchy tune that I still hum now and then. The car would get created by "Cursor", Automan's sidekick and it was very cool how it was done. Cursor would start drawing the lines of the car and then pick up speed as he drew the rest. It would make some electrical sound while Cursor drew it. Like Automan, the car was a glowing neon light blue. When automan drove it, it steered like the motorcycles in TRON. It would make sharp turns left or right and Desi Jr's character would get slammed against the door window. The show was just fun to watch back then. The main thing that killed it was the writing. The villains weren't anything special and each story really didn't draw you in and make you want to come back. The comedy aspect of the show was decent. It also was expensive to make each episode and because it didn't draw a big audience, they really didn't make much money off of it. I still would love to see this on DVD just for nostalgic purposes.