V 

A year after Liberation Day, courtesy of the red-dust bacteria, the humanoid, lizard-like aliens develop a resistance to the micro-organism and try to regain control of the Earth--only now some humans are knowingly working with them.

Creator:

Kenneth Johnson

Stars:

Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Michael Ironside

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Jane Badler	...	Diana 19 episodes, 1984-1985
June Chadwick	...	Lydia 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Jennifer Cooke	...	Elizabeth Maxwell 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Robert Englund	...	Willie 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Faye Grant	...	Dr. Julie Parrish / ... 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Marc Singer	...	Mike Donovan / ... 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Jeff Yagher	...	Kyle Bates 19 episodes, 1984-1985
Michael Ironside	...	Ham Tyler 13 episodes, 1984-1985
Lane Smith	...	Nathan Bates 13 episodes, 1984-1985
Blair Tefkin	...	Robin Maxwell 13 episodes, 1984-1985
Michael Wright	...	Elias Taylor 13 episodes, 1984-1985
Howard K. Smith	...	Howard K. Smith 11 episodes, 1984-1985
Aki Aleong	...	Mr. Chiang 9 episodes, 1984-1985
Judson Scott	...	Lt. James 8 episodes, 1985

Storyline

This series features the characters from the two mini-series about aliens coming to Earth claiming to be friends but in reality have an ulterior motive. The aliens may have been beaten in the mini-series but there are still a lot of them out there. In this series, Nathan Bates, the industrialist who manufactures the biological weapon that was used to defeat the aliens, wants to get his hands on the aliens' technology, so that he could profit from it, makes a deal with Diana, the alien leader. Rebel leaders, Mike Donovan, Ham Tyler, and Julie Parish know that Diana can't be trusted, so they are constantly trying to figure out what Diana is up to and stop her.

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Plot Keywords:

outer space | one letter title | alien | alien technology | extraterrestrial alien | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

V: The Series

Filming Locations:

Sable Ranch - 25933 Sand Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (19 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second theme was originally written for V: The Final Battle (1984). The producers chose Barry De Vorzon's and Joseph Conlan's music instead for the miniseries, so it was shelved until V: The Champion (1985), when it replaced the series' original theme music.

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Goofs

Now that we know that the 'Visitors' are lizard-like aliens, it seems pointless that they continue to disguise themselves as humans, or continue to use their human names, especially when they are on the motherships. Obviously this was done to reduce makeup and effects costs, but it doesn't make sense in terms of narrative.

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Quotes

Willie: [playing piano and singing off-key] Deck the halls with lousy folly/Fa la la la la, la la la la/Tis the evening scruffy molly/Fa la la la la, la la la la/Don't we know how gay a carol/Fa la la, la la la, la la la/Holy moly Yule Tide carol/Fa la la la la, la la...
[Visitor customer cuts Willie off]
Visitor customer: [yanks Willie off the piano] That's terrible. Take a walk!
[shoves Willie away, sits down at the piano, and starts playing]
Dr. Julie Parrish: Willie, are you all right?
Willie: Yes. He only injured my prize.

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Crazy Credits

Real-life newscaster Howard K. Smith, who has a recurring cameo in this series, is sometimes given a guest star credit on episodes in which he does not appear.

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Connections

Referenced in Tales from the Lumber Yard: The Making of 'Galaxy of Terror' (2010)

User Reviews

It's a million times better then Independence Day

V and V the final battle is 8 of the best sci-fi hours on video anywhere. Yes it's long but any shorter and it would lose something. All the characters, all the inter-weaving stories and the entire plot are just perfectly executed. The underlying anti Nazi message and WW 2 under tones give the story a depth that make it even better. The special effects are very good for an 80's mini-series. The acting is good. But watching it you're glad they don't cut anything out. The best scene is the birth of the twins. Great sci-fi. If you think Independence Day was good you ain't seen nothin' yet.