Note, minor plot spoilers are going to follow but some are necessary as newbies might be better off seeing classic episodes first then going into chronological order viewing if they like what they see. Premieres only do so much, especially for a 55 year old show that took place in 1997. Seeing them in chronological order just can't apply, too many would give up before getting even close to the good episodes. Which is why I'm not mentioning them straightaway.
The show's acting was pretty good all around. Even with some of the lamest material - again, the blu-ray commentaries have some absolute gold... I think it's the casting choices that helped this show stand the test of time as the cast do feel like family on screen. I will never understand or underestimate the importance of onscreen chemistry between actors.
The show is no intellectual masterpiece as it's target audience is of young kids (6 year olds circa the early-1960s) as most sci-fi was seen as kiddie monster fluff and it shows, and the show even proved to me that low budgets sometimes end up doing more harm to the story when you can recognize set props being reused for not the 3rd time by the 30th, even using the filming model of the Jupiter II as a prop in some episodes (never break the rule of misusing something so iconic!), and it preferred aiming itself at young kids and keeping secondary at best whole families or even older children as it's way too saccharine and pedantic over character roles and functions...
...which also led to unintentional grim jokes like "old guy takes kid out for walk in strange area"...
...And then again, early TOS is definitely not for the kiddies as many of the time heralded Trek as being adult sci-fi.
Nor did it help when very special episodes with moral themes, like "The Promised Planet" (season 3), are so hamfistedly made that either showing what's wrong and why, or even character motivations (such as the part where the kids whine about not growing old and wanting to shave as why they need normal kids to extract all their blood to create a cure from simply has to be seen to be believed, ditto for the hideous wig Dr Smith gets to wear that's supposed to be a dig at "Star Trek" despite it being the completely wrong style, unless that was the intent)... seriously, watch it then watch it with the commentary track (blu-ray) turned on. And, most importantly, why weren't Penny's go-go dancers male since there were male dancers in the indoctrination scenes and this show was not going to tackle anything outside of "nuclear family" being legitimized... actually, aimed at an older audience and writing tightened, it taking the trope of cult indoctrination with a grizzle twist revelation at the end could have been eminently effective. But it's just another typical episode, adored by fans because it's a (loose) allegory to the hippie movement (mostly in style only, if the episode was lampooning hippies it could have been more structured. It's like the author of the story was channeling his reactions to the counterculture than showing the counter culture and letting the characters do the reflecting. John easily could have done more to convey the desire of the kids to grow up in a way other than the backhanded dialogue of the kid saying "I just want to shave!" - which is far funnier than anything in the infamous carrot episode. )
Season 3 definitely felt like a step in the right direction, right down to revamped theme tune to revitalize the show, and has aged well because it has enough seriousness despite the camp and there are a number of action-packed episodes that take their proceedings seriously and keep humor well-placed, such as the time travel episode where they end up on 1947 Earth ("Visit to a Hostile Planet", an all-time great and shows it's an evolved humanity from the future being seen as evil monster aliens in a bizarre twist!) or the season opener ("Condemned of Space") - overlook a couple plot issues and it's still surprisingly excellent.
Collision of Planets being another foray into anti-counterculture shenanigans (bikers, this time) but, like most LiS the commentary and satire are a bit broad and played fast and loose, combined with the threat of annihilation. It's still an entertaining romp, despite occasionally (thought intentionally?) bad sound effects...
...and it's also making me wonder if Johnathan Harris didn't turn to camp it up in season 1 if the show would have survived at all - I prefer serious science fiction with rare (if any) moments of humor woven into the story and that's why TOS is so great - it takes its themes seriously, is aimed at older and more intellectually diverse audiences, and knows where to place its humor most of the time - but LiS still has a unique charm that most kid shows don't have, much less remain watchable as an adult regardless if one had seen it as a kid or not.
The Anti-Matter Man and Time Merchant both being a couple of greats (given the show's production and primary target audience, for 1967 standards). The latter's gold moment is when it's revealed that if Smith wasn't there they all would have died and I recall there was another season 3 story that has Smith's antics being quite the saving grace. Anti-Matter Man still has the typical loose scripting but it focused on the main two baddies. While we see an evil universe Robot, what they didn't do - oddly - is an evil universe Smith. THAT woulds have been platinum.
The Great Vegetable Rebellion - it's the old trope about plantlife being sentient, and they hold nothing back in the camp department. And the occasional double entendre. It has to be seen to be believed.
Season 1 has dated the most despite being the most serious. The b&w film helpes cultivate a sense of horror and claustrophobia, but to me season 3 is always going to be the best.
Season 2 just doesn't hold up because it seemed to be trying to outdo Batman and nothing else, for me anyway. I remember reading some plot synopses, then watching and in sheer disbelief noticed how kiddie and silly it was. Not even in good ways.
But the show still is fast and loose with details, and it is more for young kids than older ones if not entire families.
Will Robinson: The Wesley Crusher of the 1960s, but was not a latch key kid like Wesley. And thankfully only Dr Smith was the dingaling, they didn't have to dumb down the entire family in every episode. So there's that silver lining...
The show's acting was pretty good all around. Even with some of the lamest material - again, the blu-ray commentaries have some absolute gold... I think it's the casting choices that helped this show stand the test of time as the cast do feel like family on screen. I will never understand or underestimate the importance of onscreen chemistry between actors.
The show is no intellectual masterpiece as it's target audience is of young kids (6 year olds circa the early-1960s) as most sci-fi was seen as kiddie monster fluff and it shows, and the show even proved to me that low budgets sometimes end up doing more harm to the story when you can recognize set props being reused for not the 3rd time by the 30th, even using the filming model of the Jupiter II as a prop in some episodes (never break the rule of misusing something so iconic!), and it preferred aiming itself at young kids and keeping secondary at best whole families or even older children as it's way too saccharine and pedantic over character roles and functions...
...which also led to unintentional grim jokes like "old guy takes kid out for walk in strange area"...
...And then again, early TOS is definitely not for the kiddies as many of the time heralded Trek as being adult sci-fi.
Nor did it help when very special episodes with moral themes, like "The Promised Planet" (season 3), are so hamfistedly made that either showing what's wrong and why, or even character motivations (such as the part where the kids whine about not growing old and wanting to shave as why they need normal kids to extract all their blood to create a cure from simply has to be seen to be believed, ditto for the hideous wig Dr Smith gets to wear that's supposed to be a dig at "Star Trek" despite it being the completely wrong style, unless that was the intent)... seriously, watch it then watch it with the commentary track (blu-ray) turned on. And, most importantly, why weren't Penny's go-go dancers male since there were male dancers in the indoctrination scenes and this show was not going to tackle anything outside of "nuclear family" being legitimized... actually, aimed at an older audience and writing tightened, it taking the trope of cult indoctrination with a grizzle twist revelation at the end could have been eminently effective. But it's just another typical episode, adored by fans because it's a (loose) allegory to the hippie movement (mostly in style only, if the episode was lampooning hippies it could have been more structured. It's like the author of the story was channeling his reactions to the counterculture than showing the counter culture and letting the characters do the reflecting. John easily could have done more to convey the desire of the kids to grow up in a way other than the backhanded dialogue of the kid saying "I just want to shave!" - which is far funnier than anything in the infamous carrot episode. )
Season 3 definitely felt like a step in the right direction, right down to revamped theme tune to revitalize the show, and has aged well because it has enough seriousness despite the camp and there are a number of action-packed episodes that take their proceedings seriously and keep humor well-placed, such as the time travel episode where they end up on 1947 Earth ("Visit to a Hostile Planet", an all-time great and shows it's an evolved humanity from the future being seen as evil monster aliens in a bizarre twist!) or the season opener ("Condemned of Space") - overlook a couple plot issues and it's still surprisingly excellent.
Collision of Planets being another foray into anti-counterculture shenanigans (bikers, this time) but, like most LiS the commentary and satire are a bit broad and played fast and loose, combined with the threat of annihilation. It's still an entertaining romp, despite occasionally (thought intentionally?) bad sound effects...
...and it's also making me wonder if Johnathan Harris didn't turn to camp it up in season 1 if the show would have survived at all - I prefer serious science fiction with rare (if any) moments of humor woven into the story and that's why TOS is so great - it takes its themes seriously, is aimed at older and more intellectually diverse audiences, and knows where to place its humor most of the time - but LiS still has a unique charm that most kid shows don't have, much less remain watchable as an adult regardless if one had seen it as a kid or not.
The Anti-Matter Man and Time Merchant both being a couple of greats (given the show's production and primary target audience, for 1967 standards). The latter's gold moment is when it's revealed that if Smith wasn't there they all would have died and I recall there was another season 3 story that has Smith's antics being quite the saving grace. Anti-Matter Man still has the typical loose scripting but it focused on the main two baddies. While we see an evil universe Robot, what they didn't do - oddly - is an evil universe Smith. THAT woulds have been platinum.
The Great Vegetable Rebellion - it's the old trope about plantlife being sentient, and they hold nothing back in the camp department. And the occasional double entendre. It has to be seen to be believed.
Season 1 has dated the most despite being the most serious. The b&w film helpes cultivate a sense of horror and claustrophobia, but to me season 3 is always going to be the best.
Season 2 just doesn't hold up because it seemed to be trying to outdo Batman and nothing else, for me anyway. I remember reading some plot synopses, then watching and in sheer disbelief noticed how kiddie and silly it was. Not even in good ways.
But the show still is fast and loose with details, and it is more for young kids than older ones if not entire families.
Will Robinson: The Wesley Crusher of the 1960s, but was not a latch key kid like Wesley. And thankfully only Dr Smith was the dingaling, they didn't have to dumb down the entire family in every episode. So there's that silver lining...
, I first saw it as a young boy only in reruns on a local UHF TV station.
