Buck Rogers Officially Ended After This Happened

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was an instant hit when it premiered in 1979, and the idea of an astronaut adapting to life in the future captured the imagination of viewers of all ages. But the hit NBC series went through a major off-season overhaul and wasn't renewed after its second season. Why did Buck Rogers change in season two? Why was the series canceled? And what are the cast members doing now?
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Buck Rogers Officially Ended After This Happened
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[@richardm3023]

Saying Erin Gray was beautiful is like saying that "the sun is warm". Total understatement.

[@quacksackerthegreatstarfir6996]

Gorgeous is more like it....

[@andrewkapplin1138]

Erin was the main reason I watched. Simply a goddess. She looked hot in those outfits.

[@graysonlaudat272]

She was beautiful

[@richardm3023]

@@graysonlaudat272 She still is, but my point is she was way more than beautiful.

[@johnorrells3797]

😊😊😊

[@jeremy1350]

Star Trek, Logan's Run, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, Space 1999. All the shows I loved as a kid growing up from the 1970's to today.

[@WanderingHead91367]

Scifi had definitely caught our attention, not as slick and developed as the current slew of series and movies illustrate. I think that those venerable scifi series was the next step of evolution. With numerous ties to westerns, martial arts, samurai, and fantasy movies, our thirst for heroes and heroines will always be there.

[@pauloportugal1396]

And most of them jumped the shark on their last season...

[@cindernubblebutt1340]

I too had all those disappointments in series that were cancelled too soon. Mostly watching what COULD have been good series had they been given a bit more up front time and stronger backing for at least two seasons. You hook them in with the first season with lots of action and adventure but with character exposition, once you know who they are, then you get to explore the character's stories and how they impact the broader themes of the show. Years later, I remember soothing the feelings of fans of Space: Above and Beyond when it was cancelled without a resolution to the cliffhanger Season 1 ended on. Now Paramount is doing it AGAIN with Star Trek Prodigy. Yeah, it was a Nickelodeon kids ST show, but it was the best Trek (besides Picard Season 3) in the last decade. So AGAIN, a SF show that I liked is unceremoniously cancelled because some suit has no vision beyond what it means to their wallet.

[@DocMicrowave]

Oh man, all most all the shows you named were my favorites. Big part of my childhood. All except the Logan's Run series. Loved the movie, couldn't get into the series after the first few episodes. Space 1999 was amazing. It's funny, when I was young I thought S2 was better than S1. As I got older it got reversed. I found S1 more interesting. Star Trek: TOS was always great. Battlestar Galactica (Not 1980) was also great. My other favorites were the 6 Million Dollar man, Bionic Woman, Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, The Avengers (60s), and UFO.

[@DocMicrowave]

@@cindernubblebutt1340 You can add to that list of show's not given a proper chance and support, Firefly. And now they are talking about bringing it back. Obviously for a money grab, as any return would be a big fail as they try to reimangined it for "modern audiences".

[@blaqdaze]

My greatest memory about this show was watching it with my dad. Later in life I got him the DVD set and we watched it together before he passed away.

[@perfectsplit5515]

I loved watching it in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel back in college.

[@restlessbohemian26]

I feel that too blaqdaze - your story touches my heart.

[@b.2221]

God bless your late father Sir.

[@steveparish4209]

Me too, 100% exactly. My dad passed about 8 weeks ago and this show was one of the hallmarks of my childhood. I still have the DVDs and watch them frequently as I lay in bed at night. Good for the soul . . .

[@iamjackscompletelackofsurp9606]

I wish I got along with my father like you did with yours. May your old man rest in peace

[@karlkammer3050]

Space Vampire is my all time favorite episode. It scared the crap out of 10 year old me back in the day!

[@bookemdano7567]

Me too!! To this day that vampire still gives me the creeps!!

[@evalramman7502]

Same.

[@vaughnlewis1953]

Vorvon the Space vampire classic 👍🏼

[@xerxes666]

Mee too😂😅😅

[@JediMasterLucia]

That vampire was indeed creepy.

[@bkseitz]

Erin's character softened! That's an understatement. They destroyed the character. They made her into an Ice Cream Lady and remove the chemistry between Gil's and Wilma which was one of the major interest points.

[@gmansi]

Yes, yes and yes. I have read in many places that Gil was jealous of Erin's prominence

[@DocMicrowave]

Yeah, what they did to Wilma's character was a crime in the second season. I believe I read somewhere that the show runners wanted to completely dump Wilma for the second season. That Gil actually fought to keep Erin on the show. The only way they would allow it was if they significantly toned Wilma down. Essentially turning her into Little more than a stewardess. And yeah, the chemistry between Wilma and Gil was basically nullified.

[@gmansi]

@@DocMicrowave Good information. Lately I have read the same thing you say. Good for Gil

[@cbond1c113]

Both Erin Gray and the actress who played Princess Ardala guaranteed that I would be watching every episode. They were breathlessly sexy, and I couldn't get enough of either of them. Also Gil Gerard was perfectly cast as Buck Rogers and exuded the same likeable all American hero personae of Lee Majors. The entire show was just like one giant mirror covered disco ball.

[@perfectsplit5515]

Princess Ardala was a very unique and complex villain, because she wanted to marry the protagonist???!!! I guess she was the sci-fi version of Catwoman.

[@casinodelonge]

Amen to that.

[@gbonkers666]

Pamela Hensley

[@cbond1c113]

How foolish of me. Oh, course I should've referred to the actress Pamela Hensley by name, as I know it too well from the dreams of my youth. Even now the very sultriness of her has a profound effect upon me.@@gbonkers666

[@barryelverson9486]

Loved watching her dance, so damn sexy.

[@dawntrottman1421]

This show I couldn't miss, right alongside Battlestar Galactica. The ORIGINAL Battlestar Galactica. I wasn't yet a teen when the first season aired.

[@quacksackerthegreatstarfir6996]

I was kind of hoping the Searcher would run into the Galactica and both shows could finish the together.

[@larrygrebler5054]

Interesting idea.

[@crazysquirrel9425]

2nd battlestar galactica was more like a soap opera than a scifi show.

[@DocMicrowave]

@@crazysquirrel9425 Battlestar Galactica 1980 was terrible. And this is coming from me a as a kid back then that ate up everything SciFi on TV. It was boring and preachy. A mere shell of the original show. Same thing with Buck Roger's season 2. Always look forward to S1 reruns. Tuned out when S2 was played.

[@jerryc5743]

Maren Jensen (Athena) was hot

[@cognitivedissidents4642]

I always liked the opening sequence. And Erin Gray in those catsuits.

[@BenSkyLakewood]

Today she's an old woman in her 70s 😅

[@firvulag]

@@BenSkyLakewood LOL no sh!t sherlock!!

[@Steve_Green]

@@BenSkyLakewood I dare say you’ll be the same some day.

[@james_tiberius_kirk73]

Certainly a great time to be alive. We'll never see the likes of shows like this again.

[@dmsturgeon8762]

The 2nd season changed from something unique to a cross between star trek and battlestar galactica. The introduction of the annoying robot crichton, the almost nonexistent wilma dearing, the replacement of dr. huer with the incompetent ship captain were huge obstacles to overcome. The irony is that some of the changes were pretty good, the stories in the 2nd season were actually better and less campy and the introduction of hawk wasn't horrible, however the absence of princess ardalla and the draconian empire was one of the biggest mistakes.

[@jaquigreenlees]

The biggest mistake was the actual change-over to the different setting, the jump was not very well done to set up the changed setting. I think the first 5 or 6 episodes should have been used to start the journey, the next 5 or 6 to get the basic cast in place from those added in season 2 then finish with the season and season 3 would have been the start of the new setting with no sudden jump. When this was first aired I was lost as to why Buck was suddenly on this ship / journey with all these new people and was wondering why and how it happened. 1 regular episode did not set up the new system well enough so it guaranteed that season 2 would be the last season.

[@MrScottx]

@@jaquigreenlees thats not how television was at that time.

[@jaquigreenlees]

@@MrScottx I know, they would have had a 22 or 28 episode season. The point of about 5 minutes screen time to set up the shift is nowhere near enough is still valid.

[@DocMicrowave]

I agree, some of the stories weren't terrible in S2. They just weren't executed well imo. And Gil Gerod (excuse if misspelled) seemed tired in his role as Buck. Which add to the lack luster S2 Everything else you mentioned is on point. Turning Wilma into a stewardess was a crime. They were definitely trying to copy Star Trek. I always tuned out when the S2 reruns started playing. The Only episode in S2 I liked and could rewatch was the first episode in S2 with Hawk's introduction. After that.....

[@DocMicrowave]

@@jaquigreenlees Even as a kid who ate up anything Scifi on TV, S2 just lost me. It was a big disappointment. I was excited see and could always rewatch S1 in reruns when it came on. But tuned out when they went into S2. The only episode I thought was ok and could rewatch was S2 episode 1. The complete change up of Buck Roger's S2 reminds me of the S2 change up in another scifi show I really love, Space 1999. There they also changed up some sets, dropped long running characters, brought in new ones with no explanation. And the general theme of the show shifted from a more psychological and philosophical, thought provoking episodes, to high action, faster paced, less thought provoking fair. This change up was jarring, but no where near as bad as Buck Roger's S2. (Same with Battlestar 1980 which might have been even worse.) I actually liked S2 of 1999 as a kid a little better than S1. As I got older, I got to appreciating S1 more than S2. But S2 or Buck and BSG 1980 will always be terrible in my book.

[@perfectsplit5515]

Did anyone else feel in great distress when Hawk's mate got mortally wounded by the talons of his ship? After all, they were the last of their kind. Her death would mean extinction.

[@justblamedave]

I loved the character Hawk and was hoping he’d find more of his kind. Yes, the talon scene was very sad. But that ship though! Awesome! Folding the wings to go into the cave!😮❤

[@perfectsplit5515]

@@justblamedave Yikes, I forgot about those retracting wings!

[@Flint_Westwood]

I used to watch this and other classic sci-fi as a kid. Never missed an episode. I recently recovered several boxes of old toys from my parents attic to hand to my kids. Amongst the them was a Corgi Buck Rogers Starfighter. As soon as I saw it, it took me back to my 10 year old self. Happy memories.

[@danjo1967]

i always wondered as a kid why my father loved this show... as an adult, i understand :)

[@charlenevarada--Stargazer]

I've ALWAYS loved this show! Wish they would have had a sequel to it!

[@abelgarcia5432]

They tried, but lawsuits doomed it.

[@perfectsplit5515]

It was the leader of the sci-fi genre before Star Trek: The Next Generation hit the scene.

[@abdulmismail]

I absolutely loved the first season. Erin Gray's "Wilma" was the first female characted that I remembered to be an incredibly strong woman (and I was only 10 years old at the time). I was disappointed with the second season because of Erin's diminished role but it was still a superb show. I actually preferred "Buck Rodgers" to "Battlestar Galactica".

[@bryanbaas9629]

I won't say it's my favorite episode, but when I remember watching Buck Rogers at a family friend's house and I was totally into it. Buck was on a planet trying to save a mother and her son from a minotaur. Just as Buck was starting to transform into a minotaur himself, my parents said, "Come on, it's time to go." For 25 years, that episode sat in my brain. How did Buck change back? I needed to know, but back then, there was no way. Years later I found the episode and downloaded it on Limewire. I sat to watch it and as soon as Buck started to transform into the Minotaur, my phone rang, and my roommate had gotten into a wreck and had to have his car towed so once again at the same place I had to leave and rescue him. I have now seen it so it doesn't live in my brain like it did but that episode is the first one I will think of when Buck Rogers is mentioned.

[@HisEntropicHighness]

Really? You typed all that but you're not gonna share with us how he changed back from a Minotaur?

[@christopherratto9882]

Actually, he was transforming into a satyr. Being a huge Greek mythology fan, this was easily my favorite episode from Season 2.

[@sskoog]

It was a satyr. The episode is a metaphor for drinking and domestic violence - apparently Gil Gerard and at least one of the writers had tragic childhood upbringings, and drew from their personal experiences for the script.

[@johnnydodger9426]

According to another documentary, that episode was a symbolic story about an abusive alcoholic father. Mother protecting child from violent 'creature' changing back and forth ...

[@jerrywalls3402]

I remember watching this show as a kid, and loving every minute of it. I've been a sci-fi geek for as long as I can remember. Season 2 seemed more like Star Trek, instead of a man displaced in time and using his skills to beat bad guys in the future.

[@davidlafleche1142]

The writing was terrible.

[@CaptainRC1]

And that's why it failed. If they had stuck to the original premise, it would have lasted longer.

[@DocMicrowave]

Loved Buck Roger's as a kid. Could still enjoy it today. But even as a kid who ate up everything scifi on TV, S2 was just terrible to me. Tuned out everything it came up in reruns. I could always rewatch S1. The only episode in S2 I thought was ok was Epsiode 1, with Hawk's introduction. After they essentially turned into Hawk into Spock to Buck's Kirk, not to mention turning Wilma into a stewardess, as well as flipping the entire theme of the show, I was done. I did watch all of S2 at first airing to see where it would go. Never again after that.

[@davidlafleche1142]

@@DocMicrowave Buck Rogers was so bad, the stories wouldn't even be good enough for Lost in Space. Both shows were good ideas, but desperately needed better scripts.

[@DocMicrowave]

@@davidlafleche1142 Buck Rogers was ok for the time. It was campy. Didn't take itself too seriously and it was just entertaining. The writing was never award winning. But it carried the show, along with a generous helping of T&A indulgences which seemed to appeal to a wide audience. The show offered something for the kids, as well as mom and dad. Second season is where the writers forgot what entertained viewers in the first place. And the show tried to take on a more serious note. Become more mature. But that was not the time for it. It was never going to last as a whole, but that second season killed it way before its time. It could have gone as far as 3 seasons. I can appreciate the show for what it was. I live action adaptation of an old comic and serial adventure show. Just like Batman, just like lost in space.

[@larryjex6485]

I couldn't agree more! Season 1 was very entertaining even though it wasn't one of the landmark shows of the '70s by a long shot. 1979 was the year that Sigourney Weaver showed us just how bad ass a female lead could be in a sci-fi movie and I think that Erin's character reflected that. Unfortunately, season 2 was a train wreck that just couldn't be put back on the rails and a premature end to what could have something great.

[@cybercat29]

I second that. The saying " Don't fix what is not broken. " certainly applied for that TV show.

[@perfectsplit5515]

We were all disappointed by Season 2. No more Dr. Huer, Princess Ardala, or the Earth Defense Directorate. Terrible demises.

[@ronalddelrosario7405]

Hehe, I started watching this show when I was a kid (early teens) and I loved it. Erin Grey made me feel kinda funny!

[@reginaldwhite554]

Loved Buck Rogers didn’t miss an episode

[@kennythecomiccollector]

Just hearing that theme song makes me want to turn on the big screen and binge watch some episodes! I really enjoyed this show, especially Season 1. My other favorite sci-fi series to watch were Star Trek TOS, Battlestar Galactica and V! 👍🏾😀

[@lamarravery4094]

My favorite episode was the 2 parter, plot to kill a city. The one where Buck infiltrates the group of intergalactic assasins who want to incinerate New Chicago. But I loved mostly all of the episodes even from season two. I wish that series would've lasted longer.

[@jaxxbohol6475]

When Buck Rogers tried to be Star Trek, that was the final nail in the coffin.

[@marciclark8266]

I loved this show, I was 14. But as a kid I ALWAYS wanted them to bring back "The Night Stalker". I loved Darren McGavin

[@luisferreira2787]

Yes, they should remake "The Night Stalker" with updated Paranormal stories and special effects. Can you imagine David Ducovny as Karl Kolchack?

[@marciclark8266]

@@luisferreira2787 perfect! I was trying to imagine who could do Darren McGavin justice. I was like 8 when it was on and totally addicted to mystery books 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators'

[@fractalelf7760]

Absolutely one of the best “sci-fi” series of the 70’s, the fact a remake in some form hasn’t occurred is amazing. Better they don’t probably…

[@robertcoggeshall3071]

They did an updated version back in 2005. No one can top mcgavin as Kolchak. Perfect casting.

[@mirekbns]

Princess Ardala was the best! The first few episodes in the first season really made it a hit.

[@Kundalini12]

Erin Gray as Captain Janeway… that would’ve been much better than what we ended up with.

[@scottbennett6357]

Don't knock Kate Mulgrew.

[@Kundalini12]

@@scottbennett6357 lol, she’s awful.

[@lonebikeroftheapocalypse9527]

I couldn't even watch voyager. It was horrible.

[@firvulag]

@@Kundalini12 Yeah I would have actually watched "Voyager" if it had been Erin Gray.

[@JohnFourtyTwo]

Agreed 💯👍 I couldn’t stand Kate Mulgrew. I would’ve preferred the Canadian actress they originally hired who quit after one day instead of Kate.

[@noelhernandez363]

I loved this show as a kid, mainly because of Erin Grey!! 😂

[@RTS907]

I loved the first season of Buck Rogers, just as I loved the first season of Battlestar Galactica. Then the network wanted changes….

[@lamarravery4094]

Network wanted to save some money and it showed. That's what killed the show.

[@evertonporter7887]

​@@lamarravery4094Network interference killed a lot of those shows.

[@crankyoldperson6871]

@@evertonporter7887Battle Star was also very expensive to make. The cylons costumes were falling apart, and Jane Seymour’s departure from the show devastated the rest of the cast. Another show that could have run for many more seasons but was lost. It was such a big hit, I couldn’t understand why the studios wouldn’t invest in saving it.

[@jacobbrown1690]

Suits ruin most shows. They think they know better than the creative people. They are nothing more than glorified salesmen.

[@seeyouatthemovies2561]

Love this vid, esp. the many (rare) information from behind the scenes! WoW, never heard that Erin Gray was considered for Captain Janeway. That could have been awesome... Would love to see such a vid about the classic Battlestar Galactica too! My favorite episode was "Space Vampire" but over all the movie is by far the best part of "Buck Rogers in the 25. century".

[@doc-vg9lq]

the janeway they chose was really good tho. i loved wilma but i think they made the right decision.

[@Scorchy666]

I lost all interest after season 2 when I learned Ardala was gone. Also, the show was a modest success. NBC was doing so badly in the ratings at the time and one of the few shows that wasn't a total failure. It's also possible some of the season 2 changes were from foolish network executives. It happened quite often back then.

[@arinallen]

Buck Rogers was a great show! I can't believe there were only two seasons. I got so much out of that. To this day, Buck Rogers stands as a quintessential sci fi series. Disco Buck Rogers will endure for the ages.

[@stefannafets7828]

Buck Roger`s Thunderfighter. Rest in Peace, Ralph McQuarrie & thank you for all your funtastic words. I bow my head.

[@ciphernine7824]

There was a two-part story called "Flight of the War Witch," that aired in March of 1980, which introduces a powerful new villain that forces the Earth Defense Directorate and the Draconian Empire to join forces. The resolution of this story paints the series into a corner, as a major plot thread of the first season is effectively eliminated. The only saving grace of season 2 is the two-part opener that introduces Thom Christopher as Hawk.

[@alucard624]

As far as I'm concerned that episode was the series finale in many ways. Season 2 can suck it.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

I hated annoying hawk Loved Erin grey in that tight spandex

[@garyhuck4519]

The announcer missed a show that Erin Gray has been seen in. A fan based series of "Star Trek Continues" she plays an admiral. I liked Buck Rogers mainly because of Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley.

[@Cliff_Dixon_42]

Grew up watching the show, from when it first aired to syndicated reruns. And then enjoyed it as an adult when the DVDs hit! I don't know if I have a "favorite" villain, but to this day the Vorvon STILL scares the @^*% out of me!

[@stevoplex]

The 1978 Britsh TV show "UFO " totally blew my goggles off!

[@paulleckner8235]

Yeah. Three Earth spaceships taking on one alien spaceship. We need to build a space station / colony on the moon!

[@gbhxu]

UFO actually came out in 1970. You were watching a re-run in 1978

[@Zardvark]

The actor at 3:02 is Robert Dowdell. Not Roddy McDowall.

[@Thenogomogo-zo3un]

Yeah, whats up with these people

[@fredlandry6170]

I loved this show when I was 10!

[@jamesmd]

YES, loved this show on saturday mornings off from school, it was great, fresh and new in a kids eyes, new worlds, always loved that.

[@raymond.9497]

Loved this taking me back great content

[@timfankell4242]

Glen A. Larson was really only involved with the theatrical film. When the actual series went into production, the reins were turned over to Bruce Landsbury, who made Buck a kind of secret agent working for the Earth Defence Directorate. Gil Gerard drove Landsbury and his writers crazy wth his demands, which is why Landsbury and company departed after the first season and were replaced by David Mattingly for the show's woeful second season.

[@padawanmage71]

I remember seeing the movie as a double feature that had Star Trek: The Motion Picture as the followup. I distinctly remember some differences between the movie and the pilot to which it was edited and transformed. I loved the first season and as a kid scratched my head at all the change in the second. Definitely the biggest was what they did to Erin Gray's character, which was just wrong. I have a friend who's in the Air Force and she mentions loving Wilma Deering while growing up.

[@teastrainer3604]

Not sure why they rebooted it and changed producers. Maybe it was low ratings.

[@davidmclellan2124]

I loved this show every Thursday on channel 6 on NBC,still can watch it now.

[@danmarquez3971]

I loved Erin Grey and got to meet her at Comic-Con. What!? She teaches at UCLA?! So cool!! I always knew she was special!

[@safiremorningstar]

I love that episode with the 43 old-timer / golden oldies specifically with the previous Buck Rogers from the cereals of the thirties the original Buck Rogers you could call him it was really fantastic. When you're the child of your parents old age and you get to see very old serials you know old the way they were back in the Heyday of movies and I was lucky because as a kid I actually got to see these things because I lived in a place that had once been military admin building and was now a school and so we got in the AV Department we have to use all their old projectors we learn to fix films because the films we have to fix were golden oldies to put it politely that some haven't seen the light of day as I understand it since they were sent to that admin building until they were duplicated and passed on to various military American Military places like you see in capital Mash. In fact some of the movies we got there that we found this place in the cellar of this building we're not just antiques they were rare find one was a Sherlock Holmes that I have never been able to find since one of the very early Sherlock Holmes where he and Watson we're in New York and we're helping Old Flame and nemesis Irene Adler it is the only movie and look at the very end Holmes admits that the child they had rescued the boy who is the son of Irene Adler is in fact his. Since I was in charge of the film and have to play it several times for several different kids during the summer it has stayed very much in my brain now it could be that the reason it's such a rare print in the first place is they had a habit if something got past the censors and some of the films as we soon found out had what could only be called at the time and non PG rating none of which after we viewed it and the first ones to be with us a v personnel and we were a bunch of well not yet teenagers they was me they was the head of the department was a teacher and there were two fellow students sitting in at the time and we should be soon learned that not everything had been properly censored when it had been made and somehow got passed into the military probably they have their own sensors cuz one of the movies actually unintentionally had what could only be called a visual malfunction when it was created and the only thing I remember of the that particular movie was the fact that a guy gets up he doesn't quite get up he moves in the bathtub enough that you see his private bits me and the teacher were the only ones who caught it because the others were distracted by a noise and my guess is it was the teacher who deliberately made the noise when she realized that something wasn't kosher about the film and I use the word kosher not because of the Jewish connotations that because it's let's put it this way I was asked to make sure that tiny little tidbit where his nether bit stick out was cut in such a way as to not lose and not that it had been cut and I was excellent at it I never asked the teacher I thought you had looked at Goldie's films before we're supposed to show them this privately to which the teacher replied well something's get past this Sensor 2. So for that movie and certain other ones to have gotten to where we found them and they were uncensored means that they were indeed very rare finds it's been almost more than 40 plus years I don't know what became of those films but I specially have no idea if that rare film with that small section where it's literally like two lines you'd miss it unless like me you'd heard it over and over and over again because you have to show this film over and over again as one of the things that were showing in the summer school / summer camp in which Sherlock Holmes says the kid is his he says and I quote he's going to spend some time with Irene and with the boy his son look up Watson's faces very memorable and like I said I can imagine but just like I have to swim off the bit with the unmentionables on a different film and you'd never know it after I trimmed it that there was ever that sensor malfunction you can imagine how if the Sherlock Holmes film that I just mentioned wasn't original cut and made it past the censors the bit where he mentions that the boy is his son would not have made it for long I have taken one or two showings for them to have cut it but what we had was the original uncut. So yeah it's one of my favorite episodes but only one.

[@sallykohorst8803]

I never saw that show but had heard of it and loved hearing about the cast.

[@philiphughes7481]

One of my favourite shows from the 1980s. Great memories.

[@cindyjohnston3134]

I loved watching buck rogers and I had a crush on buck...purrrr...I was young but i will always remember the show :) I still have an autograph that tweeky signed :)

[@martykarr7058]

The picture from the episode you listed as Roddy MacDowell was actually Irwin Allen alumnus Robert Dowdell from "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". Also in the same episode was Don Marshall, from Allen's "Land of the Giants" and the Star Trek episode "The Galileo 7".

[@mrdeeds72]

Space Vampire was my favourite. As a kid it was very dark and claustrophobic.

[@JoseGonzalez-pf4vx]

Same here ...that episode was something cool.

[@CassandrashadowcassMorrison]

The best moment from this show was when guest star Larry "Buster" Crabbe (the original live action Buck Rogers .yes, he also played Flash Goron in the1930s) says to Gil Gerard "Son I have been flying these since before you were born," And Gil (as Buck) says "I doubt that." 😁

[@GAFB1122]

Loved Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica. I've recently watched them again on Tubi and still enjoy them! They are a little campy but overall they stand the test of time. Probably because they are science fiction and are in another time or place.

[@mrg3218]

One of my favorite shows besides star trek, battle star Galactica and space 1999. Watching Willma as a kid always got my attention going. Lol

[@Buster_Piles]

As a teen I suffered a terrible accident watching her. I tripped running towards the TV to get a closer look and pole-vaulted through a window!

[@mrg3218]

@@Buster_Piles 😜

[@moriganna67ify]

😊❤ Buck Roger's was my favourite show and it had a huge impact on technology. I had the Coleco (aka Nintendo of America) computer called Adam. I mention this because the video game Buck Rodgers. It was like a 3D dream. 😂

[@towdjumper5]

Great stuff. Loved this.

[@user-bg4lh5tt9v]

Buck always has been one of my favorite tv shows and always will be.

[@larrystarstruck]

I really loved the first season. I will admit to Erin Gray being a celebrity crush. Lol what seems strange to me, the second season was more like Battlestar Galactica in premise. I never understood that change. It is amazing to think how Glen A Larson was a common denominator on both shows. The first season of Battlestar Galactica was cool. The Galactica 1980 spin off was filler for the sci fibtrash bin. Goes to show how poor writing had ruined 2 Scifi shows.

[@rashmaster8820]

Galactica 1980 was unwatchable, aside from the 1st episode that had a Starbuck flashback. I loved the original, and couldn't continue watching the lousy spinoff.

[@clarencesmith2305]

Another show to cover is SPACE 1999.

[@albertlamar5938]

Loved the movie and season one. I never understood why season two was so different until now. Thank you for the explanation. I was sorry to see it go. Did not know about Gil's health problems. Glad he made it through. Than you for memories.

[@Allen-eq5uf]

Don’t forget about the late Markie Post in 2 episodes. Absolutely Stunning!

[@chriscoleman6956]

I love Buck Rogers I have it on bvd and the one it like is season one it was good but season two went in a bad direction I wish it ended in a different way. That is what is watch as a kid in the 70s.

[@REEDRICHARDS2]

I LOVE that series! Chris Pratt would be the BEST Buck Rogers of today!

[@hilarioph]

I watched Buck Rogers when was aired on GMA 7 back in the 80s in the Philippines. But now was aired on PTV 4 back in 1990

[@leonidas2068]

What memories!! great series from my childhood, I enjoyed it a lot at the time...

[@GregArmstrong40]

You forgot Jamie lee Curtis was on an episode,unchained woman!

[@trhansen3244]

She was. Who would have thought she would go on to win an Oscar. I wouldn't. I still don't think she can act.

[@BenSkyLakewood]

And Markie Post

[@nastee10]

I don't care what anyone says, I loved the new format of the second season. The introduction of Hawk, the space vampire episode, the episode were Buck went undercover as a space bounty hunter. The murderous cyborg that hunted Buck after he escaped that space prison! loved that second season!

[@HarryTwoDogs]

Erin Gray's greatest TV performance was as leading lady in the telemovie "A Night in Byzantium." I fell in love with her when I was a teenager years before Buck Rogers was a thing on NBC.

[@johncook3817]

I loved this as a kid and I am surprised that there hasn't been a modern film produced by now!

[@TRANZEURO]

I was thinking more an updated reimagining like 'Battlestar Galactica'.

[@johncook3817]

@@TRANZEURO hi. That would definitely be worth a look!

[@marchelleharris4842]

I never followed the show. But once in a while when I saw the cute little robot it was nice. I too enjoyed hearing about the cast. Could you do a show about Quantum Leap? I enjoyed that show. It was very interesting.

[@CAMOMONKEY513]

I love this show!

[@mannyb.7829]

I remember have a Buck Rogers lunchbox ,and I loved it!!

[@richardmurdock574]

Huge fan of the show Time of the Hawk was one of my favorites Also testimony of a traitor

[@carlgarrett5142]

Interesting that these days Erin Gray talks so admiringly about what a strong woman Wilma Deering was. I remember reading an article in Starlog about the second season, where Gray said she originally decided to leave the show after the first season because she felt the character was too one-dimensional.

[@Booger414]

I remember reading that same interview. I was a little surprised not to hear that story in this video.

[@antonmassopust568]

I think my favorite episode is the second episode called planet of the slave women, which's a terrible title by writing McDowell Jack balance, and all these other villains was really great. And of course, the return of Buster crab who also played Flash Gordon. So that's the name they gave him? It has a lot of action and grain. I think the other one I could find with but is The Return of the fighting 54 for a group of old pilots?

[@Riceball01]

Buck Rogers S1 was a great show, definitely one of my favorites growing up. The '80s were definitely a great time to grow up in and be a kid, we had so many good shows back then. One thing, Buck Rogers kept on being lauded as ground breaking or ahead of its time in this video but not once did I recall it ever being mentioned why the DoYouRemember? felt that way. If you're going to call something ahead of its time or ground breaking there should be some, even if brief, mention of why you feel that way.

[@thomaswierson1137]

"Eat Lead - Sucker!" Best Twiki line and series line EVER - very cool show growing up.

[@michaelclark7447]

I enjoy the show but one problem I had was how often Wilma had to stay behind while Buck went on all the adventures.

[@Steve_Green]

That would be Admiral Efram ASIMOV, named for the sf author (as was, in a sense, Dr Goodfellow).

[@caronstout354]

The character was supposedly an descendant of the famous sci-fi author...

[@basilmcdonnell9807]

The Buck Rogers quips were sometimes way over the top and very funny. Like the time Buck is roughly handled by the Princess' enormous muscled guard, and Buck says, "they are easier to manage if you have them fixed."

[@johnbrobston1334]

For those who don't know the character, the guard was called "Tigerman", so the suggestion was that Ardala get her cat fixed. I liked Tigerman--he got better as the season went on.

[@ventarfield7115]

Dairy Queen in space was right at the beginning of puberty for me. Good stuff.

[@zsigzsag]

There was a short lived show that would have been better if it had a bit more solid story lines. I found it interesting... "7 days" (a.k.a. Seven Days). Good characters as well.

[@SoundJudgment]

'Seven Days' was considered 'Too Cerebral' during its time on the air in the early 2000s. A time-travel series that had physical limitations to deal with? Imagine that!

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

That was a decent show and well worth watching, given the crap made today. Mediocre 90s shows are gold compare to "current year"

[@thesuncollective1475]

I remember when it fell apart. All those daft changes. It was like when Miles Crane got married!

[@nancymorgan1420]

Nils

[@BenSkyLakewood]

Niles

[@maldaror7097]

I miss the days when a hero could look like a heroic trucker.

[@timber72]

Loved Buck Rogers. Was just a kid. Loved the theme song the most.

[@lablackzed]

A lot of sexy women were in that show but most women in the 70s and 80s were and not a tattoo in sight.

[@AntoineJenkins80sChild]

I loved this show! Definitely more enjoyable then Buster Crabbe's Buck Rogers. It was a fun short lived series that had cool costumes. The action figures were simple but cool as well.

[@arthurwarnock8516]

Great show! We watched it all the time.

[@GosWardHen98]

Although around 19 at the time, Star Wars never initially grabbed me back then, but it's part if my late teenage years as is the Buck Rogers series. It was something we watched on Saturday morning pictures, Buck Rogers as a school kid, in our cinema club every Saturdey. It became a bit camp in the 2nd, though it carried on where the TV series Star Trek ended. Erin & Gil were a great combination & the heavyweights of actors in the 1st show really did make pertinent at teatime. 1980s sci-fi, nothing like it today at all...

[@williammay5300]

How about Battlestar Galactica Classic 1978?

[@johnfish1194]

It was sooo bad looking back, but great when it was on.

[@EmpyrionBlackthorn]

Excellent. The space vampire episode was probably my favorite. I was six years old. This was my first favorite television show and Erin Gray was my first celebrity crush. I liked Hawk too.

[@vincemazo341]

Great show. I have the blu ray collection. I saw Erin at a Star Trek convention many years ago. She was so beautiful! I was too scared to talk to her, lol.

[@darkage5]

i would have to say the War Witch episode was my favorite. The Witch and Princess Ardala were both villains and you didn't really see women playing antagonists the way they did back in those days. So it was a very unique concept back then. Also there was something about the War Witch that really scared me. She was very diabolical. Julie Newmar owned that part.

[@inkarn8915]

I loved this show. Thanks for the info!

[@charlesgraham9954]

i was 10 in 1979 when this came out. i wondered what happened. 40+ years later i know. lol

[@waynevia6976]

The movie is my favorite episode the opening credits was awesome hearing the song and seeing the different woman during the opening credits was awesome..

[@Animeaddiction]

The main reason why Buck Rogers took a big nosedive during the second season was because the producers tried to shoehorn the aspects of Battlestar Galactica into the show. Searching for the missing tribes/colonies of humanity? That's basically the setting for Battlestar Galactica. Now I can understand changing and introducing new characters into a show, but it has to be done in the same setting. You saw several changes in the navigator of the Enterprise during Star Trek before settling on Chekov. Now I liked the introduction of Hawk. He's possibly the only thing I liked about the second season. However, he could have easily been introduced into the setting of the first season while still fighting Ardala and Kane. Like maybe investigating another planet during a mission against the Draconian Empire or something among those lines. As for my favorite episodes, they include Space Vampire, Las Vegas in Space, and Return of the Fighting 69th. Buck Rogers using an old M1919 Machine Gun, the bad guy saying that's a signaling device, Buck fires it off and asks, "Got the message?"

[@Laszlo34]

Most folks don't know, the pilot movie was shown _in theaters_ , _AND_ I got to see it there. :D Wow I feel old.

[@thabudmaster]

I've never re-watched it since it started but i have huge memories of the Space Vampire episode

[@nialwestwood]

Pamela Hensley- Princess Ardalla was the only highlight for me 😀