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This is the most misunderstood and underrated sci fi classic IMO.
Lost in Space ran for just 3 seasons. It started out as a serious sci fi series, about a family, a robot, and a stowaway villain named Dr Smith who become well lost in space.
The first season had a lot of really good solid adventure episodes, and Dr Smith was originally a bit of an Avon, the ruthless, yet craftier villain who sometimes saved them, but as time went on the show became a lot more comical and fantasy than sci fi.
It began to revolve entirely around Smith who became a total moron, and a coward, the Robot who became a sarcastic bastard and Will Robinson (who despite being 9 was the actual hero LOL.)
Whilst the first season was enjoyable, it really found it's identity when it became a comedy. (Series 3 for me is the best.)
Lost in Space was the first proper sci fi comedy on tv, long before Hitchhikers. It was a massive influence on both Red Dwarf and Futurama.
That isn't just my analysis. The creators of both have admitted this, and really when you watch Red Dwarf you can see Lost in Space's finger prints all over it.
Both shows are about a group of people who are, well lost in space, both have a cowardly, self serving, incompetent, yet ego centric smeg head among the crew, who is paradoxically obsessed with the military despite being a coward.
The coward in both instances is assisted by a Robot, who is everything he isn't, brave, honourable, well liked by the crew LOL. Yet he often has to take dog's abuse from Smith/Rimmer because he is a robot an outranked.
Still now and again they both get in good insults against Rimmer/Smith.
Some episodes are even similar. There is one episode of LIS were Doctor Smith is put on trial by aliens, and the only way to get him out of it, is to say he is incompetent, which the egocentric Smith can't stand.
Another sees Smith create a whole race of clones from himself who turn on him as they are all clones of a cowardly backstabber.
Another even sees a nice duplicate of Doctor Smith show up, who everybody prefers, but who Smith can't stand because he is too nice!
Futurama meanwhile, the look of the robots was inspired by LIS, whilst the relationship between Fry and Bender was inspired by Fry and the Robot. The Robot is just as much a precursor to Bender as he is Kryten. Like Bender he gets drunk, oggles fembots, crossdresses (even changes sex in one episode) get's involved in Robot wrestling LOL.
It's just such a shame it isn't more fondly remembered. In fact the consensus is often "if only it hadn't descended into farce" UGH that was the very thing that made it so influential and unique!
Here's hoping it get's rediscovered and reevaluated sometime soon.
Lost in Space ran for just 3 seasons. It started out as a serious sci fi series, about a family, a robot, and a stowaway villain named Dr Smith who become well lost in space.
The first season had a lot of really good solid adventure episodes, and Dr Smith was originally a bit of an Avon, the ruthless, yet craftier villain who sometimes saved them, but as time went on the show became a lot more comical and fantasy than sci fi.
It began to revolve entirely around Smith who became a total moron, and a coward, the Robot who became a sarcastic bastard and Will Robinson (who despite being 9 was the actual hero LOL.)
Whilst the first season was enjoyable, it really found it's identity when it became a comedy. (Series 3 for me is the best.)
Lost in Space was the first proper sci fi comedy on tv, long before Hitchhikers. It was a massive influence on both Red Dwarf and Futurama.
That isn't just my analysis. The creators of both have admitted this, and really when you watch Red Dwarf you can see Lost in Space's finger prints all over it.
Both shows are about a group of people who are, well lost in space, both have a cowardly, self serving, incompetent, yet ego centric smeg head among the crew, who is paradoxically obsessed with the military despite being a coward.
The coward in both instances is assisted by a Robot, who is everything he isn't, brave, honourable, well liked by the crew LOL. Yet he often has to take dog's abuse from Smith/Rimmer because he is a robot an outranked.
Still now and again they both get in good insults against Rimmer/Smith.
Some episodes are even similar. There is one episode of LIS were Doctor Smith is put on trial by aliens, and the only way to get him out of it, is to say he is incompetent, which the egocentric Smith can't stand.
Another sees Smith create a whole race of clones from himself who turn on him as they are all clones of a cowardly backstabber.
Another even sees a nice duplicate of Doctor Smith show up, who everybody prefers, but who Smith can't stand because he is too nice!
Futurama meanwhile, the look of the robots was inspired by LIS, whilst the relationship between Fry and Bender was inspired by Fry and the Robot. The Robot is just as much a precursor to Bender as he is Kryten. Like Bender he gets drunk, oggles fembots, crossdresses (even changes sex in one episode) get's involved in Robot wrestling LOL.
It's just such a shame it isn't more fondly remembered. In fact the consensus is often "if only it hadn't descended into farce" UGH that was the very thing that made it so influential and unique!
Here's hoping it get's rediscovered and reevaluated sometime soon.