A Look Back at 'MAN FROM ATLANTIS' - 1977-78

Many people first remember when Patrick Duffy from DALLAS. What most may have forgotten was why Duffy starred in a drama before DALLAS in a sci-fi adventure series called MAN FROM ATLANTIS, on NBC.

The series actually started a year earlier as NBC ordered four TV movies/pilots, which aired between March and June of 1977. The movies did well in the ratings, and NBC ordered it to series. They were hopping for the next big hit. What NBC received was another bomb, which was very common for NBC in the 70's.

THE PLOT:
Patrick Duffy starred as an amnesiac man given the name of Mark Harris, believed to be the only surviving citizen of the lost civilization of Atlantis. He possesses exceptional abilities, including the ability to breathe underwater and withstand extreme depth pressures, and superhuman strength. His hands and feet are webbed, his eyes are unusually sensitive to light, and he swims using his arms and legs in a fashion suggestive of how a fish or marine mammal uses its flippers. Following his discovery, he is recruited by the Foundation for Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that conducts top secret research and explores the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the Cetacean.

The series premiered on Thursday, September 22, 1977 at 9:00 p.m. The first nine episodes aired in the fall of 1977. Kids loved the show, but adults were not buying the into it. After the initial nine episodes, the series was pull because of low ratings and, I would presume, higher production costs. The series reappear on April 18, 1978 and the remaining four episodes we burned off over the course of the next 7 weeks.

It took a while for the jokes directed at Patrick Duffy and his choice of this project, but when DALLAS became a hit, those jokes quickly died out. For NBC, this was more jokesand another bad series that littered the network during the late 70's. For me, It is right up there with MANIMAL and SUPER TRAIN.