Fantasy Island (1998 TV series)
| Fantasy Island | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Bob Josephon |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Sonnefeld Josephon Worldwide Entertainment Columbia TriStar Television |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 26, 1998 – January 24, 1999 |
Fantasy Island is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1998–99 television season. It was a revival of the original Fantasy Island television series, though starring Malcolm McDowell as Mr. Roark rather than Ricardo Montalbán. It was created by Bob Josephon.
In 1998, ABC revived the series in a Saturday time slot. The role of Mr. Roarke was played by Malcolm McDowell and, in contrast to the first series, the supernatural aspect of his character and of Fantasy Island itself was emphasized from the start, along with a dose of dark humor. Director Barry Sonnenfeld, known for his work on The Addams Family movies, was a chief creative force on the new series. Another difference was that the new series was filmed in Hawaii instead of California. The remake followed the fantasies of at least two of Roarke's guests with an additional subplot involving members of his staff – usually Cal and Harry. Whereas the original series featured a separate writer and title for each subplot, the new series was written as several stories but featuring a unified theme and title.
The supporting cast was also expanded for the new series. There was no attempt to reinstate Tattoo, with Roarke instead having a team of assistants – one of whom was a beautiful female shape shifter named Ariel – who were assigned to help create and maintain the various fantasy worlds created on the island. Apparently these assistants were imprisoned on the island in order to pay off some debt (or earn a second chance at life), sometimes hinting that they were in some kind of Limbo, with many parallels between the regulars and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. It was strongly hinted that the island itself was the source of Roarke's mysterious powers as his assistants have been shown wielding its magic with varying degrees of success. Miranda, Roarke's adopted daughter, was human but grew up on the island with similar powers as well. The series was canceled midway through the season with the remaining episodes airing on the Sci Fi Channel. This version also aired on UPN.
...
Wikipedia