Man from Atlantis | |
---|---|
Created by | Mayo Simon & Herbert F. Solow |
Written by | Mayo Simon (pilot) |
Directed by | Lee H. Katzin (pilot) |
Starring |
Patrick Duffy Belinda Montgomery Alan Fudge Victor Buono |
Country of origin | USA |
No. of episodes | 13, plus four television films (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Herbert F. Solow |
Running time | 42–44 minutes per episode |
Production company(s) | Solow Production Company |
Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 22, 1977 – June 6, 1978 |
Man from Atlantis is an American science fiction television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–1978 season, following four television films that had aired earlier in 1977. Ratings success by these movies led to the commissioning of a weekly series for the 1977–1978 season.
The series stars Patrick Duffy 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 an underwater butterfly stroke or dolphin kick. 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 supporting cast includes Belinda J. Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill (who had nursed Mark Harris back to health) and Alan Fudge as C. W. Crawford, Jr., both of the Foundation for Oceanic Research. Victor Buono played the villainous Mr. Schubert in the pilot and several episodes of the series. Kenneth Tigar appeared in the second, third, and fourth movies as Dr. Miller Simon, M.D., also of the Foundation for Oceanic Research. The series added an ensemble cast as "The Crew of the Cetacean", consisting of Richard Laurance Williams, J. Victor Lopez, Jean Marie Hon (who had also been seen in Ark II), and Anson Downes. On the 12th episode, a new female lead character replaced Elizabeth Merrill, Dr. Jenny Reynolds, played by actress Lisa Blake Richards. The last episode did not feature any female lead character.