Lost in Space

I think that anybody familiar with "Lost in Space" can divide the series into three distinct styles. It's pretty easy, because each season was very different from the others. The familiar characters included the Robinson family (John, Maureen, Judy, Penny, and precocious Will), the testy, short-tempered space pilot (Major Don West, played by Mark Goddard), the sinister, cowardly stowaway (Dr. Smith, played to perfection by Jonathan Harris), and of course the ship's robot, played by diminutive actor Bob May. The entire group took off in their ship Jupiter 2, and promptly got…well, lost in space.

The first season (1965-66) was in B&W and was very dark and serious in tone. There were several very good guest stars (including Michael Rennie, Warren Oates, Kurt Russell, and others), decent special effects, and sober story lines. The first season also had a very subtle love affair between Judy (Marta Kristen) and Major West. Still, the first season, though well done, was pretty boring. How many times can Guy Williams fly around with that jet pack?

The second season (1966-67) was in color and was markedly lighter and sillier in tone. The infuriating thing about this season was that the Jupiter 2 seemed never to leave the ground! Many of the season's stories never really went anywhere, nor did they make much sense. There were lots of colorful characters and absurd situations, with a few standout episodes, including my all-time favorite "Trip Through the Robot".

The third season (1967-68) left all logic and coherence behind, emphasizing silly situations with Will (Billy Mumy) and Dr. Smith always in peril. This is my favorite season, since the stories are mostly so absurd that there's no way to take them seriously. The series' nadir was no doubt "The Great Vegetable Rebellion", in which a giant carrot terrorizes the giggling cast. However, this season also included "The Anti-Matter Man", which was imaginative, dark, and very disturbing at times.

With "Lost in Space", I suppose you either love it or hate it. I grew up with it, and I love it…but I can certainly understand why some people would just despise it for its silliness. As a child of the 1960s, I guess it simply makes me feel young again.

There are a lot of people who gripe about how the show set out to be dead serious and later became corrupted by the "camp craze" that started with the Batman show. But I like this series from beginning to end, with my only regret being that the show didn't get properly wrapped up at the end.

I like this show because you could see the love Will Robison felt for his father and unlike the dysfunctional television families of today, John Robison had great love for his son; and the bond between John and Maureen was also unshakable. This was a warm and caring family, and I liked that more then some of the silly plots.

That's not to say that I didn't like the plots: often they were silly and made me laugh-- probably when they were trying to be serious, and made more so by the limited budgets and special effects of the '60s. But if you made the same show today, using the most expensive CGI effects, the new show would not have the same warmth and charm, and it would die within a season. It's so sad that writers today don't know anything about what a family should be. Look at the recent movie; see how the producer's '90s view had a troubled Will Robinson, and a self-centered Penny, along with a soulless John Robinson who had all the charm of a brick.

I am glad that Lost In Space is on DVD as well as video and that people can see a great classic television show. So what, there were giant talking carrots! It was one of several funny episodes that I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world. There were some that stank, too, and I wouldn't miss those either. It was overall, a great series. And without Lost In Space, there would not have been a Star Trek. People forget that, too.

I give my respects to the late, great, Jonathan Harris. Doctor Smith, I'll miss you...

I'm glad to say that "Lost In Space" had a big influence on my childhood while growing up. Countless hours were spent "playing" Lost In Space in our basement. I barely, barely remember the first run except that the robot scared me, so I truly came in during the first syndication run. At age 42, I still enjoy all of Season One. The Magic Mirror, My Friend, Mr. Nobody, and Follow The Leader are all great examples of this show. It's unfortunate that the other two seasons went the way of Batman and became just plain silly and cartoonish. However the first season had action packed space adventure, a crash landing, jet packs, laser rifles, the chariot, scary monsters including the Cyclops and fantastic music by John Williams, (the best music ever created for TV in my opinion.) The Jupiter Two sets are still fantastic and believable today, including the fabulous creation of the Robot. The ensemble cast was excellent, and I for one wish that Smith had remained evil and menacing during the run of the show. It may not have been as intellectual as Star Trek but it was good, clean, scary fun!

The 1960s was a great decade for television, or so to me. 'The Addams Family', 'The Munsters', Doctor Who', 'My Favourite Martian', 'Batman', 'Star Trek', 'Bewitched', 'I Dream of Jeannie', 'Dark Shadows', 'I Love Lucy', 'McHale's Navy', 'Green Acres', 'The Avengers', and they are just a few examples of very good to classic shows from that decade.

'Lost in Space' may be an uneven show, no this is not one of those rarities where there was not a dud episode throughout. Then again some of the aforementioned shows had rocky moments and inconsistency in their runs too, but it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the above. When it was good, it was very good and even more than that on many occasions. However, when it was not so good, it was pretty bad to embarrassing. Overall though, it was a very good and influential show that did a lot with a unique concept.

Its best and most consistent season was the first. It had a darker and more sombre tone than the campier nature of the succeeding two seasons, with a real maturity, some suspense and sense of mystery and wonder. Yet it also didn't forget to be fun and full of adventure while treating its stories with intelligence and wit and its audience with respect. The monsters were mostly impressive in design and there were some memorable ones, likewise with the staging of the encounters with them, which were suspenseful and sometimes funny. There was a much better balance of characterisation, and the cast enjoy themselves without going over the top.

However, 'Lost in Space' was at its weakest in the second half of Season 3, where it felt like a different show. While it was understandable for the tone to be lightened to gain more viewers, it did cause a wide divide quality-wise and like the lightning up was taken too far. Not completely unwatchable, with "The Anti-Matter Man" being among the show's better episodes. It was during this period where farce replaced endearingly campy silliness (say what you want about Season 2 being silly, and it was admittedly, but it was still at least entertaining and endearing), repetition and near-incoherence was all over, camp was taken to extremes and the characterisation lacked balance and got over the top in some instances with far too much emphasis on Dr Smith and the robot. Most of the show's worst episodes were in this period too, with "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" gaining infamy as a hilariously terrible episode for good reason.

Visually, 'Lost in Space' looked good on the whole. Preferred it in black and white myself, being a little more atmospheric, but the colour has a 60s charm that holds up well. The sets are very imaginatively used and there are impressive special effects (as well as the odd hokey ones) for the monsters. The music is rousing and haunting with one of the most memorable main themes for a TV show that decade.

Regarding the writing, a lot of it was funny, clever with its fair share of suspense and emotion before getting too silly in Season 3. Some of the catchphrases or memorable quotes are iconic, Dr Smith has the best lines often (especially the repeated ones). The stories were mostly highly engaging and made the most of a unique concept at the time, space has often been portrayed as being wondrous and mysterious and 'Lost in Space' conveys that very well. There are some interesting themes that it covers too, both in its ideas and topics that are of relevance now.

Characters are not easy to forget, especially Dr Smith (regardless of whether he is used too much or a caricature later on, he is a fascinating character and has some of the best lines, he is a character we should hate but there is just something so lovable about him) and the robot and it is hard not to love the dynamic between them, or be endeared by Will. The cast do seem to be enjoying themselves thoroughly and that they know which tone they're going for.

Jonathan Harris' Dr Smith is an unforgettable creation and a genre character landmark, anybody asked about what role they associate Harris with would most likely choose his role here. Very like they would with the roles of Adam West in 'Batman', Ray Walston in 'My Favourite Martian', Jonathan Frid in 'Dark Shadows' and Elizabeth Montgomery in 'Bewitched'. Equalling him, let alone topping him, is impossible, and even if achieved is a monumental task as proved (and nowhere near as successfully) in the film version three decades later. Guy Williams, Bill Mumy and June Lockhart are all very good as well and the robot and its dynamic with Dr Smith is one of the show's greatest pleasures.

Overall, an uneven show but a very entertaining one and a very good one at its best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I don't know if combining Forbidden Planet with Seinfeld and Gilligan's Island is exactly on target, but there are elements of all three. I was in second grade when this show premiered, and I never missed an episode. The stories were always interesting to me, and even at age eight the character of Dr. Smith absolutely captured my imagination. There are aspects of this fellow that are so very interesting - here is a guy with a great deal of education who never seems to have learned anything from the mythology he is always reciting to everyone, as in "All That Glitters", my all-time favorite episode. He didn't remember the tragedy of King Midas when he was making his wish? His greed and his cowardice override any mental advantage he may have. He is truly the George Costanza of space exploration - whenever he stumbles upon a piece of good fortune he has to milk it for all it's worth until the whole situation turns on him. Then there are the children - Will and Penny. No matter what Dr. Smith does they still like the guy, and he does a lot. He bargains with aliens to take Will's brain for their experiments instead of his, and in another episode turns Penny into platinum, although he does feel remorse about the latter deed. In fact, the children are Smith's only friends. He is merely tolerated by the adults, and for good reason.

Finally there is the "innocence and chastity beyond reason" element that was part of Gilligan's Island and is part of this show too. Despite the only natural and healthy attraction between Major Donald West and Judy Robinson, we are to believe that nothing really happens between the two for years on end. Also like Gilligan's Island, although the group's first priority starts off as finding a way to return to earth, eventually they settle into a kind of domestic tranquility and seem to make peace with their situation of being "lost in space".

Of course, rewatching this series over forty years later, it is not quite as great as I remembered it, but it is still great fun and Smith is still a fascinating character. It's also interesting to see what people in the 1960's thought earthly civilization would be like in 1997. It's humorous yet somewhat tragic to see the optimistic viewpoint people had of the future in the 1960's pertaining to human nature. What the series' creators couldn't foresee is that today people are much more like Zachary Smith than the Robinson family - at least the people in charge of things are.