Probe

By proving that the average TV viewer isn't smart enough to get a show like this. This, and other shows like it that depend on sheer intellectual ability, sharp thinking, and complexity never survive on American television. This series proves that. Asimov was an absolute Genius, and almost all of his products were light-years above the quality necessary for commercial success. No flash, no high-tech machine or vehicle, no stupid gimmicks, no buffoonery, no T & A, and nothing but sheer brain candy. You have to be smart to get a show like this.

What a shame that programs which require audiences to be intelligent never make it. Asimov created a series that had nothing more than a smart main character, who used his wits and abilities to move through the world. The series itself only lasted for seven episodes.

Probe was one of the best shows of 1988. It was intelligent, well-written TV, with a mildly misanthropic main character and a lot of quirky performances. Naturally, it got cancelled despite the combined creative talents of William Levinson (Columbo) and Isaac Asimov. Lots of shy, subtle humor and in-jokes. Catch it if you can.

Probe was one of the best sci-fi shows I have ever seen and coming from me, that's high praise because I'am not easy to please. The acting was wonderful. My main beef is that it was done away with so soon. My other problem is that it is only shown ,like, once every three or four years!

I remember this show fondly... it's one of my all-time favourites. I still have the entire series on Beta (recorded off-air during a bad thunderstorm, but what can you do?) I agree with the other posters about it probably being "too smart" to be successful, but I think it was further harmed by the writers' strike that year. The network kept repeating the only 7 episodes (I assume) because there was nothing else in the can. By the time the dispute was resolved, the damage of endless repeats had been done. Too bad. I was in high school when the series debuted, and I loved the fact that the show made me look things up. It really made me want to understand the topics being featured. (And it was a lot harder to look things up back then... no internet!)

As I recall, the show was canceled during the writer's strike of 1988. I don't believe the cancellation had anything to do with the quality of the show, it was just too new for the network to take a chance on, it's the same thing they do today. I just wish they'd release it on DVD.

It was very much ahead of its time, the scientific approach just wasn't that interesting to people at that time, I think. It will always be one of my most favorite shows, and perhaps someday I'll get to watch it again.

Wow, I can't believe I'm being forced to write more just to post this flippin opinion! I never thought anyone would want 10 lines of my kind of BS, but hey, who am I to complain?

wistful in Los Angeles