Space Precinct

Space Precinct harked back to a time when the best thing on tv was Thunderbirds with the terrible special effects but this time Anderson used real actors! Always criticised and rarely praised the show really wasn't that bad - it has fans and deserved a second season. And now you can get it on VHS and DVD in the UK!!! The show is receiving something of a revival at the moment. How lucky are we!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Brunner, who ran multi million dollars of investment capital for Howard Gilman (Gilman Paper Company) was talked into producing this series. Jim Goldman, a Wall Street investment banker told Brunner that this was the next Teenage Ninja Deal. Brunner was to invest Gilman's money and Gilman was non too happy about any of this happening. Brunner funded this show with $27,000,000 He, Gilman was a lover of Ballet and funded much in that world. Grove TV ran by Richard Grove completed the deal buy getting the show cleared in 97% of the Country. Amazingly it was cleared at 1 thru 3AM when the target audience as fast asleep. Even better was a ploy that was sheer comedy. Brunner paid WPIX Channel 11 to play the show on Saturday night at 11:30PM. Need I remind anyone that this was up against Saturday Night Live and Brunner paid $50,000 for the time. Brunner had never watched anything other than PBS on TV and was completely clueless. Brunner was fired and all the people who worked for him were also. I have files of paperwork sitting 3 feet from me as a remembrance. The worst part of all was Gilman Paper of St. Mary GA is no longer as a direct result. Thousand of people lost their job.

I caught this show by accident one Saturday night while overshooting SNL (it had no advertising I ever saw). It was funny. From the silliness of the bug-eyed alien gangster running for political office to the balls-to-the-wall action of the time travel episode, I just enjoyed watching.

The special effects hadn't changed much since "UFO" and "Space: 1999" (same producer for all 3 series), and some of the actors couldn't handle light comedy or romantic tension, but Ted Shackelford, Nancy Paul and a few others made this an enjoyable show, doing for police in the future what "Baywatch" did for lifeguards in the present.

There were several American actors in this British production because the United States was the country of first publication.

By the time I found out about his show, it was very hard to find. It would be broadcast somewhere in the wee hours of the night (around 2 to 5 am). I would check the TV Guide, set my alarm, and go to bed hoping some infomercial wouldn't bump it. Was this a great series? No. What it finely scripted? No. I could answer "No" to a lot more questions... but... I loved this show!! It was goofy & corny, but there was a charm about it, a "heart" that what some might call "better" shows lacked. The aliens and sets were fun and it even had a family in it! And the cherry on top of this sci-fi-sundae; there were all of those great Gerry Anderson models... COOL!!! It was a great way to spend a middle-of-the-night-half-hour! Sci-Fi Channel: GET IT!!!! (please?)

I just cannot understand why there are people who say 'Space Precinct' isn't worth watching, as it is a very good SF-series!

Yes, of course the aliens look a bit ridiculous, but that's actually part of the series' charm. Along with good stories, very obvious chemistry between Rob Youngblood (Officer Jack Haldane) and Simone Bendix (Officer Jane Castle) ànd nice sfx, this is a SF-series worth watching.

It's a shame, though, that only one season was made.