The Highwayman

The Highwayman movie that led to the series was action packed and innovative.The semi truck could actually vanish into thin air...(invisible in other words) on command.When the series started,the semi truck was different,and it couldnt go into invisible mode.With lame ratings they thought up the idea to bring Jacko "Energizer Battery Man" (OY!!!) aboard.He couldnt act a lick.Sam Jones always seemed too cocky on the show,sorta like Michael Knight of Knight Rider.I guess with a rig like that MACK,he could be cocky,but the ratings shot him down in the end.The final episode was even on the cheap...scenes from the episode two weeks earlier were re-used as filler.Even TV Guide caught that blatant cheap-out in its review.Heck,with careful editing,the show could have ran many years...with existing footage!! Not a good way to build an audience or to be taken seriously.

Many of the Fox series from the 90s are out, Namely Roar, Kindred the Embraced, Harsh Realm and Profit.

Knight Rider is out, A-team, Miami Vice, Even Airwolf.

I remember when it was on and was PO'd when it disappeared. I just saw a couple clips of it on you tube. Still awesome. Definitely ahead of its time. Also waiting on Vengeance Unlimited to come to DVD I do not know what NBC was thinking when they canceled it. Seems to me like many good shows get axed before getting a chance to find their audience or time slot. Even Quantum Leap got bounced around from time slot to time slot at NBC. Another great show from that time was SuperCarrier. I find it hard to believe that Sci-Fi has not picked this show up off the scrap heap, they used to show Automan, and Manimal for a time. ---------------------------------------------- You can find the episodes of this show on You tube plus I found it on DVD at Truckerflicks.com Its basically a bootleg DVD but good Quality recorded from the original episodes of the show back in 87 and 88 fans of the show put it together I think.

I had the privilege of watching the movie when it came out in '88. I was 13 and in love w/ sci-fi. Knight Rider, Automan, Airwolf, they all made me wish I had them for myself! When I saw this movie for the first time, I thought I WANT ONE OF THOSE! I mean, come on now, who wouldn't want a heavily armored tractor-trailer that could turn into a helicopter? It was just plain INSANE! And I mean that in a good way. The series introduced the main characters bud who had a unique truck of his own. Although it looked more like a car hauling a Semi-trailer, There was one episode where this particular vehicle came into play and you sit there and say, "wow, now I know why it looks like that!" Back up to the ocean and open the trailer doors and release a mini-sub? How cool is that? Like I said, if you like sci-fi, this is a MUST SEE!

The '80s were full of niche programming. This show happened to be one of car-focused action shows that followed in the steps of Knight Rider, The A-Team, Airwolf, Street Hawk, Dukes of Hazzard, and very possibly Automan. The show, obviously a retread of Automan (which featured a holographic helicopter and Lamborghini), a torquing of an idea from the "Goliath" episodes of Knight Rider, or a combination between Knight Rider and Airwolf, the show's only fault was that it came at the very end of this tread and wasn't long for this world. If it came out three years earlier, it would be easily ran for 13 episodes plus and had a better run. And I'm quite surprised nobody mentioned the car that came out of the bottom of the semi trailer and sped off.

Here's hoping this comes out on DVD along with many other '80s one shot efforts.

If you are not into classic Sci-Fi shows from the 80s that are rather cheesy, do yourself a favor and just don't watch "The Highwayman". But if you like this kind of shows, if it reminds you of your childhood - go take a look! Yes, some of the SFX was outdated maybe 10 years before this show started, but damn, a truck with a helicopter in it! When I saw that as a child I knew i would love that show.

The 80s atmosphere in the episodes is thick, some sequences doesn't even seem to belong to the real world. Is the Highwayman really guarding the streets? Or is he a hero in some kind of a dreamland? Some in-between limbo maybe? Who knows...

Imo, Sam Jones is doing a great job as the though lead actor here, and Jacko as Jetto - yeah, yeah, I know he's not a real actor, but b(OY!) does he add some lunatic charm to this show. So, all in all, this is not a hit show from the past that everyone has seen and everyone remembers (like "Knight Rider", which is still around as a rerun every now and then), but believe me, it's worth a view!