Automan

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit this but I loved Automan. Like a lot of things from the 80s I think we are amazed with what things appealed to us back then. An episode of Friends summed it up when college aged Ross and Chandler turn up to thanksgiving dressed as if they were from Miami Vice. Yes this series typified 80s style in many ways and because of that has not stood the test of time. I can't see them repeating it in the UK because 14-15 year-olds will think it is stupid.

Anyway the show is about an LA cop(Arnaz jr) who has an expertise in computers. With his computer equipment he creates Automan(Wagner) and the flashing 'cursor' who makes the cars, boats, guitars or whatever Automan needs at the time. The two of them go after the big bad criminals and get them. Only two people know about Automan, his creator and another cop, an attractive female who never quite becomes anyone's love interest. There are lots of good driving scenes, likable characters and fairly good Sci-fi effects but most of all it has charisma. Unfortunately it is also a silly idea that never quite explains itself and is so corny the phrase corny could be replaced by the word Automan.

If you see it for the first time now you will probably be shocked at how bad it was. If you remember it from the first time round you will probably have that old familiar feeling which you might describe as comfortable.

In a time when innocents has played a part of my life, Automan has been a great T.V. gem that creator Glen Larson and ABC has top offer. It was the very first live-action super hero show that widen my horizons of imagination. Though it attracts more kids then adults. It is why the show got canceled because of poor ratings and expensive special effects. Automan was very original and it should be granted a second chance then. Thanks to the Sci-Fi Channel, it is great to relive all 13 episodes of this failed series.

Another case of a show I really enjoyed as a kid being taken off the air rather quickly. Whatever a kid enjoyed to watch back in the 70's and 80's always seemed to get the quick hook back then. This one is brought to us by the same guy who did "Buck Rogers" and the lesser known "Manimal". It also came on about the same time as the latter. The show was about a computer guy who somehow creates this strange computer dude or brings him into this world, can not remember so well now as I have not seen the show in a very long time. What I remember the most about this one though is the cool car which I debated with a kid at school was faster than the car on "Knight Rider". Which how there was any debate for anybody who has seen both shows is beyond me this car went so fast and could do 90 degree turns for crying out loud. I also remember "Automan" losing his power whenever more machines and such were used. The effects were very Tron-like and not bad for a television show made back in the 80's. Why shows such as these got such a quick hook is beyond me, well not really my guess is they just cost to much to produce as opposed to the quirky comedies that usually went on way to long (Happy Days anyone).

This show is completely corny. Of course, this is a bi-product of its decade and genre, but it still seems cornier than its counterparts. And most of the acting isn't too great, with the exception of Chuck Wagner, whom I thought did a good job as Walter's complete opposite. The girl was pretty much filler. Almost like they thought they needed to have a cute woman in the cop shop to draw in...young boys? Show they were EEO? I don't know, but she seemed a total waste of film.

But darn it if I don't love this show. Cheese makes for a good, silly 45 minutes of entertainment. And even bad sci fi is often good. And Desi Arnaz Jr. made for a good geek. The writers I think went a bit far with that whole stereotype of computer geniuses being totally awkward screw ups in any other arena but IT, but I suppose it did help display the contrast between Walter and Automan, who was what Walter wished he was.

But don't watch this right after Dragnet or Adam-12, as you may think the LAPD suddenly went insane.

For some odd reason, I actually liked this show. I was only 16yr when it aired, but I loved the special effects. This show really seems like something Disney would make. It was a little bit of Tron with low-budget comedy crime fighter thrown in. The two things I remember the most is the title song and the auto-car. The song had a catchy tune that I still hum now and then. The car would get created by "Cursor", Automan's sidekick and it was very cool how it was done. Cursor would start drawing the lines of the car and then pick up speed as he drew the rest. It would make some electrical sound while Cursor drew it. Like Automan, the car was a glowing neon light blue. When automan drove it, it steered like the motorcycles in TRON. It would make sharp turns left or right and Desi Jr's character would get slammed against the door window. The show was just fun to watch back then. The main thing that killed it was the writing. The villains weren't anything special and each story really didn't draw you in and make you want to come back. The comedy aspect of the show was decent. It also was expensive to make each episode and because it didn't draw a big audience, they really didn't make much money off of it. I still would love to see this on DVD just for nostalgic purposes.