I've been on the fence about whether or not to include the two
V television miniseries and subsequent weekly series here at
Space: 1970. The original
V mini ran in late 1983, which is pretty much my cut-off point here at the site, with the follow-up miniseries and weekly show airing the following year. I know it's
my site, and realistically, I can write about
anything I want - but man, the e-mails/comments I get when I step outside my self-imposed boundaries! It's amazing how quick people will jump on any opportunity to try and knock others down.
The show certainly
feels like a 70s sci-fi show, with its ham-fisted social commentary, dystopian themes, Old School miniature effects, and broadly-drawn but appealing characters, and, frankly, I honestly enjoy most of the run in a way much like that of the shows I
do cover here - unlike most 80s-90s genre efforts. A lot of this is probably attributable to the early creative influence of
Kenneth Johnson, who originated the property and produced the first mini. Johnson was one of the most genre-savvy television producers of the era, with credits like
The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk - and, later,
Alien Nation - to his name. He was always pretty canny about making outlandish sci-fi ideas work for mainstream television audiences (and networks/sponsors).
Of course, it also has that humungous 80s hair.
Anyway, I will continue to ponder whether
V can be squeezed into my already-elongated timeframe... what do you folks think?
