While the TV series suffered from schiziodphrenia during its first and only season (trying to be all things to all people, i.e., the network wanted the show one way, the producers and studio another and D.C. Fontana -to the best of my recollection was the story editor-wanted to make it a good science fiction show), the best episodes held up quite well despite the formula of TV shows at the time.
While I enjoy the film the film falls apart by the end of the third act and takes the liberty of making a major plot change in the third act that just doesn't work compared to the novel. For its flaws, the film is a fine film (and the sequence with Box superbly played by Roscoe Lee Brown is a highlight of the film), the series rethought the concept of the movie. The best episodes (including those by Ellison who wrote a treatment adapted by Al Hayes, Fontana the well respected author/screenwriter Shimon Wincelberg and Gerald) more than held their own despite diminished production values. By the way, I saw the vehicle that was used for this show along with the one for Fox's "Damnation Alley" sitting in a studio junkyard not far from Universal studios in the late 80's. I don't know if a private collector ever picked it up or not). A bit of trivia about Shimon Wincelberg--he did writing on the pilot for Irwin Allen's "Time Tunnel" but was never credited for it
I have to say that I loved Donald Moffat in the show. He's one of my favorite character actors and the android that he played seemed like a precursor to "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" Data (although that, in turn, was borrowed from Roddenberry's classic TV movie "The Questor Tapes" which also has yet to appear on DVD). I was quite pleased to see Moffat's career finally bloom after years of guest starring roles in TV shows and movies in the US).
If MGM/Sony ever decides to put it out on DVD, I'd love to see an interview with original novel authors William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson about their feelings in seeing the show adapted for TV. Producers-writers Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts and producer Leonard Katzman all died within the last decade so the only behind-the-scenes interviews/commentary tracks would have to come from the writer's, cast and/or directors. I doubt that MGM/Sony would put that much effort into it but it is a cult show and with the remake looming perhaps they'll push forward with it. Unfortunately Bryan Singer won't be shooting "Logan's Run" until this fall and I'm hoping that the studio doesn't sit on this that long. There were only 14 episodes produced and 3 of those supposedly never aired. My memory is too hazy to recall if they aired or not but I remember the pilot and "Crypt" quite well.
Regardless, "Logan's Run" was one of the best Sci-Fi shows during the 70's acing out much of the other shows that came to TV at that time.
Info about the series is at:
http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/logantv/index.htm
