Planet of the Apes TV Series - Blu-Ray? (1 Viewer)

[Carabimero]

I'm in the camp of loving the show for nostalgic reasons but agreeing with Jack. There was never any real development. maybe if they had used the 14 episodes to develop the premise and the characters, it wouldn't have been cancelled so soon. I love Galen, and Urko is fun, but I never got the sense there was any hope for the astronauts. But I'm glad I have the DVD set.

 

[Bryan^H]

I'm in the camp of loving the show for nostalgic reasons but agreeing with Jack. There was never any real development. maybe if they had used the 14 episodes to develop the premise and the characters, it wouldn't have been cancelled so soon. I love Galen, and Urko is fun, but I never got the sense there was any hope for the astronauts. But I'm glad I have the DVD set.

I don't think anything could have saved it. At the time everyone was 'aped out'. It did great in the U.K. Though

 

[Carabimero]

A part of me will always believe if it had been this really well-written show, with fresh ideas, it could have gone a full season or two. But you are probably right: given nothing extraordinary, it never had a chance.

Still, it gave me a wonderful Fall of excitement and memories of watching that show (and collecting the Power Records spinoffs) that I will always treasure. In fact, I still have my View Master reels of the pilot.

 

[younger1968]

A part of me will always believe if it had been this really well-written show, with fresh ideas, it could have gone a full season or two. But you are probably right: given nothing extraordinary, it never had a chance.

Still, it gave me a wonderful Fall of excitement and memories of watching that show (and collecting the Power Records spinoffs) that I will always treasure. In fact, I still have my View Master reels of the pilot.

The show had a few issues to why it was not successful:

1. The show had a horrible time slot

2. The episodes were south contain as such seldom ever had crossover to past episodes - here are some examples

a) Virden had the computer disk in episode 1 and 2, but not in episode 3 when Burke was trapped in the subway, so what happen to the disk

b) Virden and Burke see the ruins of a city and Burke makes the comments it has been so long since he has seen a city. Yet the city was shown in "Trapped episode".

c) The Gladiators and the Horse Race had Barlow and that was a connection from previous dealings.

d) There were additional episodes planned, but they were never filmed, I am surprised they were not filmed as you would have thought all the episodes were done from June - November 2014. The Dec-Feb is typically California's rainy season as such little filming was usually done outside in areas like Malibu National Park.

e) There was a mention of previous astronauts in episode #1, but never again, why?

f) The last episode "up so high" included as scene when Burke/Virden/Galen are going in the water and then the scene ends. There was never any idea what happen to Burke and Virden until Planet of Apes as released through a series of movies that combined a few episodes together.

I do agree by 1975 that people with tired of the planet of apes as the last show was the "Return to the Planet of the Apes" Cartoon that did a different spin by giving Apes cars. It was sad that show also ended without a proper ending!

 

[Carabimero]

Even as a ten year old I never understood how having a computer disc would help the astronauts get back when their ship was destroyed. And once the disc stopped being shown, I felt, even at ten, that it was kind of a hopeless thing.

 

[younger1968]

Even as a ten year old I never understood how having a computer disc would help the astronauts get back when their ship was destroyed. And once the disc stopped being shown, I felt, even at ten, that it was kind of a hopeless thing.

The cartoon in 1975 was better with the timeline including the underdwellers.

The show started well for the episodes 1-4. It all change after episodes 5-14 and that was the concern to me. The movies later on also did not help as they were not align with any sort connection to the TV series!

[*]Back to the Planet of the Apes ("Escape from Tomorrow" & "The Trap")
[*]Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes ("Gladiators" & "Legacy")
[*]Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes ("Horse Race" & "The Tyrant")
[*]Life, Liberty and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes ("The Surgeon" & "The Interrogation")
[*]Farewell to the Planet of the Apes ("Tomorrow's Tide" & "Up Above The World So High")
[/list]

I would have done it differently
1. Gladiators and Horse Race (BArlow)
2. Legacy and Escape from tomorow
3. Good Seeds and Tyrant
4. Deception and tomorrows tide
5. Up above the world so high and Liberator

I would not have included both Trapped as well as Legacy. The legacy an trapped clash with each other as such would not be included in my movies set

 

[Carabimero]

I loved the novelizations by William Arrow of the animated series. Those were some of the first paperbacks that made me think I could grow up and actually become a published novelist. I enjoyed those much more than the adaptations of the live-action TV series. The William Arrow books were an influential part of my youth and young adulthood.

 

[bretmaverick2]

I think a lot of the complaints on here are incorrect in that you are comparing a show from the 70s/80s to series of today.

Shows from this time period weren't "serialized" like so many shows are today. They didn't have long story arcs or long term plans for characterization. They simply set up there situation and basically went back to square one each episode.

I just enjoy the show for what it was.

 

[younger1968]

I think a lot of the complaints on here are incorrect in that you are comparing a show from the 70s/80s to series of today.

Shows from this time period weren't "serialized" like so many shows are today. They didn't have long story arcs or long term plans for characterization. They simply set up there situation and basically went back to square one each episode.

I just enjoy the show for what it was.

Hi Brett,

Many sci-fi shows from the 1960s through to the early 1970s were self contained from one episode to another as way to focus on the a particular issue.

Here are some examples:

1. Star Trek episodes were self contained, but the mission was same each episode and that was reach out and explored the universe

2. Space 1999 focus on finding a replacement for Earth as such encounter different species as part of the search for life

3. The Invaders had different issues, but the plot was the same to exposed the aliens

4. Invisible Man was sent on missions and those missions were never the same

5. Planet of Apes - The 1974 was poorly done in its evolution, especially how two episodes show ruins of the city. There was no reason to say "it has been so long since I have seen a city". The line could have been replace with the following "Hey look at another ruin city. Let's explore the city it may hold the answers to what happen on the planet"

 

[Sam Favate]

5. Planet of Apes - The 1974 was poorly done in its evolution, especially how two episodes show ruins of the city. There was no reason to say "it has been so long since I have seen a city". The line could have been replace with the following "Hey look at another ruin city. Let's explore the city it may hold the answers to what happen on the planet"

But with just 13 episodes, Planet of the Apes never had the chance to find its way or to evolve. It never would have become a serialized show; they just didn't make those in 1974, but its storytelling could have evolved to be more varied and compelling.

 

[Bryan^H]

Hi Brett,

Many sci-fi shows from the 1960s through to the early 1970s were self contained from one episode to another as way to focus on the a particular issue.

Here are some examples:

1. Star Trek episodes were self contained, but the mission was same each episode and that was reach out and explored the universe

2. Space 1999 focus on finding a replacement for Earth as such encounter different species as part of the search for life

3. The Invaders had different issues, but the plot was the same to exposed the aliens

4. Invisible Man was sent on missions and those missions were never the same

5. Planet of Apes - The 1974 was poorly done in its evolution, especially how two episodes show ruins of the city. There was no reason to say "it has been so long since I have seen a city". The line could have been replace with the following "Hey look at another ruin city. Let's explore the city it may hold the answers to what happen on the planet"

All great shows you mention. But in the case of POTA with the ruined cities blunder, I think was just an oversight by the writers and not intentionally done to confuse anyone. Also, in the POTA tv series we discover many different prefects, locations, and characters that are usually helped, or a wrong righted by our heroic astronauts, and their faithful friend Galen.

 

[smithbrad]

Having just watched the first three movie again recently, and starting up the series again with my daughter (for the second time), I can say the the movies were a bit disjointed. My favorites of the movies would have to be the first and fourth. I realize they probably had no idea they would be continuing but the jump from blowing up the planet in movie two to having resurrected a space craft and taken orbit before the bomb going off to land on earth in the past is a big leap. My least favorite would have to be the second and last. It does do it's part for creating a circular event in time and in giving the movies a continued direction.

Personally, I like the series better than the movies. The movies help the series by giving it a foundation. but i prefer the speaking humans in the series where each episode brings camaraderie and a helping hand, instead of just the gloom and doom of what humans did to themselves. Also, i enjoy the chase from Urko, Mark Lenard did a great Urko.

 

[Jack P]

If they really wanted to drive home the circular argument then the last scene in the last film should have ended with a dissolve back to Heston in the prologue of the first movie making his journal entry and then going into hibernation!

I'll reiterate a point I made about the series. In the standards of 60s-70s TV they could have moved things forward a little bit without becoming serialized etc. in the standards of later TV. From a sheer logic standpoint, our "on the run" never should have stayed in close enough proximity to the Ape City for Zaius/Urko etc to keep appearing since one would assume they'd want to keep moving out. "Logan's Run" made the same mistake a few years later.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Now there is a show that I haven't seen but sorta would like to pick up, "Logan's Run".

I had even forgotten that the series existed until a few months ago!!

 

[youworkmen]

Now there is a show that I haven't seen but sorta would like to pick up, "Logan's Run".

I had even forgotten that the series existed until a few months ago!!

Like POTA its a great nostalgia trip but in general the stories are weaker than Apes. Its quite good that these shows didn't run for too long as it makes them cheap to market and buy

My only 70's sci fi want still not available is Fantastic Journey . I have dvd's transferred from the VHS recordings I made of it 20 years ago . It was scheduled for release here in the UK several years back but the parent company of the label that bought the rights to it went bust and when the label reformed the Sony deal had died with the parent company

 

[ChrisALM]

I noticed that La-La Land Records is releasing “PLANET OF THE APES TV SERIES: LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET)” today (Jan. 13, 2015).

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I noticed that La-La Land Records is releasing “PLANET OF THE APES TV SERIES: LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET)” today (Jan. 13, 2015).

It's also limited to just 2,000 copies, so those of you who might want this shouldn't wait too long, or risk having to get price-gouged on eBay down the road.

 

[Bryan^H]

I noticed that La-La Land Records is releasing “PLANET OF THE APES TV SERIES: LIMITED EDITION (2-CD SET)” today (Jan. 13, 2015).

Hello.

Could you provide a link? I searched the site and cannot find it. All that comes up in the search is the 2001 movie score, and I didn't see it in the new releases.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Hello.

Could you provide a link? I searched the site and cannot find it. All that comes up in the search is the 2001 movie score, and I didn't see it in the new releases.

it won't be available until 12pm Pacific Time. Check back then.


I mentioned the limited quantity before. I had forgotten this had been released once before (by Intrada) and was a 3,000 edition that sold out. Used copies going for about $100. The La-La Land one will be $25.

 

[youworkmen]

Thanks for the heads up . Ordered along with the second 4 disc X Files set - didn't even know any of those were still available.

I should be able to recoup the cost of both by selling the original Apes tv cd