Ark II: The Complete Series

In the fall of 1976, Filmation made its third foray into live action Saturday morning programming with this series. You could make a show like Ark II very easily today, but you'd sure piss off a lot more people than in the mid-'70s. The Rush Limbuaghs, Glenn Becks and Mike McConnells of the world would be mortified by the premise. Dig this: It's 2276 and Earth has been laid waste by over-population, nuclear war and pollution. A group of liberals, er, scientists have constructed the Ark II to roam the planet helping those in need. Don't let the fact that it looks like a big ol' S.U.V. fool you: It doesn't burn any fossil fuels. While the show did teach some moral lessons in each episode, it was often routed in a bunch of hippie crap! Seriously, Ark II was a phenomenal program that holds up very well today and hardly looks cheesy. In fact, it has that hip, what-we-thought-the-future-would-look-like-back-then vibe used so well in the hatch on Lost today. The well-crafted stories were compelling and well acted. (P.F. Wilson) Grade: A