13 Shows That Want Out (Part One)

It happens at conventions. While strolling around, you see someone selling bootlegged collections of unreleased TV series, of varying degrees of obscurity. Much as you want to see “He's The Mayor” again, do you really want to pay $60 for the series when you know an official release couldn't list for more than $40? I know that feeling. I get it at every con, and New York Comic Con was no exception. While perusing the wares of such merchants, I began to think of the shows I'd love to see with an official DVD release. With that, I present the 13 shows I really want released from their respective vaults onto DVD.

13) The Lazarus Man

Robert Urich was known as one of television’s greatest stars, and deservedly so. The venerable actor starred, co-starred in and hosted no less than seventeen series and three miniseries over his three-decade career. Some of them were duds, but several of them, such as “Vega$” and “Spenser: For Hire” enjoyed great success. “The Lazarus Man” would have joined them, if not for real-life tragedy: Urich was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma in 1996, and the series was canceled shortly after his announcement. That was really a shame, because it was an interesting take on a popular genre at the time, the conspiracy thriller.

The series took place shortly after the Civil War, with Urich’s character literally digging himself out of his own grave in the pilot. He played an amnesiac buried alive, haunted by fragments of memories: a beautiful woman, an attack from behind, and Ford’s Theatre. He takes the Biblically appropriate name Lazarus and drifts from town to town, only to constantly run into people who don’t want to see him alive. Urich played Lazarus with grit and steely determination, but also with the warmth that endeared him to television audiences over the years.

Over the series’ run, viewers were correctly led to believe that Lazarus was somehow tied to the assassination of President Lincoln. Unfortunately, the details were never unveiled, as the series was canceled with two episodes unaired following the announcement of Urich’s cancer. A DVD release would certainly be a fitting tribute to one of television’s finest.

12) Eyes

Most television viewers watch by genre, follow stars, or just watch shows with interesting premises, rather than follow writers. There are exceptions: Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, and David Simon represent the few television writer/producers that command passionate followings across a variety of projects. For me, it’s John McNamara.

John McNamara burst onto the scene as a staff writer for “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” and later spent three years as a writer and supervising producer on “Lois and Clark,” but he made a name for himself on “Profit,” which he created with future “Angel” co-creator David Greenwalt. Known for its unrepentant title character (memorably portrayed by “Heroes” star Adrian Pasdar), “Profit” established McNamara as a skilled writer of shady, morally ambiguous characters.

“Eyes” was another one of those shows, starring Tim Daly and premiering on ABC in the spring of 2005. Daly played Harlan Judd, head of a risk management firm using questionable means to solve high-stakes cases. The cast also featured Laura Leighton as an attorney who often found herself involved with Harlan’s work (and became his de facto conscience), plus Eric Mabius and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon as Judd’s best agents, albeit with agendas pitting themselves against Judd in secret.

Come to think of it, everyone on that show had an agenda. “Eyes” was filled with twists, often concerning who Harlan could trust, and who was screwing a teammate over (or just screwing a teammate—there was that too!). However, despite ABC’s growing reputation for edgier fare (“Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Grey’s Anatomy” all debuted that season), “Eyes” didn’t catch on, and was pulled after five episodes.

Will we see “Eyes” on DVD? I really don't know. It doesn’t carry the same cult cache that brought “Profit” to DVD, but I believe that more McNamara on DVD is only a good thing.

11) Superman (1988)

With Warner Bros. finally emptying every bit of DC animation onto DVD, it’s about time they released this little gem. Produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises and aired to coincide with the Man of Steel’s 50th birthday, the 1988 “Superman” cartoon was a highlight of my Saturday mornings. If it seemed remarkably faithful to the source material, that’s because of the talent: Marv Wolfman was a writer and story editor, and Gil Kane was the character designer.

Each episode was divided into two segments. The lead story was set in the present day, and grounded in a close approximation of post-Crisis continuity set forth by Wolfman and John Byrne. Most notably, Luthor was a ruthless, untouchable businessman, in keeping with Wolfman’s depiction of him in the comics. He featured in most of the episodes, always able to escape fault.

The backup stories were called “Superman’s Family Album,” a series of four-minute shorts about various points in Superman’s early life, from his adoption by the Kents to his Metropolis debut. For the first time in animation, Superman was shown as never having been Superboy, in keeping with the character’s revamp in the comics.

While “Superman” performed well, and was a high-quality show for its time, that quality was its undoing. It lasted only one 13-episode season, owing to high costs. Of all the shows on this list, this one probably has the best chance of a DVD release.

10) Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Based on the computer game that made geography cool for a generation of kids, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” was a strange hybrid of comedy and game show that never really worked in the past. The balance is always screwed up, the comedy and game elements are incongruous…something always fouls up. Not so with “Carmen Sandiego,” an extremely enjoyable show that still holds up if you can find it.

Loosely based on the game, the show takes place at ACME Detective Agency, with a trio of “gumshoes” competing to find an artifact stolen by a member of Carmen’s gang. Through various sketches and bits, clues were given to the location of the episode’s thief, and the gumshoes would have to guess the location from a list of three. Once the thief was finally tracked down after the second round, the winning gumshoe would have the chance to find Carmen Sandiego herself for the grand prize, a trip to anywhere in the continental 48 states.

The show was hosted by “ACME Special Agent” Greg Lee (formerly of Nickelodeon’s “Total Panic”) and featured the late Lynne Thigpen as “The Chief,” a ball-busting authority figure/announcer who issued orders to Greg and the recruits, and also awarded prizes. Playing a variety of characters were the a capella group Rockapella, who were also responsible for the show’s theme song, often called one of the most recognizable TV themes ever. They also sang a few of their other songs, including “Zombie Jamboree” (the first time I heard the word “damn” on PBS!), and displayed apt comic timing on top of their vocal talents.

The show was an instant hit, running five seasons and nearly three hundred episodes, becoming the second-longest running kids’ game show ever, behind Double Dare. Given the abundance of content, there’s really no reason a DVD release can’t work. While game shows aren’t typically given comprehensive DVD releases, the educational and comedy aspects broaden its appeal past simple nostalgia. Most importantly, I want it, so it must be done.

9) Automan

Proof that not every show on this list has to be great, or even all that good, “Automan” comes to us by way of Glen A. Larson, the man behind such enduring shows as “Knight Rider” and “Battlestar Galactica.” Capitalizing on the video game and personal computer boom of the '80s, and the visual novelty of films such as Tron, “Automan” was an ABC series starring Desi Arnaz, Jr. as Walter Nebicher, a terrible cop (the sort who'd fumble his gun while drawing it), but an asset to the police as a computer expert. Frustrated at being kept off the streets, Nebicher created a holographic being with artificial intelligence and a wealth of crime fighting skill. The hologram named himself Automan, reasoning he was the world's first “automatic man.” Walter quickly realized Auto was the world's most insufferable man, but the hologram gave him his chance to help make a difference, and the two fought crime together.

“Automan” was an example of many a television series with a dazzling, yet quickly dated premise and flashy production values disguising thin storylines and little substance. What set it apart, however, was co-star Chuck Wagner's hilariously self-assured, borderline hammy performance as Automan. Weaver was a tall, well-built gentleman with a milliion dollar smile who looked totally natural saying lines like, “On a scale of one to ten, think of me as an eleven.” It was perfect casting, and with Arnaz lending not only star power but a solid performance as hapless, intrepid nerd Walter—not to mention a great supporting cast including Robert Lansing as a rugged fellow detective and Gerald S. O'Laughlin as Walter's Luddite boss—“Automan” seemed like it couldn't fail. The top-notch special effects, which included a little flying “cursor” sidekick for Auto that could create vehicles and needed accessories from thin air, certainly helped that impression along.

But “Automan” did fail. With less than overwhelming critical support, unspectacular ratings, and a high price tag, ABC deleted the show after twelve episodes. However, interest picked up years later after the fledgling Sci-Fi Channel began airing it as part of its Sci-Fi Series Collection. Thanks to Sci-Fi and the rise of internet fandom, the show found a cult following, one necessary to justify the trafficking of bootleg episodes at conventions. With seemingly every other show being released to DVD, isn't it time “Automan” got its shot?

But wait—with Glen Larson shows being “reimagined” at will these days (see “Knight Rider” and “Galactica”), do you think it's time the “Automan” concept was dusted off and updated for today's audiences? Come on, folks, I smell a novelty hit!

Next edition, superheroes take center stage! The list continues!