The Question That No One Has Asked:
what makes QUANTUM LEAP the winner that THE TRITE TUNNEL never was?
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
what makes QUANTUM LEAP the winner that THE TRITE TUNNEL never was?
IMHO I think its simply that QL mostly dealt with "human" stories, which allowed change/interaction, while TT dealt with global events, dictated by history.
While superficially the series are very similar, QL in some ways actually owes more to the format of The Fugitive (as did The Incredible Hulk, Highway to Heaven and others) than it did to Time Tunnel - our hero arrives at a new location every week and in some way helps those in need. share
Good answer, to which I add that QL had good writers, something TTT never did; that schlockmeister Irwin the Allien never appreciated quality writing, ... or quality acting, or quality production values, or quality photography or quality anything else that is INDISPENSABLE for making a good TV show.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein)
Maybe, though one shouldn't judge Irwin Allen et al by the standards of much later programmes.
Irwin Allen deserves a lot of credit for taking the initiative and putting on 4 decent, if not great( well, some of us think a couple of them were very good) TV shows- Voyage, Lost in Space, Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. He's a pioneer of sorts, regardless of the quality of the programmes. Land of the Giants was probably the weakest and most difficult to watch of the 4 series. Then Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Lost in Space and Time Tunnel were eminently watchable and likeable.
I tend to agree with 'HijodelCid', but will put it in different terms. Irwin Allen created Time Tunnel on the premise it would be cheap to produce because he knew he'd be able to take advantage of the vast stock footage library 20th had in their vaults. Great concept from a business point-of-view, but not a very creative one. Which would explain why the show did not have a longer original run. Quantum Leap, on the other hand, was a writer's show. Don Bellisario, being a long-time writer, based his show on human relationships and interaction to change small pieces of history in mostly positive and often humorous ways. Two completely different approaches to time travel entertainment. Just MHO.
shareGene Roddenberry's Star Trek had what Irwin Allen's shows lacked, and that is
characterization. Compare Capt Kirk to Capt Crane or Adm Nelson.
We KNOW Kirk, but Crane is one-dimensional, no personality.
Nelson is supposed to be blustery and stubborn, and Basehart pulls it off somewhat, but it's still a one-note character.
We don't know much about Tony and Doug after 30 episodes, with the exception of the Pearl Harbor show.
Trek, Voyage and Time Tunnel aired during the same era, mid 1960's, so it WAS possible to have a sci fi series with thoughtful writing, just not from Irwin Allen.
Bearing all of the above in mind, you have to admit that Darren and Colbert got a better deal than most of their colleagues. At least the scripts for TTT mostly hang together and work up to a decent climax, giving Doug and Tony no alternative but to suck it up and try and save the day.
Granted there's not much in the way of thoughtful writing or characterization (although there is some clever plotting now and then), but compared to the increasingly inane situations that Williams and family, Basehart and Hedison had to endure I thing the Tunnel cast got off lightly.
I still find TTT good, mindless fun, whereas I can't sit through LIS or Voyage much past the first seasons and LOTG leaves me cold. I guess perhaps TTT was spared a similar fate, only running for thirty episodes.
"Duck, I says..."
What I liked about all the Irwin Allen shows was that they were essentially "B" movies. Cheesy monsters, aliens, enemies -- very stereotypical cardboard characters just a insult away from flying fists and firearms.
shareI totally agree with your assessment of Irwin Allen's sf TV shows lacking decent writing & character development. Allen referred to his various TV series as "running & jumping shows."He wanted action & razzle dazzle FX only,he never aspired to include terrific writing in his projects.I have to disagree with you regarding his shows lacking quality production values.From time to time we did see poor special or visual FX. However,Allen & his team also created some very impressive FX.Lost In Space:The interior set for the Jupiter II & the robot.Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea:Seaview & Flying Sub designs.The Time Tunnel:The TT itself & the generator.Within various episodes of these shows there would also be some cool opticals & props.The teleportation device is a fantastic prop from The Land of the Giants episode "Panic."Not all of the visuals date well but that also applies to such fine sf TV series from that era as The Twilight Zone,The Outer Limits,& Star Trek.Sometimes it was a matter of budget & time for not allowing for superior FX,other times it was a case of the technology they had available at that time.And sometimes the creative artists simply did inferior work,it happens.I don't credit Allen with much regarding his shows & their substandard writing,plot holes,& flat characters.But he & his teams did design some really cool FX along the way.
share