people seem to forget that this was the 70`s, they did not have the filming techniques of today nor did they have the budget, whilst i agree the writers were a bit lax the premise was good, duffy was plausible as was the research sub, the balance was upheld by a worthy nemesis and lats face it, it was a kids programme after all, so lets not judge t.m.f.a too harshly.
sharelats face it, it was a kids programme after all, so lets not judge t.m.f.a too harshly.
I am not sure that it really was a kid's show. I seem to remember an episode where Mark worked at a carnival and got laid.
shareI watched this show when I was a kid. I really wanted to go to the carnival or anywhere in fact, to get laid. So this really was a show for kids...after all. HAHAHAH.
shareI loved watching tmfa as a kid - I was about 13 or 14. Then Patrick Duffy did Dallas and that was the only reason I watched Dallas at all. Remember in Dallas he got resurrected in the shower (and a whole season was nothing more than a dream). So water seems to revive this guy. I really liked him as Scuzzlebutt's leg though. :)
Anyway, tmfa seems pretty lame now, but funny. Oh, those 70's tv shows....
I will take ENORMOUS exception to the idea of it being a children's show and that we should forgive it given that it was from the 70's.
First, this was NOT a children's show. It was a prime time network show on NBC. I'm old enough (50 years old) to remember this show being on at that time, plus there are videos out there where you can hear voice overs in the closing credits which prove this.
Second, the show runner was Herb Solow. This man WORKED on classic Star Trek which is why I find it so incredibly hard for him to have turned around and worked on something which eventually became nothing more than trash. All one has to do is watch the pilot (which did show some potential in spite of a number of its glaring scientific flaws) and then see how the series absolutely degenerated into something which is BENEATH the quality of a children's show with such episodes as Imp, C.W. Hyde, and The Naked Montague.
No, I cannot agree. This TV series is absolute garbage. It could have been something really good (even Patrick Duffy seems to think so), but in the end fell WAY short of other mediocre TV sci-fi shows such as Fantastic Journey or Logan's Run (which as a TV series ended up being an insult to the theatrical film, but that's a discussion for another time).
Second, the show runner was Herb Solow. This man WORKED on classic Star Trek which is why I find it so incredibly hard for him to have turned around and worked on something which eventually became nothing more than trash. All one has to do is watch the pilot (which did show some potential in spite of a number of its glaring scientific flaws) and then see how the series absolutely degenerated into something which is BENEATH the quality of a children's show with such episodes as Imp, C.W. Hyde, and The Naked Montague.
Well said ascringle.
While there are aspects that could have been better (e.g. the script), there other qualities that are a product of the time (i.e. production values). The series is no so bad as some would have you believe, and kept me fairly entertained.
A very interesting premise that deserved better. It will be interesting to read Patrick Duffy's trilogy of 'Man From Atlantis' novels if/when they are released.
You can't palm off a second-rater on me. You gotta remember I was in the pink!