Some of the best sci-fi films ever made warn us about the threat of artificial intelligence. “The Terminator” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” are among the more popular ones. Less is said about 1976’s “Logan’s Run,” Michael Anderson’s underappreciated dystopian thriller that paved the way for an unsung television series of the same name. Given that the movie is rarely discussed nowadays, it’s unsurprising that the TV spin-off has also disappeared into the ether — and that shouldn’t be the case.
Based on William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson’s novel of the same name, “Logan’s Run” tells the story of the City of Domes, a supercomputer-controled authoritarian state where citizens live in hedonistic bliss. Sounds decent, right? Well, there’s a catch: everyone must die when they turn 30 to keep the population under control. But some people want longer lives, causing them to go on the run in search of a safe haven known as Sanctuary — if they can survive the City of Domes’ Sandmen.
The “Logan’s Run” TV series follows the film’s main characters, Logan 5 and Jessica 6, as they go on the run, with actors Gregory Harrison and Heather Menzies replacing Michael York and Jenny Agutter, respectively. The show also boasts a similar premise to the movie, but it contains enough original ideas to make it stand out.
Logan’s Run was short-lived on CBS
“Logan’s Run” is one of many ’70s sci-fi movies that everyone should see at least once, but don’t skip out on the TV show. The series sees Logan 5 and Jessica 6 exploring the wider world outside of the City of Domes, where they encounter aliens, time travelers, and other surprises while trying to evade the Sandmen. They are also accompanied by an android named Rem (Donald Moffat), who was created for the show.
The “Logan’s Run” series strikes a perfect balance between honoring the movie came before and expanding on its ideas. The universe feels larger, and the story-of-the-week format gave creators more room to experiment with ideas. That said, the “Logan’s Run” TV show lacks the film’s darker qualities, as it was seemingly made for the whole family to enjoy. However, “Logan’s Run” attracted some of the best writers in sci-fi to pen episodes, including Harlan Ellison and “Star Trek” alum D.C. Fontana, so don’t go into it expecting a cookie-cutter show. “Logan’s Run” is full of imagination.
Unfortunately, Logan 5 and Jessica 6’s small-screen adventures were brief. CBS canceled “Logan’s Run” after 14 episodes, ending what might have been a great ongoing sci-fi series. Heather Menzies blames the original “Star Wars” for its demise, as its special effects made “Logan’s Run” look cheap. Be that as it may, Season 1 is easy enough to hunt down if you want to check it out.
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