The Man from Atlantis was a science fiction show that aired on NBC from 1977-1978. Before the series premiered in September, four television movies had aired earlier in the year. Because the telefilms were successful, the network decided to create the series to capitalize on the popularity.
Patrick Duffy, who later became Bobby Ewing on the blockbuster prime time soap opera Dallas starred as Mark Harris. Harris was an amnesiac who was believed to be the last survivor of Atlantis. Of course, he possessed superhuman capabilities. In addition to having an incredible amount of strength, he could also breathe underwater and had a high tolerance for extreme depth pressures.
These abilities made him very attractive to the Foundation for Oceanic Research who ended up recruiting him. The Foundation was a government organization that conducted top secret research in a submarine called the Cetacean. Each week, Mark would be pitted against various nefarious entities and he would have to use his talents to thwart their evil plans.
The series also starred Belinda Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and Alan Fudge as C.W. Crawford, Jr. One of the main villains on the show was Mr. Schubert who was played by the wonderful veteran character actor, Victor Buono.
Eventually, the series added additional actors to create the crew of the Cetacean. By the time the twelfth episode rolled around, Belinda Montgomery moved on and was replaced by Lisa Blake Richards who played Dr. Jenny Reynolds. She didn’t make it to the final show which did not feature any actresses.
If you are looking to add this program to your private collection, the series and the telemovies are available on DVD. In 2012, The Man from Atlantis was the subject of a Q&A Panel to celebrate “Retro TV Action-Adventure-Thon” at the Paley Center for Media in New York.
In the years following the demise of The Man from Atlantis, Duffy starred in the hit sitcom, Step by Step as well as the Dallas reboot reprising Bobby Ewing in 2012. Belinda Montgomery went on to have a recurring role on the show Simon & Simon as well as Miami Vice and Doogie Howser.
Another show I completely forgot about! Where are you finding this stuff, Susan?
My childhood, lol. I am systematically going through my fav tv shows one at a time!
Oh I’ve got one that always pops into my brain at random moments, I’m going to wait until you hit the early 80s and see if it comes up – until then no spoilers for you other readers 🙂
Yes, the 70s happen to be the formative years where I watched quite a bit of obscure tv. I will work my way toward the 80s. See if I find your show, lol.
I vaguely remember this show.I was only a baby when this was out.I haven’t seen this on TV ever.I would certainly watch it if it ever comes on.I liked Duffy in Dallas(original)of which I was ,and still am a fan . Great post!!
Thanks, Jigs. I do know you can find the episodes on You Tube. I will admit to having a small crush on Duffy. It was those eyes. I am a sucker for green eyes, lol. I appreciate the comments!
Nice job Susan. I always watched this show and Dallas too!
Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate it & the comments.