Logan's Run: The Complete Series

Logan's Run was a very short lived series, only 14 episodes were created before the series was cancelled. It was loosely based on the hit movie, but with some significant differences. The movie was a bit of an oddity too, but it had a rather indefinite ending. Logan's Run deals with a post nuclear war society kept prisoner in a multi-domed city. It was a completely hedonistic society, which was emphasized much more completely in the movie version, but was undoubtedly toned down for the censored TV of the 70s. No doubt it was created for the golden "family hour" that was popular with the networks at the time in a failed effort to create shows that were appropriate for the entire family (read lacking sexual/adult content). The down side to living in the City of Domes was that people were promised a reincarnation at the age of 30, but were really be put to death in a colorful ritual call "carousel" when they reached that age. It was never fully explained why this was so--whether it was for population control or some other reason; but it was forbidden for anyone to visit the outside world and whatever the original plan was had been long since lost or corrupted. We might assume that they were being kept in the city until a day where the surface of the Earth was more habitable for human being, but if that was the case the mission was completely lost (in the movie version it appears faulty computers were to blame). To prevent people from leaving the city executioners called Sandmen were employed to annihilate people who wouldnt go to carousel or those trying to escape. Logan's Run deals with Logan (a Sandman who questioned the order of things) and Jessica, who didn't to become incinerated at 30, and became runners who manage to escape together. In the ruins of Washington DC they find an old solar hovercraft and set off to find "Sanctuary", a place said to be where people could live beyond 30 in safety; but no one knew where it was. Along the way they pick up a clever and witty android name Rem.I watched the show as a teenager, but wasn't able to keep up with it due to changing time slots and other conflicts--which was what undoubtedly lead to it's demise. I don't think that it was deliberately campy, it was just the style of those types of series in those days--like the original Battlestar Galactica series. It was definitely better than the later Buck Rogers series, which had better effects but poor writing.This was not a lame show, on what appeared to be a very limited budget it attempted to be a decent science fiction show. Deeply involved was DC Fontana who was a major writer and consultant for the original Star Trek series. They had some decent and known science fiction writers do stories for them. The exploration of a post apocalyptic USA was intriguing, although there were some continuity problems if one looked deeply enough, for the most part the stories were well written. I believe Rem was Ms.Fontana's attempt to add a Spock-like character to the mix and made a good addition to the show's cast. Like Spock he was highly analytical and had capabilities beyond that of human beings. There were some well know TV actors who played guest spots as well as some who had been in other science fiction shows.There is no attempt at restoration on this series, the episodes are "as-is" and there is not bonus materials or extras of any kind, which is a shame because I think that this much overlooked show deserved a little better treatment even if they just dug up some archival materials about it. Shows like NIght Gallery and Time Tunnel got much kinder treatment for their DVD releases. I hope that future releases rectify this oversight. I highly recommend the series to those who liked the movie if they can overlook the somewhat rudimentary special effects and mat paintings, because the story deserves a 2nd look. I think Logan's Run is ripe for a update like was done with Battlestar Galactica and V, perhaps if enough people buy the DVDs the studios will give it some thought.

Love this series but the film quality was awful it needs to be Blu-ray/4k please do it right

Nostalgic

I remember watching the TV version of Logan's Run when I was a teenager. Back then I didn't find the stories terribly interesting but my love of the original movie gave me a reason to pick up the DVD of the TV series to reevaluate this show.First off, everyone is correct regarding the image quality of the DVD. While the images are sharp and clear, there are lots of scratches and other blemishes that make the episodes less than pristine.Gregory Harrison is a bit stiff as Logan, though he comes across as a sincere character who is concerned about the predicament he finds himself in.Heather Menzies is also effective in her role. She's not just a companion or a "damsel in distress". She is written to be a very independent and smart character who is integral to solving the problems encountered week to week.Donald Moffat really stands out as REM however. He tends to get the best lines and delivers them in his lovely drole yet dispassionate voice. He is of course the show's Mr. Spock or Lt. Data. He's the outsider who can comment on human condition in ways that Logan and Jessica cannot.Let's face it, this show was attempting to be Star Trek on land instead of space. Certainly their over-riding goal was to find Sanctuary but it's the people and situations they encounter from week to week that makes the show interesting. In many cases Logan, Jessica and REM take a back seat to the characters they encounter but the stars of the show don't quite gel as a team like Kirk, Spock and McCoy did in Trek. If the show had made it past its initial 13 episodes, ways would have been found to make us care more for the main cast of the show.Having gone through the show's flaws, I do find the episodes to be remarkably interesting and relevant. Credit certainly goes to D.C. Fontana, the show's story editor, who was a Star Trek veteran. She recruited some top-notch talent to contribute story ideas to the show. While the show's basic format resembles "The Fugitive", the stories elevate the basic premise into something more interesting. There are some great concepts, though there are a couple of clunkers as well.Credit must also be given to the set designers and special effects crew. I cringed when I saw that most of the optical effects were in fact video effects mastered on film. I did begin to appreciate how well many of these video effects were actually incorporated into the show and some impressive effects were certainly achieved.The design of the hovercar looks like something borrowed from a Flash Gordon serial of the 1930's but the prop works very well and allows Logan, Jessica and REM to get from story to story with a minimum of fuss.A great deal of the show takes place outdoors, but the interior sets are surprisingly large and detailed. Props and elements were reused from week to week and the sets have that odd 1970's cheap TV look. However, the set designers obviously had fun and some of the sets are nicely realized.All in all, I'm very happy to have purchased this DVD. The 1970's were pretty hit and miss when it came to Sci-Fi entertainment on TV, especially from the three main networks at the time. However, Logan's Run was certainly a very well done show and its a pity that it wasn't given a chance to meet its full potential.

The DVD was intact, good quality, an old late seventies SCI FI show that brings back a lot of memories, I enjoyed it even though the stories are not as gripping as I remembered them

ik zit al meer dan een maand te wachten achter mijn bestelling,maar heb eindelijk contact gehad met hen en ze hebben een oplossing gezocht die ons beiden gelukkig maakt.Ik zou zeggen hou het goed in de gaten en bedankt aan de verkoper voor de vriendelijke reactie

Version originale, sous-titrée en français. Une série que j'ai entre-apperçue lorsque j'étais enfant, j'étais attiré par le rôle de Donald Moffat (Rem, l'androïde) que je trouvais très sympathique et rigolo. Cette série télévisée de 1977 est arrivée un an après le film du même nom et deux acteurs sont reconnaissables (Peter Ustinof et Farrah Fawcett). La philosophie qui se cache derrière chaque épisode avec des questionnements sur des décisions à prendre, exemple: Vous avez un serum qui permet de sauver 4 personnes. Vous trouvez deux fioles et ça tombe bien, il y a 8 personnes à sauver! Malheureusement, lors d'un tremblement de terre, une fiole est cassée. Des huits personnes à sauver, vous ne pouvez plus qu'en faire profiter à quatre d'entre eux. Comment et qui a le droit de vie ou de mort? Comment procéder? Que feriez-vous? Voilà le genre de questions, de dilemmes que posent le scénariste en 1976, à nos yeux. Au travers de cette série, nous faisons un retour en arrière sur les effets spéciaux de l'époque et aussi sur la façon dont les gens pensaient et agissaient. La psychologie y est très présente et les réactions sont édulcorées par l'incompréhension d'une machine androïde (ne dites pas "machine", il n'aime pas du tout qu'on le traite ainsi) nommé Rem, pour les sentiments humains mais qui trouve intéressant d'en apprendre plus sur le sujet.

The movie Logan's Run was a classic from the word go considering the subjects addressed. This seriescontinues the premise with the same characters , but different actors. Logan and Jessica continue totravel about outside in search of Sanctuary and each week interact with a new group , while still beingpursued by Sandmen from the Domed City. Along the way they pick up a traveling companion who isa Cyborg , part human , part robot. The story plots become quite thoughtful along the way with inputfrom for instance Harlan Ellison. One of the best episodes has Mariette Hartley guest starring. She is alsoa cyborg and cyborg love is in the air. Alas like Romo and Julie , not to be.Good entertainment , but dated. Comes from the same era as the first Star Trek , therefore , flashing lightsmean high tech. Sort of corny , but good nostalgia.

E' un telefilm che non ha avuto un grande successo, ma che rivedendolo si fa ancora apprezzare. Raccomandato agli amanti della fantascienza.