Irwin Allen's special effects & imagination are at the heart of this series. While it was not as successful on CBS as Allen's Voyage was on ABC, this one made a bigger splash in the ratings when it started. That is because of the popularity of it's cast.
The actors & actresses who played the Robinsons were well chosen. June Lockhart & Guy Williams were the perfect parent types. Marta Kristen & Don (not a Robinson but her live in boyfriend on the ship) were good choice to appeal to the older teens. Angela Cartwright & Billy Mumy were attractive to the 8 to 14 year old set, though Angela moved up more into the older teenagers more before the series ended.
The robot, the space ship, the aliens were all imaginative & so was the action that Allen came up with in the series which was well produced. The strength & weakness of the series both were embodied in Jonathan Harris. Dr. Smith was a mixture of helpless like Gilligan on Gilligan's island, always screwing things up, & soap opera villain like JR on Dallas deliberately sabotaging the Robinson families attempts to get back to earth.
Smith's character came to dominate the series much too often & in the end shortened it's run. He drew too much attention away from the adventure & strong cast which established the series. There were some episodes where the robot got out of hand, but towards the end of the show it was pretty much the question do you you want to see how Dr. Smith screwed up this week? Too bad it got mired in this way, as if they had gone back toward adventure more, this series could have lasted longer.
The actors & actresses who played the Robinsons were well chosen. June Lockhart & Guy Williams were the perfect parent types. Marta Kristen & Don (not a Robinson but her live in boyfriend on the ship) were good choice to appeal to the older teens. Angela Cartwright & Billy Mumy were attractive to the 8 to 14 year old set, though Angela moved up more into the older teenagers more before the series ended.
The robot, the space ship, the aliens were all imaginative & so was the action that Allen came up with in the series which was well produced. The strength & weakness of the series both were embodied in Jonathan Harris. Dr. Smith was a mixture of helpless like Gilligan on Gilligan's island, always screwing things up, & soap opera villain like JR on Dallas deliberately sabotaging the Robinson families attempts to get back to earth.
Smith's character came to dominate the series much too often & in the end shortened it's run. He drew too much attention away from the adventure & strong cast which established the series. There were some episodes where the robot got out of hand, but towards the end of the show it was pretty much the question do you you want to see how Dr. Smith screwed up this week? Too bad it got mired in this way, as if they had gone back toward adventure more, this series could have lasted longer.