User Reviews

What do you do when you served as Executive Producer to one of the decade's most expensive failures, and you have all these leftover props, costumes, sets, and special effects film footage lying around? If you're Glen Larson, and the failed series was "Battlestar Galactica", you consider producing another Science Fiction-themed series, less pretentious and more 'audience-friendly', that can utilize all the surplus...

...and in a very real sense, that's how "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" came to television, in 1979! Based, originally, on a 1928 short story, 'Buck Rogers' achieved his greatest fame in comic strips, radio, and a movie serial in the 1930s, but by 1979, the character had been 'retired' for 28 years, and Larson knew he could 'update' the story without arousing much controversy. The 'new' Buck was an astronaut piloting the last of Earth's 'Deep Space' probes, Ranger 3, in 1987(!), which was thrown off-course by a cosmic disturbance, and damaged, entering a centuries-long looping orbit back to Earth, and releasing a mix of gases that placed Rogers into suspended animation for 500 years. Revived by the evil Draconian Empire, Rogers soon is returned to an Earth in ruins after a nuclear holocaust, where he gradually earns the government's trust, and becomes a civilian 'troubleshooter', using his 20th century wiles to save Mankind, again and again.

Casting was essential for the series to succeed, and Larson made an inspired choice in Gil Gerard, 36, as the lead. Ruggedly handsome, Gerard combined maturity with a boyish charm, and an ability to make even the most risqué remark seem unoffensive (and the series pilot, released theatrically, had a LOT of risqué remarks!) As Wilma Deering, a Colonel in Earth's Defense Force, Erin Gray, 29, was a bit wooden, but gloriously beautiful, and wholesomely sexy; Tim O'Connor, 52, as wise Dr. Huer, provided kind stability and statesman-like wisdom to the mix, and a goofy little robot, "Twiki", voiced by Mel Blanc, gave the kids something to enjoy (although he would utter an occasional risqué or ethnic aside, as well).

The first season of "Buck Rogers", while certainly not 'Classic TV', offered an entertaining mix of adventure and comedy, with stories that intentionally avoided the 'heaviness' that plagued "Galactica". Rogers would face a variety of galactic terrorists, dictators, and madmen, fend off advances by a variety of scantily-clad women, and maintain a "Will they or Won't they?" relationship with Deering. High points were the guest appearances by Pamela Hensley as the evil but vampy Drackonian Princess Ardala, in huge head wear (and little else), and, in a wonderful cameo, the legendary Buster Crabbe, who'd played both "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon" in the 1930s, as 'Brigadier Gordon'.

While ratings were mediocre, at best, the series was renewed for a second season...and all the mistakes of "Galactica" were repeated, when the Earth-centered series was dropped, in favor of a starship-based, 'serious' adventure, as Buck and Wilma joined in a "Galactica"-like search for 'lost' tribes of humans who'd fled Earth at the time of the Holocaust. Why was the entire concept changed so abruptly, and disastrously? The reason I've been told, was that Gerard, a devout Christian, did not like the sexual undercurrent of the first season, and wanted stories that would be more uplifting and family-friendly, and that he forced the changes on a less-than-enthusiastic Glen Larson. Whether or not this was true, the season lacked all the swashbuckling joy of Season One, and despite an attempt to introduce a bird-like, stoic alien ('Hawk', portrayed by Thom Christopher), to attract the "Spock" crowd, the episodes were frequently dull and uninspired, and the ratings plummeted. When NBC canceled the series, just 13 episodes into Season Two, no one was truly surprised.

While Gerard's post-"Buck Rogers" career was a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows, Erin Gray enjoyed a long, successful run on "Silver Spoons", and both actors, today, are popular Convention guests, as both "Buck Rogers" and Larson's "Battlestar Galactica" have achieved 'cult' status.

"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" will never be held in the kind of esteem "Star Trek" or "Babylon 5" enjoy, but, as a rare chance to see how television viewed Science Fiction in the "Disco Decade", the series has earned it's own piece of immortality!

This series is fun and somewhat compelling to watch. But in every episode there are recurring incidents which defy any sense of innovativeness: 1. Panels on walls are destroyed. Approximately three per episode. This is done primarily to lock someone in a room.

2. Buck Rogers is deep in enemy territory and uses force to get the job done. 9 of 10 episodes' problems are solved in this manner. If he is captured or wants to free someone, he'll just have to start swinging at the guards and everything will be fine. Never any solutions based on intellect.

3. Buck Rogers is labeled by someone as the most perfect creature in the entire universe.

4. A new woman is introduced and shows immediate affection for Buck Rogers.

5. When they are flying in space, there is no variation from the theme of shooting at other spacecraft, and one hit always means the destruction of the target.

6. Twiki is unable to say anything that isn't deeply annoying.

7. Dr. Huer is very sensible.

8. The shows end with Rogers, Deering, Huer and Twiki eating at Buck's apartment and Rogers is laughing as the frame freezes.

All this aside, it's a good series. Not many dull moments. However, don't watch the episode called "A Blast for Buck", it's just a mixture of various flashbacks from previous episodes, and the real time ending is almost worse than the flashbacks.

This stuff is classic. Pretty good plots. Nice little performances. You had Mr. Down-to-earth 20th century macho man Buck (complete with 70's dry-look over-the-ears hair) & straight-laced, but sexy fighter-pilot Wilma, and comic-relief, lusty little robot Twiki. And a talking necklace and boring old man, both named "Doctor".

Every week you could count on intrigue, double crosses, and buck knocking out 25 armed henchman, using his patented "Buck Fu" technique. And near the end, Twiki would say something like, "BDBDBDBDBDBD, Buck rocks me like a hurricaine."

This stuff is infinitely more amusing and entertaining that much of the sullen, sensitive and overly technical tv sci-fi of today.

It's a simple formula that works. action action action, tight shiny space outfits (on men & women) and a few lame jokes.

In 1987, American astronaut Captain Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard), on the last of the deep space explorer Ranger 3, gets diverted and frozen in a widen orbit. 504 years later, he is heading back to Earth. He is picked up and thawed out by Draconian Princess Ardala and her aide Kane. They send him home trying to steal the access code to earth's shield and launch an invasion. Earth is recovering from a devastating nuclear holocaust. Dr. Elias Huer leads the Defense Directorate. There are also Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) and the diminutive robot Twiki carrying around computer AI Dr. Theopolis. The strike-shortened second season has Buck, Wilma and Twiki on the spaceship Searcher on a mission to find lost human colonies launched in the centuries earlier.

Trying to chase the Star Wars dollars, this NBC show came out around two years later. It's part disco. Buck Rogers is trying to be rock and roll. The show could do more with his fish out of water aspect. Erin Gray looks hot in her tight spandex and pretty cool in her white outfit. For some reason, the crew wears a sailor uniform in the second season. The acting is generally functional. Twiki is one of the most recognizable TV robots. The stories are slow and meandering. The writing is not that good. It's unintentional camp. It's all pretty cheesy but at least, it's memorable cheese like the opening credits.

The first season has an rambling quality about it. It would be better to be in a full on war with Princess Ardala but it's a bunch of tangential stories. The second season reboots the show after the writers' strike. There are tons of changes and the show lost its audience. They change Twiki and the general drive of the show. Hawk is a memorable addition but generally, the second season is even more blend. The extended episodes do not help. It's inferior sci-fi but it does have its moments.

Buck Rogers was ahead of its time, looking ahead to the 25th century where we can only imagine how social media will operate.

Gil Gerard was convincing as Buck Rogers and it's a shame this series didn't run longer.

It's hard to believe that the pilot movie "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" was released to theaters in 1979 because it's so cartoony and the effects are downright lame compared to "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," which came out eight months later. Not to mention the original Star Wars Trilogy. Heck, the F/X don't even hold up to The Original Series of Star Trek that ran from 1966-1969. No kidding.

Yet, this doesn't mean that the pilot movie "Awakening" or the series isn't entertaining. It is, but don't expect the maturity or quality of Star Trek, although some episodes come close. Star Trek is dramatic science-fiction whereas Star Wars is a fantasy packaged as science-fiction or "space fantasy." "Buck Roger" — the pilot movie and the series — tries to walk the line between these two and ends up being inferior to both. But, again, this doesn't mean it's not entertaining, particularly for kids or adults who just wanna turn off their brains and have fun.

While most of the stories in series are okay at best, and often lame, the main protagonists and most of the guest stars are outstanding. Gil Gerard in the titular role, for instance, is just as effective as William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, maybe even more so, if that were possible. And then there's Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering, one of the hottest space babes in the history of film or television. Not to mention, Pamela Hensley has the requisite "looks that kill" as the oversexed antagonist, Ardala (not that she trips my trigger). And then there's the gazillion of female guests throughout the series that are often even more beautiful than the aforementioned two, like Ryma (Brianne Leary) in "Planet of the Slave Girls" or Nyree (Liberty Godshall)in "Planet of the Amazon Women." Needless to say, "Buck Rogers" scores the highest possible points on the female front, particularly the 1st season.

While Thom Christopher doesn't appear in the pilot movie or the 1st season, he's a regular in the 2nd season and a highlight. He had the potential for greatness, like Spock, but it was never fully realized because the series lacked the great writing and rewriting of the creators of Star Trek (e.g. Gene Roddenberry, Dorthy Fontana and Gene Coon). Star Trek alumnus, Barbara Luna, is breathtaking as Hawk's wife, Koori, in two episodes of the 2nd season.

Speaking of the 2nd season, it's more dramatic than the 1st season with a more Trek-ian format and delivery, but it's still unmistakably Buck Rogers. There are less space babes and more attempts at serious space drama. Although it's generally inferior to the 1st season, it's superior in some ways and has its quality episodes, like "Time of the Hawk," "Journey to Oasis," "Mark of the Saurian," "The Hand of Goral" and "The Dorian Secret."

Then there's the curiously phallus-looking Twiki, a somewhat lovable robot who takes a backseat in the 2nd season to a more "Short Circuit"-looking robot (of course that movie didn't come out for another six years).

Buck Rogers (the series) is hard to rate because, on the one hand, the cheese-factor is so high with the comic book tone, (mostly) dubious special effects and banal stories, but the main protagonists and guest stars are outstanding and somehow pull off the often lame material. It's amazing, but true. There's also something to be said for the nostalgic and innocent style of the pilot and series. Nevertheless, I can't in good conscience give "Buck Rogers" a higher rating.

The pilot runs about 89 minutes while the double episodes run 97 minutes and the single-episodes 48 minutes.

GRADE: B- (but a solid "B" for overall entertainment)

As the original costume designer for the feature movie that introduced "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," I can only say that the only thing I have learned from reading all these reviews is that there are a great many silly rumors circulating out there about the show.

It was always meant to be campy, and therefore all the costumes for the movie/pilot were intentionally done to be outrageous. Gil Gerard started off like a sausage and became the Michelin Man during the first shoot. And not only did he stuff his mouth, he stuffed everyone else's head with his opinions about EVERYTHING. He was the biggest blow-hard this side of the Great Gildersleeve (old time radio). He always wanted things changed for him. It continued after BR was over, and need I say more about how stellar his career has been. The chicken always return to roost!

Pamela Hensley, Erin Grey, Tim O'Connor, Felix Silla, and Duke Butler were impeccably professional, and so much fun and joy to work with. Henry Silva was a horror and not in the least professional.

I loved creating the exotic, colorful Draconian garb that contrasted with the sterile Earthlings who had lost joy in their existence. It gave it a true comic book look that was completely different from the earth tones I gave to the military uniforms and civilian attire in "Battlestar Galactica." It thrills me to no end when I hear from people that I had done both since they look nothing alike.

Designing for television is extremely hard because of the time turnaround. Everyone connected with the show only has seven days from the beginning of the shooting of one episode, to it end, and then starting a brand new episode following it. It's no wonder that some of the processed shots of pilots in their crafts sometimes got confusing.

It's not as bad as having an actress come in wearing a dress and then leave the room in a blouse and pants because it was edited wrong.

Princess Ardala was cast first, before Wilma. Therefore, because Pamela Hensley was a brunette, Universal requested Erin Grey to become a blonde.

I was rather thrilled a year later when I was given the best costume achievement for a film award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Academy. My competition, was strangely enough, "Battlestar Galactica."

And it's quite rewarding after three decades to find out that there have been so many devoted fan of this show. Thank you.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is one of those simple but most entertaining science fiction adventures on television of my younger years. Charming characters, adventures and action galore, some crazy ideas too, like the Battlestar Galactica show provides too. The well known movie, a pilot to the show in full movie length (episode 1 and 2 of the show), is simple but superb sci-fi, and maybe the best part of the whole show. Like Battlestar Galactica, not every episode is of equal and strong quality, but as a whole the show is an (still) enjoyable journey - of course, the special effects look very dated to today's eyes (some may be tempted to say nostalgic). Exact rating: 6 + 1 bonus for nostalgic reasons only.

What's not to love about many 70-80s shows that had beautiful actresses like Ms. Gray? The show overall was pretty standard fare and changed significantly when they went on the Searcher. Buck Rogers is an iconic serial hero and Gerard did not disappoint. Watching it 40 years later makes the out of time references that Buck so often gave are even better than when it originally aired.

Now was there cheese -- yes. Some of the gags and such were pretty "bad" but still entertaining. Gray and the other Buck-girls were very easy on the eyes but also very talented. Watching it as an adult I picked up on sexual references that I doubt I picked up when watching originally.

Gerard and Gray made a nice couple and had a chemistry that only got better as the series continued. It's really nice that MeTV plays this show.

When I found this on DVD on the net I got excited. I have some fond memories of the TV show when it was first on in the 80s here in Australia.

I have to admit though that the second season was not as much fun as the first. The stories tried way too hard to be "serious" and cutting back the other cast ruined it for me.

The best episodes in the series were "Time Of The Hawk" and "Testimony Of A Traitor" IMHO.

Loved the show, the sets and even the many goofs in the episodes themselves.

6/10

I loved watching this with my dad on TV back in the late 70's. Good clean family fun. I know I watched every episode. I recently got the DVD box set. It really brought back some memories. Mostly of how hot Princess Ardala was. wow, what a fox! Even at 11 years old I didn't get why Buck just didn't run off with her. I would have. Yeah, stay here in the future and be your love slave on this space ship, OK I can do that. Go ahead and enslave the earth, I'll just slip into some space spandex for your highness; plus every one I know from 1979 is dead any way. All in all it was a fun show for the most part. Robots, lasers and space battles, pure 70's goodness. Also it had a lot of sexy girls running around in spandex; a big bonus for young boys of the day. I have to agree with most fans here about the 2nd season not being as good as the first. You think with all the re-makes the Sci-fi channel is doing they could do a really good one of this.

In 1987 Buck Rogers, a NASA astronaut, is involved in an accident in space, resulting in him being frozen in his ship. He awakes in the year 2491 to find that the Earth is at war with the Draconian Empire. He is soon involved in the fight for Earth's survival.

A show that I particularly enjoyed as a kid. The sci fi nature of it, though never too implausible, the action scenes, the man-out-of-time nature of Buck Rogers' existence, Colonel Deering/Erin Gray.... The show had everything a boy could want.

Even looking back as an adult it holds up well, unlike many of my childhood favourites which now seem quite cheesy.

Season one was an interesting and fun season of science fiction. Season one had all the makings of a series waiting to grow into a bigger phenomenon. Who made the bad choice to take Buck off of the Earth and put him onto a spaceship? Who made the horrible decision to stop Mel Blanc from doing Twiki's voice and making Twiki sound like a dork? Who made the bad choice to give us Hawk---a bad, bad, bad character? Season two was an absolute mess. Season two destroyed what could have become another growing series of sci-fi tales. Season one would get a 7 rating--season two would get a 3 rating--so a 5 average is what I am giving this show.

Before watching Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, can I make a suggestion? Deposit your brain in another room, sit down and enjoy a fantastic fun-filled show.

Gil Gerard (with a straight face) played Buck Rogers who was a man 500 years out of time. He awoke in the 25th century to battle evil, mainly the Draconians. He met other villains along the way. Joining him was an annoying (but loveable) robot called Twiki and the sexy Wilma Deering (played by Erin Gray).

Fans of Flash Gordon will enjoy this. It's camp, it's tongue in cheek and it's got everything a sci-fi fan will want. Forget painfully average shows like Star Trek:Voyager and check out this show full of action, drama and most importantly beautiful women.

I will never understand what happened to this show. The pilot and the initial first episodes were downright good. Gil Gerard played Buck as basically a pretty good guy. He was a little cocky but he was a former astronaut so you could see that. For my money Erin Gray was wonderful as Colonel Wilma Deering. Today they do all this talking about "kick arse" women but there was no one greater that Wilma. She acts like a Colonel and smacks Buck down a few pegs when she is concerned he is a threat. Then Dr. Elias Huer who was sort of a president figure who takes Buck sort of under his wing. The costume design was quite good and I enjoyed looking at all the main characters and the bad guys. But then, they had the second season. Pretty sure they were told to turn Wilma into a docile idiot and they put her in a skirt with ... apparently a waitress hat. Don't even get me started. Just watch the pilot and the first few episodes. Why hasn't this tv show been re booted?

There are many problems with this TV Series and it certainly does not maintain the quality of the pseudo movie, but I found this a lot of fun. Gil is a perfect Buck Rogers and Erin Gray is wonderful as Colonel Deering. I would have loved to see Colonel Deering fleshed out more and I feel the romantic sub-plot, which worked so well in the movie, should have been maintained. But saying all of that it all worked reasonable well. Some episodes really stand out as being excellent, the plot to kill a city, Space Vampire, A Blast for Buck, A Dream of Jennifer and Flight of the war Witch are all good episodes. Some are not so good. The second season is not as good as the first, but I still managed to find the odd gem. I

After Star Wars come along such series like this and unreleased on DVD in Brazil, but have several people that sell it on internet with classic dubbed version, to see Erin Gray in tight outfit is amazing one of the reasons that l like this series, in this episode Buck in trapped by Princess Ardala who want a Buck's robotic duplicates to use as fighter pilots, before she wants one more time convincing Buck to stays with her, Ardala is evil but very pretty woman, but Wilma Deering is much better and sexy too!!! This series is really cool and funny!!

Who didnt have a crush on Erin Grey as a kid ? This was a light cheesy humorous sci fi show that had weekly female guest stars playing various scantily clad aliens or villains. Lots of familiar faces pop up throughout the series. Gil Gerard was a decent enough lead who smiles and smirks his way out of trouble several times an episode. This show would have you believe he is the hottest man in the galaxy the way all the females swoon over him. As for the action, it is pretty steady throughout the show with Buck and Wilma getting disarmed and kidnapped at least twice and episode. Also they dont even try to conceal the stunt doubles used in this show. Its pretty hilarious actually. All in all its a fun show.

It's hard for me to find Sci-Fi that I don't like. I'll be the 1st to admit! I grew up on this show. Even though it came out when I was so young that I barely remembered it at the time, it was in re-runs enough that I caught up with all of them.

My grandfather and I used to watch this together all the time. He loved this show too. Later it became apparent that the two of us (like most of the guys out there that were big fans of this show) were at least partially in it because of Erin Gray.

Yes, Erin Gray is beautiful! She looks awesome in spandex, everyone knows the line.

Erin Gray, Spandex, Yay!

Okay, I got that out of my system. Space Vampire, Cruise Ship to the Stars and the one about the kid that had the "midas touch" were a few of my personal favorites. The pilot was awesome too, ahead of it's time and very good! The only other pilot I ever like that much would have to be (the original) Battlestar Gallactica.

Gil Gerrard Really nailed it. He really made it work. I'd have to agree with those out there that think he's sort of a "space" James Bond. He is, but he makes that persona his own. He's the sort of good guy that really grows on you. I hate to sound old-fashioned but most of the good guys now-a-days are whiny head-cases!

I really miss this show most of all because of memories of my grandfather (who has passed on now) and I watching this show religiously. Good Times!

"Universal" studios didn't produce many Science Fiction television shows but the ones they did make are pretty good. "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" was another version of that 1939 serial programme with Larry "Buster" Crabbe (who made an appearance in this series). The above series is what I would describe as being undemanding fun on a "comic strip" level. It doesn't take itself too seriously most of the time, which is just as well as the viewers certainly didn't! Buck Rogers is an astronaut from 1986 who ends up being frozen in time whilst in outer space and doesn't awake until the 25th century. The low budget is the main drawback of "Buck Rogers" as some of the effects and camera shots demanded more time and money. Alas, the final results of the special effects are hardly convincing. The writing rarely rises above the ordinary but still not bad. The supporting cast and the action scenes really compensate though and the show's pace was pretty good. Tim O' Connor was an asset to the show and I was rather disappointed when he was written out after the end of the first season. The show lasted for two seasons and it was fairly successful with the public.

I'm not a big sci-fi fan and I only like a handful of TV series such as The planet of the Apes, Dr Who (Jon Pertwee is my fave), Star Trek (60's), and Battlestar Galactica, but the one I'm now reviewing is my favourite of the bunch, and it's unfair to compare Buck Rogers to Star Trek etc., as it has its own style, and of course, it's deeply immersed in the Disco-era - its action-packed, camp, fun, has Erin Gray looking hot and wearing skin-tight costumes, has involving plots, and is mainly tongue-in-cheek, or at least the first season is, wacky and pure escapism.

The star of the show is Gil Gerard, who plays Buck Rogers as a ladies man, but who is a good guy, has some rakish charm, throws some good action moves and is like James Bond. Pamela Hensley as Princess Ardala is another standout character, a hottie to boot.

I first watched this on LWT ( British TV) when it was first released, then later on BBC2 in 1994-1996, and I enjoyed it both times. That's because I appreciate it's escapism aspects, it's unbridled ability to entertain. Cheesy yes, but that isn't a bad thing in my book. It's much more fun and unpretentious than Star Trek Of the early nineties or it's spin-offs.

Come on everyone, your memories must be failing you because this show was made on the cheap. That included cheap sets and costumes (think back ten years earlier when we had the likes of LIS and ST) along with rookie writers and directors. The LIS robot was kicking (still is) but instead we got "Twiki" a totally irritating silver plastic dwarf. The special effects were done well with what budget there was. I assume that IL&M who did the effects, were very costly. The acting talent wasn't bad, Gil Gerard was suitably cast as Buck, essentially playing him as Captain Kirk. Erin Gray was adequate as Wilma but she didn't bring much to the character of Wilma (you'd think in the 25th century no one would be named Wilma). She was very one dimensional. The show had an antiseptic quality to it with those white plastic (cheap) cubes that people in the 25th century supposedly build their buildings with. Also, everyone in the future will wear bright, shiny clothing! As a teen during its first run, I watched it because that's all we had except for Star Trek reruns but even I knew the show was a poor production when you had guest stars such as Gary Coleman. The major networks never liked Sci-Fi shows, giving them low budgets and bad time slots. Perhaps the next time Buck is dusted off, the Sci-Fi Channel will get it right.

Like the other creations on Glen A. Larson, this was mindless fun too. Like Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica and The A-Team, It had the ideas, the story, the characters and was executed very well. It used the same effects system as Battlestar Galactica but was based along the lines of the 1930's series of Buck Rogers starring Buster Crabbe. The story goes that in the year 1987, Buck blasted of into space to probe space. Events take a drastic turn as his ship and his life clock freeze, putting him into, what seems, an eternal orbit until four and a half centuries later when he is revived by Princess Ardalla of the Draconian Empire and sent back to earth but it's not as he knows it!!! Gil Gerard stars as Captain William 'Buck' Rogers in what isn't as good as Battlestar Galactica but is good in its own right. Where as Battlestar Galactica has, in my opinion, a grittier feel, Buck Rogers has a comic strip, family appeal and look to it. Some of the acting is suspect but not in some places. If you liked Battlestar Galactica, give this a go. You never know, you may like it!!!