BY LEE PFEIFFER
"Lost in Space", the sci-fi cult favorite that fell squarely into the "so bad, it's good" category, will get a relaunch from Netflix, which will develop a ten-episode trial series. The original series debuted in 1965 and ran for three seasons but is arguably more popular today among sci-fi buffs who look back fondly on the show's over-the-top humor and cheesy special effects. The series was the brainchild of producer Irwin Allen, who was associated with other popular sci-fi series of the era and who would go on to produce disaster movie blockbusters like "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno". The premise of the show was a space age tale of survival inspired by the classic adventure novel "Swiss Family Robinson". The modern Robinsons were a family on a U.S. space mission who found themselves stranded and destined to travel between planets, encountering various exotic life forms. Accompanying the family were a handsome navigator and a weasley, back-stabbing stowaway, Dr. Smith, played by Jonathan Harris, who went on to steal the show and become a pop culture icon. The series also featured the Robinson's personal robot (actually Robbie the Robot, recycled from the 50s feature film "Forbidden Planet"), whose mechanical warning "Danger, Will Robinson!" became a national catch-phrase.
The series inspired a poorly received 1998 feature film version. The Netflix series has elicited the usual promises from its creators that it will bring the format into a new era while remaining reverent to the original show's roots. Uh-huh. Sometimes you simply can't go home again. Given some of the poor remakes of older TV series, maybe this project should indeed remain lost in space, but we'll reserve our judgment until we see the end result.
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