ONE SEASON WONDERS: Fantasy Island

FANTASY ISLAND

September 26, 1998 - January 23, 1999

13 episodes

ABC

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Madchen Amick, Edward Hibbert, Louis Lombardi, with Sylvia Sidney and Fyvush Finkel

Based on: Fantasy Island by Gene Levitt, Developed by Bob Josephson

Plot: A remake of the popular 1977-1984 anthology, each week new guests arrive at the mysterious Fantasy Island where they encounter Mr. Roarke (McDowell) and his shapeshifting lieutenant, Ariel (Amick). Rounding out the main cast is the island bellhop, Cal (Lombardi), the concierge, Harry (Hibbert) and two travel agents who work with Roarke (Finkel & Sidney).

Brief Pilot Review:

I never watched the original Fantasy Island but I know it is full of 70s cheesiness and "Da plane! Da plane!" moments. From what I know though, this version, which came in between the original and the recent FOX redo seems to be the darkest of the three. That's due in large part to Malcolm McDowell who always brings an element of darkness and perhaps even creepiness to roles. He is driving figure in the first episode as we don't really get to know the other characters much. Beyond McDowell, the most attention is given to the guest stars of the week. The production quality was strong as it needed to be for a luxurious island setting.

Like any anthology series, I'm sure the quality rose and fell based on the plots and guest stars of the week. The pilot episode had decent, but not great, stories which made me wonder what they had in store for the rest of the season if this was really the best they offered. There was a story about a lost love that never quite went to a satisfying place and an unusual story about a woman who wanted to know more than her sister that led to a pretty bizarre and extended Jeopardy sequence. So, it was an OK pilot but I was actually more captivated by the 2021 FOX pilot though I didn't stick with that revival either. And don't worry, they still called out the plane arriving even with no Tattoo.

What Went Wrong:

In case you thought reboots were a recent phenomenon, they were not. ABC was trying to hop on the nostalgia train in 1998 with a reboot of Fantasy Island. The original series was a hit on Saturday nights in the cheesy era of The Love Boat and its cavalcade of a certain type of guest star. The concept behind the rebooted Fantasy Island was to give it a darker, 90s-friendly version and use it as the centerpiece to a new Saturday night lineup that started with the revamped version of America's Funniest Home Videos and ended with the fantasy dramedy Cupid. In addition to the often dour Malcolm McDowell, the series had Barry Sonnenfeld (of the more macabre Addams Family movies) behind the scenes.

Reviews were mixed for the revamped Fantasy Island though it's not like the original was some critical darling. The Los Angeles Times called it "edgier and wittier" than the original but also "as musty as ever at the core." However, Variety called it "visually dazzling" and "surprisingly compelling." Audiences weren't in the mood for the properties in the late 90s and ABC had no footing on Saturday nights. CBS appealed to the gentler, older crowd while NBC had a smaller but loyal audience for thrillers like The Pretender and Profiler. To put a third drama in the 9pm hour really didn't do it any favors as Saturdays were on their way out for new programming. Fantasy Island made it to January before being cancelled, until it was revived again in 2021.

Tomorrow: Very Very Family Ancestry!