Planet of the Apes: TV Series (1974)

Spin-off TV series of the PotA movie series. The human population can talk, which makes sense for dramatic purposes. Before getting upset about such changes it's worth considering that the first Planet of the Apes film was set in the year 3978. The TV series is set sometime during or after the year 3085 (it's never specifically stated). That leaves a possible 893 years between series and film, which is ample time for mankind to forget how to speak for any number of reasons.

Alternatively, the series can be considered as a separate entity, as simply another telling of the original Pierre Boulle novel. That makes more sense to me because it avoids a number of other small inconsistencies with the films.

Enough jibber jabber. Is it any good? Yes, in a typical low budget 1970s kind of way. It starts out with an ongoing story arc clearly defined but drops it somewhere along the way. I'm guessing it would've resurfaced had the series been allowed to come to fruition. Unfortunately, it got cancelled after just fourteen episodes.

The wonderful Roddy McDowall returns to the franchise. He plays a different character than he did in the films but is again sympathetic to the humans. Being caught between two worlds and unwelcome in both means he receives most of our sympathies as viewers, despite being covered in fur.

The story requires that Roddy and the two human protagonists are forever moving from town to town. It gives the writers the opportunity to create their own sub-section within the ape world while still remaining a part of the larger premise.

There was to be three distinct zones: an ape city with human slaves; a rural zone where humans are allowed to farm provided they provide produce for the ape city; and a Forbidden Zone that's inhabited by rebellious humans. The last zone was held back and never got the chance to be explored.

Continuity is maintained through each individual episode by having the trio of escapees pursued by a butt-hurt gorilla, determined to see them shot for their "crimes" against the accepted doctrine.

Like the book and films it uses the format to comment on various social problems that are still relevant today. It mostly plays it safe but occasionally leaves you in no doubt as to what it's attempting to say. While it probably won't hold the attention of the average viewer weaned on modern TV, if you're an Apes fan and can appreciate 1970s productions then it's an entertaining journey for as far as it gets. The world is believable and the characters are developed enough that they grow to be more than just the aforementioned vehicles for social commentary.

14 episodes, approx. 47 minutes each.

3 bananas and brown eyes out of 5