@manfromatlantis said:

this was one of the best of the Irwin Allen series,

No, I am not that guy nitpicking. Yes, this was a great show back in the day!

I love watching this show. MeTV's Red-Eye Sci-Fi is a great way to spend Saturday night at home. Not that I generally like remakes as such, but it was a good premise and they used it for Voyagers in 1982, and of course, Quantum Leap in 1989.

Shame it only got one season, the possibilities were endless. From what I heard, the network wanted to cut the budget by more than half for the second season and Allen wouldn't have it. Though, a lot of sources solely blame the Custer series being pushed by the network.

Would have loved to see more, the potential was there for crossovers with other Allen series, sequel episodes, alternate realities, more pirates and cowboys...

I hope "Custer" was not the reason the show was canceled. It only ran 17 episodes. It would have been nice if they tried it, it did not go, so they brought back Tunnel. I have found that any show that requires thinking never lasts long. Many of my favorites last a season or two, and then get replaced.

Custer was cancelled more for the angry letters and criticism ABC received than ratings. It's possible they sacrificed The Time Tunnel for a show they sacrificed just to avoid bad press. By that time, the Time Tunnel sets would have been dismantled and the cast and crew would have gone their separate ways. Custer had some odd inaccuracies like knowing Crazy Horse personally and his wife being completely absent, but it's fun if you can take it for what it is.

I read Custer's book, contrary to what the character said on The Time Tunnel, he actually did spend a lot of time rescuing civilians. He even let the brother of one of the kidnapped women accompany the troops in the search, suppling him with a horse, rifle, and salary for the duration.

I much preferred Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. But I did like that one of my favorite film actors, the late, great Gary Merrill, was in the Time Tunnel pilot.