Looking for the name of a short-lived mid 80s sci-fi TV show.

[NewJeffCT]

This has been in my head since yesterday when I heard the Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" on the radio. There was a short lived sci-fi TV show in the mid 80s (circa '84 or '85) about a family that was somehow transported to an alternative version of Earth that was some sort of police state. I just remember it because the teenage kids of said family formed an underground rock & roll band and one of the songs they played was a cover of the aforementioned Beatles tune.

And, the name of the series escapes me. Any ideas? It's been driving me crazy for like 27 hours now.

Note - it is not Earth 2, which was in the 90s

[mzteris]

1. it wasn't

Out of this World, was it?

The premise doesn't sound quite right, though.

Was it a comedy or drama? Any other details at all?

[mzteris]

2. ah - here it is

Otherworld was a short-lived science fiction TV series that aired in 1985 on CBS. It was created by Roderick Taylor as a sort of Lost in Space on Earth. Taylor gave himself a cameo role in each episode.

In the first episode, the Sterling family take a tour of the interior of the Great Pyramid of Giza at the same time as a once-in-ten-thousand-years conjunction of the planets. Inside, they are abandoned by their guide, and as they try to get out, they are mysteriously transported to a parallel universe Earth.

On this Earth (called 'Thel'), there are no familiar countries or states. The area they are in is divided up into self-contained "Zones," each with a wildly different style of government and way of life, although the province of "Imar" (ruled by a Praetor) appears to be the central seat of government for this entire Earth. Travel between Zones is not permitted, and all maps have been banned by the state. The Church of Artificial Intelligence is the official state religion of Thel, and no conflicting ideologies are permitted. Very few actual details about this religion are known, except that it appears to center around the worship of robots, computers and technology (adherents are, in one episode, said to use "Worship Modules" which are electronic in nature).

Each episode had the family dealing with the bizarre ways of life in each "Zone," and at the end of the episode, fleeing one Zone for another, pursued by Commander Nuveen Kroll (Jonathan Banks) and his Zone Troopers.

While most science fiction dealing with alternate universes has a recogizable point of divergence (POD) from Earth history as we know it, Otherworld did not. Aside from everyone conveniently speaking English, there were no references to any known Earth history. However, it was implied that the ancient Egyptians either had the ability to travel between universes, or had contact with a people that did.




Cast
Father Hal Sterling - Sam Groom
Mother June Sterling - Gretchen Corbett
Teen son Trace Sterling - Tony O'Dell
Teen daughter Gina Sterling - Jonna Lee
Youngest child Smith Sterling was played by two different actors, Brandon Crane and Chris Hebert
Nuveen Kroll - Jonathan Banks
Episodes
"Rules of Attraction" (originally aired Jan. 26, 1985)
"The Zone Troopers Build Men" (originally aired Feb. 2, 1985)
"Paradise Lost" (originally aired Feb. 9, 1985)
"Rock and Roll Suicide" (originally aired Feb. 16, 1985)
"Village of the Motorpigs" (originally aired Feb. 23, 1985)
"I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" (originally aired Mar. 2, 1985)
"Mansion of the Beast" (originally aired Mar. 9, 1985)
"Princess Metra" (originally aired Mar. 16, 1985)
The series was re-shown at least once on the Sci Fi channel.

External links
Episode guide (http://www.action-tv.org.uk/guides/otherworld.htm)
IMDb entry (http://imdb.com/title/tt0088587/combined)

[Ian David]

3. Wow, that sounds really neat

Much better than my "lost classic":

on NBC (30 mins)
Status: Ended
Premiered February 1, 1978


Welcome to the Quark guide at TV Tome. This short-lived comedy focused on the crew of a intergalactic garbage truck.

Friday February 24, 1978
May the Source Be with You

Perma One is in a state of emergency as Gorgon has created the ultimate weapon to defeat the United Galaxy. Quark is given the secret weapon (The Source) by Palindrome. Quark must believe completely in The Source in order to defeat Gorgon. Continue
http://www.tv.com/quark/may-the-source-be-with-you/episode/37408/summary.html

Friday April 7, 1978
Vanessa 38-24-36

For Holiday Number 11 Quark is given a new ship computer (Vanessa) by Palindrome, which will have complete control over the ship. Vanessa tries to destroy Quark and his crew to prove her superior to Quark. Quark is able to disable Vanessa and throw her down the garbage hatch. In the last scene we see Vanessa drifting through space and singing "Born Free". Continue
http://www.tv.com/quark/vanessa-38-24-36/episode/37415/summary.html

You know what pissed me off?

My dad saying, "Go to bed. You can watch it in re-runs."

You know what pisses me off even more?

We actually owned a Betamax and didn't record it.

[NewJeffCT]

4. I remember Quark

Did they have a set out attractive twins on the show?