''Starman'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

television series starring

Robert Hays Robert Blakely Hays (born July 24, 1947) is an American actor, known for a variety of television and film roles since the 1970s. He came to prominence around 1980, co-starring in the two-season domestic sitcom ''Angie (TV series), Angie'', and ...

and

Christopher Daniel Barnes Christopher Daniel Barnes (born November 7, 1972) is an American actor, writer, and former child model. He is best known for his voice role as the Spider-Man, titular character in the 1990s animated series ''Spider-Man: The Animated Series'' (199 ...

which continues the story from the 1984 film of the same name. The series aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

from September 19, 1986, to May 2, 1987.

Storyline

The series takes place fifteen years after the film's story and features the return of the alien as a clone of deceased photojournalist Paul Forrester (

) to meet and guide his now-teenage son Scott Hayden Jr. (

) as they try to avoid a U.S. government agent and find the missing Jenny Hayden, Scott's mother. Each episode of the series has the fugitive father and son moving from place to place meeting people that are in need of some assistance, while Scott tries to explain to his alien father what it means to be a human being as Starman is forced to deal with fallout from Forrester's rather

hedonistic Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of egoism, it suggests that peopl ...

past. Each has a small silvery sphere of alien material, about 3–4 cm in diameter, that allows a trained mind to project thoughts to carry out

telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

in some limited manner. Starman is adept, but Scott is learning how to focus; in one episode, "Blue Lights", Scott inadvertently creates a picturesque image of a rotating ring of blue lights that is mistaken for a UFO. Both are also able to empathically connect with animals. Starman and Scott are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of government

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

investigator George Fox ( Michael Cavanaugh), who regards both father and son as a threat to humanity and will not tolerate them running free in society. In one episode, when Starman tells Fox that children are the world's hope for the future, Fox reacts with hostility to imply that Scott is some sort of mutant and therefore not acceptable. Starman, however, holds no malice toward Fox, and even treats a life-threatening condition Fox has before he and Scott make their escape. In a two-part episode, "Starscape", Starman and Scott find Jenny Hayden (

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American actress who began her career as a model. She has also worked as a casting agent. Her roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' ...

) living as an artist, under the name Karen Iseley, in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. One more episode, "The Test", aired after the two-part episode, trying to pave the way for a second season, but the series was canceled.

Cast

as Paul Forrester / Star Man *

as Scott Hayden Jr. * Michael Cavanaugh as George Fox *

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as FSA Agent Wylie

Critical reception

''Starman'' scored a critics' rating of 34 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, based on 5 "generally unfavorable" reviews. These ranged from ''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...

'' calling it "warm and funny" to the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' stating, "Brother, is this a drag".

Episodes

Awards and nominations

''Starman'' was nominated twice in 1987 for the

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

. The series received a nomination for Best Family Television Drama, and its co-star

received a nomination for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Drama Series.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0090527, Starman 1980s American science fiction television series 1986 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company television dramas Live action television shows based on films Television series about alien visitations Television series by Sony Pictures Television