they were terribly long, hot, difficult days in that monkey suit
t here were other script problems along the way. Laments harper, “i started to get the feeling that it was very repetitious. One of us would get captured and the other one would rescue him from the apes. As i said to the writers, ‘it’s not a reality show Apes don’t really talk and shoot guns. Be a little crazier and more imaginative, other than a routine Western…’”
While both actors agree that few of the episodes had the social-issue subtexts for which the movies were celebrated, Naughton excludes from criticism third episode “the trap”. “Urko and i wound up in an old subway station,” he recalls. “there was a collapse and we were underground. it was the most imaginative show, where this ape had to actually be faced with the proof there had at one time been another civilisation where man was on top. it challenged everything he knew. it was a fascinating way to explore the differences that we as humans have to deal with, different kinds of cultures.”
that such thought-provoking class was the exception sealed the show’s premature demise. it being so costly made the need for good viewing figures imperative. With CBs itself publicly describing the ratings as “poor”, Planet
of the apes abruptly departed the airwaves with just 14 episodes filmed and 13 episodes broadcast, around half of a normal season.
ironically, the episode that wasn’t broadcast might have won around those adults who had drifted away from its kid-oriented scripts to NBC’s Sanford and Son, and Chico and the
Man. the hard-hitting “the Liberator” was originally intended to be episode 13 of the series. it was pulled by CBs, who were nervous that allegories about the then-continuing Vietnam War might be read into its discussion of poisonous gas as a battle tactic.
the apes tV series left behind an important legacy. in keeping the franchise alive for a new generation, it ultimately paved the way – after the false start of the tim Burton movie in 2001 – for the current cycle of films, which take advantage of the 21st century’s vastly improved special effects standards. Just as notably, it showed – several years before the Star Wars films supposedly inaugurated the concept – that merchandising revenues could be a substantial and built-in element of the profits of live-action properties. it should also be acknowledged that the
Planet of the apes tV programme had considerable qualities. Whatever its failings in execution, there were few series as outlandish on mid-’70s airwaves. As such, it is fondly remembered. As Naughton observes, “there was a very loyal fanbase that loved the series. i’m still hearing from them, so we must have been doing something right.”