“We can rebuild him. We have the technology.” The words in the opening title sequence are part of the public consciousness and resonate still. A groundbreaking TV concept sees a badly-injured man given a new lease of life through bionic technology – but as always, there’s a price to be paid!
One of the top American television series of the 1970s – ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ – is being released in high-definition Blu-ray as part of an extraordinary 34 disc box-set. It’s time to enjoy all 100 episodes of the innovative show that so successfully merged speculative fiction with the espionage genre. Revisit all five seasons and several TV movies of a show that never failed to be thought-provoking yet fun, fast-paced and dependably entertaining.
Based on the novel ‘Cyborg’ by Martin Caidin, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ features Lee Majors as Colonel Steve Austin, a NASA astronaut whose experimental equipment malfunctions after take-off. Although he survives a terrible accident, he loses an arm, both legs and an eye. Far from being invalided out of service, Austin benefits from pioneering bionic technology that rebuilds his body, giving him additional strength and powers such as night vision. However, nothing in life is free, and Austin must repay those who have funded his augmented life. Using his new-found superhuman abilities, Austin must now work for the OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence) as a secret agent and do his bit for his country.
The series ran for one hundred episodes over five seasons between 1973 and 1978 because of the strength of the premise. Steve Austin isn’t a superhero from another planet: rather, he’s a relatable and amiable All-American guy who frequently struggles to be at ease with his upgraded self and with the profession that fate has placed in his way. The show often leans into the geopolitics of the time, providing viewers with Cold War adventures as Steve heads off on dangerous assignments to thwart the diabolical plans of the Soviet Union.
There are three feature-length pilot episodes to enjoy before reaching the series proper. The very first episode (‘The Moon and the Desert’) takes viewers through Austin’s accident, depression and the surgical process he goes through, plus his ambivalent feelings about switching career from astronaut to spy long before he is assigned a mission. It is directed by Richard Irving, fresh from an early episode of ‘Columbo’, and introduces the character of Dr Rudy Wells, the top surgeon responsible for rebuilding and later modifying Steve. Here, Wells is played by Martin Balsam, the dependable character actor best-remembered as the second murder victim in Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ in an indication of the quality of cast and crew that ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ would consistently attract. Wells would later be played by a succession of different actors, but the character’s moustache remains a constant. Later in the episode, Steve is sent on his first mission, but it’s really the swaggering follow-up pilots, ‘Wine, Women and War’ and ‘The Solid Gold Kidnapping’ that up the ante and plunge viewers deeper into the world of international espionage. ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ finds its groove almost from the word go!
The second pilot sees much-loved British actor David McCallum (‘Sapphire and Steel’) once again play a sympathetic Russian (he had risen to fame as Illya Kuryakin the previous decade in ‘The Man from UNCLE’). Britt Ekland, shortly before she was a Bond girl in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’, plays Steve’s sidekick Katrina. We’re also introduced to Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman, the OSI man who will be Steve’s sometime friend, sometime antagonist as the series progresses. Either way, Goldman is ostensibly Steve’s ‘M’, assigning him dangerous missions from behind a desk whilst hoping his best man comes home safely.
It’s easy to see why they leant heavily into the ‘James Bond’ vibe. Roger Moore had just revitalised the stalling movie franchise and brought an element of fun to it. In many ways, Lee Majors is America’s answer to Roger Moore. Tall, handsome, square-jawed and a commanding performer, Majors even does plenty of eyebrow acting that rivals his British counterpart’s panache in that department. The analogy breaks down where Majors never sends up the character or the situation, playing Steve Austin straight down the line. Unlike Bond, he never carries a gun, relying on his wits and his additional powers to get him out of any tight corner. The producers also find opportunities to satisfy portions of the television audiences by having Majors shirtless or in swimming shorts on a regular basis. Whether or not he is setting pulses racing, Lee Majors is never anything but a superb and consummate performer, and his portrayal of Steve Austin is undoubtedly the main reason why the show was such a hit and enjoyed a long run. Majors impresses as a leading man of considerable merit and stature, and he remains in great shape in the 1980s and 90s reboots.
The series proper is no less impressive than the longer pilots, and sometimes more so. An ill-fitting Motown theme song is dropped for the score that we all came to know and love so well. Over dozens of fifty-minute adventures, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ mixes intriguing scenarios with top quality guest stars. ‘Population: Zero’ plays on contemporary concerns about the threat of nuclear war. ‘Survival of the Fittest’ sees Steve and Goldman on board a plane that crashes on a remote island, but among the survivors are those working against OSI. Not only that, but Steve has to help a nervous junior doctor operate on Goldman before he bleeds to death. ‘Day of the Robot’ guest-stars the ubiquitous John Saxon (‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’) in a duel role as Major Sloan and his bionic replacement. It’s the first instance of Steve going head-to-head with the same technology that has kept him alive, though there’s nothing human behind the robot he becomes locked in a deadly struggle against. William Shatner (‘Star Trek’) later plays a fellow astronaut whose brain is affected by exposure to magnetic fields in space. The experience leaves him able to work out complicated mathematics and communicate with dolphins. It is a bravura performance of a man burning rather too brightly by Shatner, and television screens do well to contain acting on that scale.
‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ also sees Lee Majors’ then-wife Farrah Fawcett (‘Charlie’s Angels’) guest star in several episodes, but it is the arrival of Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers towards the end of the second season that proves a real game-changer. The double bill, ‘The Bionic Woman’ introduces a character who has great chemistry with the leading man. Wagner proved such a hit with audiences that she would secure her own spin-off series. The partnership between Majors and Wagner defines the third season. Majors would later frequently guest star on Wagner’s show as the two bionic worlds collaborated.
For those who get hooked on the ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ romance between Steve and Jaime, resolution is later found in the three television movies made between 1987 and 1994. These gift fans with satisfying reunions for their best-loved characters, and the addendums remain commendably faithful to the vision of the original series. The second TV movie, ‘Bionic Showdown’ (1989), provides a leading role for a young Sandra Bullock, who transitions from being wheelchair-bound to competing as a world class athlete (try not to worry too much about fairness in sport) thanks to her bionic augmentation. There is, however, a plot afoot involving double agents working for the Soviets and the ever-present danger of bionic technology getting into the wrong hands.
When it is at the top of its game, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ is among the best television drama made in the last century. It is the product of more certain times. There is a confidence that the USA is a resolute defender of Western freedom against the danger of Eastern Communism. At the same time it’s a mature show that presents moral dilemmas and raises questions about the consequences of the tide of progress. Our route through is always Lee Majors’ excellent performance. Although part-machine, he’s the most human of all of the main characters, and his struggle to stay grounded in his own sense of self is why we relate to him and love him. With AI now accelerating the pace of technological change and innovation, with who knows what consequences for humanity, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ remains not just relevant but prophetic.
In high definition Blu-ray, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ looks stunning. The original series was shot on high-quality film that upscales brilliantly, so it now looks crisp and fresh. There is a whole heap of extra features on in this release across three discs (including the 1980s and 90s TV movies). An in-depth 83-minute interview with Lee Majors traces his career from his origins at college to working on ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and is the undoubted highlight. It was previously included on a 2010 DVD release. There are commentaries on selected episodes. You can also delve behind the scenes to find out more about OSI, NASA, bionics, the impact the series had on popular culture and much more. If you love cult classic TV and enjoy a heady cocktail of sci-fi and espionage, ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ ticks all the right boxes. It’s pure TV heaven.
Cast: Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E Brooks, Lindsay Wagner, Alan Oppenheimer, Quinn K Redeker, John de Lancie, Farrah Fawcett, William Shatner, Sandra Bullock Director: Dick Modern, Cliff Bole Certificate: PG Released by: Fabulous Films Running time: 5395 mins Release date: August 21st 2023 Buy ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’
