In January, 1967, a new science fiction series called The Invaders premiered on ABC [“In Color”]. The show ran for two seasons and vanished. In its short run, it influenced a lot of writers – echoes of the series can be seen in one-season wonders like Dark skies and long-running hits like The X-Files.
The series revolved around architect David Vincent [Roy Thinnes], who had pulled off the main road after too many hours without caffeine to take a nap. He was awakened by an eerie sound and watched as a UFO landed scant yards from where he was parked. The basic premise of the series was that Vincent had to find proof of the aliens’ existence so the world could be alerted to its danger. The problem was that the aliens could assume human form – only deformed pinkie fingers were a sign of their otherness.
The first season DVD set includes all seventeen episodes. Shot in producer Quinn Martin’s trademark quasi-documentary style [like his best-known hit, The Fugitive], The Invaders was written and performed without resorting to colloquialisms, making it seem timeless [even some of the ‘60s fashions have been back a time or two]. Roy Thinnes does a marvellous job of making Vincent’s growing paranoia palpable, and the show’s plots felt very real.
The show had an all-star selection of guest-stars to add to its impact – J.D. Cannon, Ellen Corby, James Daley and Diane Baker appeared in the premiere alone. Others to guest star include Roddy Macdowall, Laurence Naismith, Suzanne Pleshette, Arthur Hill, Louise Latham, Jack Lord and Diana Hyland [and that’s just in the first half-dozen eps!].
Besides crackerjack writing and the all-star guest starring cast, the series also had extremely good effects for the time. Both the UFOs in flight and the alien immolations hold up pretty well when compared with similar work being done today.
Features include: The Extended, 60-Minute Version of the Series Premiere; A New Interview – and Episode Introductions By – Roy Thinnes; Commentary on The Innocents by Series Creator Larry Cohen, and Network Promotional Spots.
Grade: The Invaders: The First Season – A
Grade: Features – B
Final Grade: A-
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