If you were watching ABC on Friday nights in 1966, you might remember The Time Tunnel, one of those big-concept science fiction shows that seemed made for kids and adults who liked a little adventure with their history.
The series premiered on Friday, September 9, 1966, and ran for one season. It came from producer Irwin Allen, the same name behind shows like Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, so you knew there would be danger, dramatic music, flashing control rooms, and cliffhangers.
The story followed two scientists, Dr. Tony Newman, played by James Darren, and Dr. Doug Phillips, played by Robert Colbert. They become trapped in time after entering a secret government time-travel project. Back at the Time Tunnel control center, the scientists could see where they were, but could not always bring them home.
That was the hook. Each week, Tony and Doug landed in a different moment in history. Sometimes it was the distant past, sometimes a famous disaster, sometimes a war, and sometimes a future setting. For a young viewer, it felt like history class had been turned into an adventure serial.
The show only lasted 30 episodes, ending in April 1967, but it had the kind of idea that stayed with people. Two men lost in time, jumping from one crisis to another, while everyone back at the tunnel tried to save them.
Looking back, The Time Tunnel had that unmistakable 1960s TV sci-fi feel: colorful sets, serious scientists, dramatic countdowns, and a sense that anything could happen once the tunnel started glowing.
Did you watch The Time Tunnel when it first aired, or did you find it later in reruns? And did you ever think Tony and Doug were actually going to make it home?
