View Obscura: Supertrain - The Biggest Bomb in Television History | From The Land Of Forgotten Television

Friday, February 21, 2025

Supertrain - The Biggest Bomb in Television History | From The Land Of Forgotten Television | Retro TV Rewind

Written By Ken Hulsey

Way back in 1979, NBC took a huge gamble on a TV series called Supertrain - a giant, atomic-powered "cruise ship on wheels" that traveled from New York to Los Angeles. This train-based monstrosity had all the trappings of a trendy 70s hotspot - a swimming pool, casino, shopping center, and disco. Each week, a star-studded cast including the likes of Joyce DeWitt, Jamie Farr, and Isabel Sanford would board the train for adventures filled with thrills, laughs, and romance.

It's a mystery why NBC would flush money down the toilet on such an ambitious (and expensive) series. The train itself seemed aimed at a younger audience, but the plots catered more to adults. As a 12-year-old at the time, I was fascinated by the train's sleek, futuristic design as it rolled through the countryside. But the actual storylines were just recycled ideas from The Love Boat. What 12-year-old (or adult, for that matter) wants to see Joyce DeWitt hook up with Jamie Farr?

Supertrain was clearly NBC's attempt to capitalize on The Love Boat's success by blending romantic comedy, mystery, and sci-fi train travel. Unfortunately, the show never caught on with audiences and was canceled after just 10 episodes - making it one of the biggest financial flops in TV history. These days, Supertrain is all but forgotten, relegated to the annals of truly bizarre 70s television.

The "Supertrain" series consisted of a total of 10 hours of content - eight 60-minute episodes and one 2-hour movie. It premiered on NBC on Wednesday, February 7, 1979 and concluded on Saturday, July 28, 1979. NBC originally aired "Supertrain" as the opener for their Wednesday night lineup at 8pm Eastern. While the show reportedly had decent initial ratings, they quickly declined. Less than a month after its premiere, NBC removed "Supertrain" from the schedule to re-work the series.

The first five episodes of "Supertrain" credited Dan Curtis as the Executive Producer. The crew for those initial five shows included Edward Andrews, Patrick Collins, Harrison Page, Robert Alda, Nita Talbott, Arrika Wells, William Nuckols, and Michael DeLano.

"Supertrain" is now considered one of the biggest television flops of all time. It was an extremely expensive production plagued by problems, including a model train that crashed. Despite heavy promotion, the series received poor reviews and low ratings. After just three months on air, NBC was unable to salvage the show and it was cancelled, nearly bankrupting the network.

The story of "Supertrain" is closely tied to NBC president Fred Silverman, who was known for his "golden gut" ability to predict successful programming. Prior to this disastrous project, Silverman had an impressive track record of hits at CBS, ABC, and NBC. But "Supertrain" would become a major blemish on his previously stellar career.

The production team behind "Supertrain" included Production Designer Ned Parsons, who was brought in by Silverman to work with producer Dan Curtis. Parsons hired an art director, but they clashed during the chaotic pre-production process, leading Parsons to replace him. Despite the challenges, they were able to complete the sets, including the elaborate rear train car with a swimming pool and observation deck.

Overall, "Supertrain" stands as a cautionary tale about the risks of high-budget television productions and the consequences of poor planning and execution, even for an executive as successful as Fred Silverman.