Don't know if the original poster is still active around here, but I'd like to get a discussion going about this show.

So I've done the reading, I've done the watching, and after almost a year, I've got my Degree :) ! --

Since March of 2021, I've watched the 1953 film The War of the Worlds, two or three times (first time since probably around 1985).

I've read H.G. Wells' original WOW book, first published in 1898.

I've read the WOW novelization by J.M. Dillard of the first episode of the 1988 - 1990 U.S. - Canadian TV series (which actually went beyond the first episode and foreshadowed much of the first season).

And, finally, after starting around September of last year, I've just completed watching the 43 episodes (some say 44, with the first 90-minute episode counting as two) of the entire TV series mentioned above. First time I've seen Season One since its original airing in 1988/89; I never caught the second season back then, so this was my first time seeing the last half of the two-season show.

And, I gotta say, I really enjoyed both seasons of the TV series.

manfromatlantis is part of the majority of fans of this show, who were heartbroken when Colonel Ironhorse and Norton were killed off in the first episode of the second season, along with the sharp deviation from the previously-developing storyline. But, as much as I liked those two characters and that first season, I admire the creative risks this show took in its second season. The first season, for a program that was a "broadcast" (not cable, and so more restricted, theoretically, in what it was allowed to do) show on U.S. and Canadian TV, was shocking enough in its own right-- tons of bloody gore and mutilation --but the second season . . .

Just, well, it was even more bleak. As I remember, during its original run, the second season ran much later at night, sometimes even in the very early morning ( like 1:00 AM) and I can see why. (This lateness of showtimes was why I never caught the second season, as I was still in school). The violence-- much of it involving minors --was ratcheted up, society was collapsing, the environment was poisoned (and not by the aliens), and the world was in literal darkness. There was even some fairly explicit nudity (between adults) in one episode.

This show-- among the few who've seen it --was often criticized for its sometimes cheesy and/or inconsistent writing, but, standing back and watching it all these years later, it was quite groundbreaking, and really, I think today-- especially on broadcast TV --this show would be almost impossible to make.

I was a kid in the 80's and found this show utterly terrifying. Having been a fan of the 50's movie, the series electrified me like no other show aside from the Hinchcliffe years of "Doctor Who". It seemed like everything on TV back then was dark and disturbing. I even went on to track down and cast Jared Martin in a project based on his starring in the show. We kept in slight touch for years and sadly he is no longer with us. Also sad to me is that his career kinda fizzled out within a few years of the show ending, but had it not, there would have been no way I could have afforded him.

Having heard it was terrible, I never bothered with the second season of the show. It sounds like they abandoned the original plotline and took things in an entirely new direction, which kind of lost my interest. Perhaps it's worth giving a shot one day?

The central concept of the show - that the aliens could "take over" the bodies of humans, essentially killing them, and then wearing their corpses like suits while they slowly decompose was so dark and cool. I haven't seen anything like it since, at least not on mainstream TV. It's amazing that they were able to get away with it at the time, but the 80's was the decade of "Miami Vice" and a lot of adult themes subtly sneaking their way into broadcast TV.

I remember Mr. Martin also from a story where he and his family end up on an alternate, futuristic Earth (perhaps an episode of The Fantastic Journey?). Although, browsing through a list of his television work from the 1970s and '80s, I probably saw him much more than I realized at the time (I watched many of those shows-- Airwolf, Fantasy Island, etc.).

Fascinating that you knew him, Reb.

Unfortunately, work beckons, and I must be on my way. But I will post again on this board this upcoming holiday weekend, Reb. See you then!

Hi, Reb--

So back to where I left off . . . I'd give Season 2 of this show a try. The picture quality is overall much improved; as for the storylines, they are quite clunky at times, but this final season does have some truly standout episodes. If you don't wish to watch all twenty, if you watch just these six, it will give you a well-rounded picture of what this season was capable of; here are my suggested episodes, in order of release:

The Second Wave (the second wave of aliens-- overlords of the first [1953] wave --arrive. They are much fewer in number, the surviving remnant of their dying planet).

Loving the Alien (Debi falls in love with one of the aliens, seemingly, like herself, a teenager. There are disturbing sequences here where another teenage girl, daughter of a resistance leader-- the girl played by Mia Kirshner --is captured and endures an excruciating cloning procedure).

Time to Reap (given your fondness for the 1953 film, Reb, this might be your favorite from the second season. Shot mostly in black and white, one of the leader aliens goes back in time to 1953, in an effort to reverse the alien defeat).

A Candle in the Night (a planned birthday party for Debi, who suffers depression living in a literal sewer with her Mom and Harrison and the Adrian Paul character [Kinkaid]. Highlights the difficulty of finding even simple cake ingredients in a collapsing human society).

The True Believer (second-to-last episode of series, where show begins its final conclusion. Shows apathy of police force against overwhelming lawlessness, and one good cop).

The Obelisk (final episode, show concludes. Some really good acting here, from both human and alien characters. Conclusion is bleak-- in keeping with tone of this second season --but ends with a glimmer of hope).

Anyhow, I do think the second season is worthwhile, you might want to give it a try, or at least those six episodes. Nice talking with you, Reb!