‘Automan’: The ’80s Superhero You’ve Never Heard Of
Photo: Pixabay via CC
The 1980s were truly a golden age of entertaining and crazy TV shows. From action and science-fiction stories to weird comedies and Saturday morning cartoons, there were very few places ’80s TV didn’t venture. Many of these bizarre shows have faded into obscurity, and are only now being discovered or rediscovered by new generations. This is the story of one such show: an early-’80s relic with striking visuals, a unique concept, and a suspicious resemblance to Tron. Welcome to the world of Automan.
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The weird world of ‘Automan’
In 1982, Disney revolutionized computer-generated special effects with Tron. The film’s unique visuals would go on to have a profound effect on viewers, who’d never seen anything quite like it. One of these viewers was television producer Glen A. Larson. Within a year of Tron’s release, he had Automan on the air.
Automan tells the story of a police officer named Walter, who also happens to be an expert computer programmer. In order to more effectively fight crime, Walter puts his tech skills to use by programing a superhuman AI he dubs Automan. As it turns out, Automan can actually leave the computer world and interact with the real world, usually by way of his fists punching bad guys’ faces. Naturally, his main mode of transportation is a super-cool sports car he uses to chase down his enemies. A star of the show in its own right, the “Autocar” appeared in each episode by literally being drawn in wireframe-style in the real world. In reality, the effect was a clever combination of reflective tape and clever lighting.
While the plot might not owe too much to Tron, the visuals certainly did. Automan was created using the same tech that made Tron possible, right down to the glowing blue suits and early CGI. This made it an incredibly expensive show to produce. Ultimately, it was this big budget that doomed the show to an early cancelation in 1984. Only 13 episodes were produced.
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Today, Automan lives on as a cult-classic curiosity from the ’80s. If crazy techno superhero shows with fast sports cars and Tron vibes are your thing, it’s definitely worth seeking out.
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