Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 6 - The Avengers

The Avengers is a series that can only be called uniquely British. I doubt any other culture could really have produced this bizarre mixture of spy drama, action adventure, fantasy, science fiction and comedy. That the show in fact worked is a testament to the actors and writers involved.

Running from 1961 through to 1969, The Avengers changed radically over the years. Its initial incarnation was a fairly straightforward action/adventure series starring Ian Hendry as Dr David Keel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed. However when Ian Hendry left the show after the first season it started a radical transformation.

Steed became the central character of the show was gradually altered into a stereotypical bowler hatted English Gentleman character (though still with a ruthless streak). He quickly gained a new companion in Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman). Gale was unique (certainly in British television) in being a female character who was every bit as capable as the men she was interacting with. At this stage the nature of the episodes was still largely that of a serious spy thriller.

When Honor Blackman left to take a role in a James Bond film, her character was replaced by Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). At this stage The Avengers began to morph into the show that most people are familiar with. Gradually sci-fi elements began to creep into the show as Steed and Mrs. Peel had to battle with mad scientists. When the series was sold to the US market the extra money allowed the show to start shooting in color in 1967 and by now the new style of The Avengers was in full effect. Stories became increasingly fantastic and whimsical.

Diana Rigg also left to work in films and was replaced by Linda Thorson who played Tara King. At this point the sci-fi elements remained but the comedy elements gradually increased. Many people feel that by this point The Avengers had passed its prime.

The Avengers is the creation of an era of television which will never be repeated. During the years the show aired you could actually see advances taking place in taping and filming. The experimental nature of the times also allowed the show to evolve in unexpected ways. By happy coincidence The Avengers also possessed writers and actors with enough skill to take a genre, push it to its limits and then subvert those limits. It's a remarkable series.

Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows