4.4 /10 1 Votes
4.2/10 TV Country of origin United States Executive producer(s) Dan Curtis Final episode date 5 May 1979 Number of seasons 1 | 4.5/10 IMDb Genre Drama/Adventure No. of episodes 9 First episode date 7 February 1979 Network NBC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Created by Donald E. Westlake
Earl W. Wallace Starring Edward Andrews
Nita Talbot Program creators Donald E. Westlake, Earl W. Wallace Cast Nita Talbot, Edward Andrews, Robert Alda, Dick Van Dyke, Harrison Page Similar Power Rangers Lightspee, Trackdown, General Electric Theater, Burke's Law, The Brady Bunch Hour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Supertrain was an American television drama/adventure series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979. Nine episodes were made, including a 2-hour pilot episode.
Contents
Supertrain clips
Overview
The series took place on the Supertrain, a nuclear-powered bullet train that was equipped with amenities more appropriate to a cruise ship. It had luxuries such as swimming pools and shopping centers. It was so big it had to run on very broad gauge track. Though it had a rated top speed of 250 mph, and cruised at 190 mph, the train took 36 hours to go from New York City to Los Angeles; this would put the train's average speed at around 80 mph, slower than the moderately-paced Amtrak Acela Express and well below the speeds of bullet trains in Europe and Asia. (Some episodes state, however, that the train also stops in Chicago, Denver, a fictitious town in Texas and presumably other cities, which would extend the length of the run and thus would require faster speeds.) Much like its contemporary The Love Boat, the plots concerned the passengers' social lives, usually with multiple intertwining storylines. Most of the cast of a given episode were guest stars. The production was elaborate, with huge sets and a high-tech model train for outside shots.
Production troubles
Supertrain was the most expensive series ever aired in the United States at the time. The production was beset by problems including a model train that crashed. While the series was heavily advertised during the 1978-1979 season, it received poor reviews and low ratings. Despite attempts to salvage the show by reworking the cast, it went off air after only three months. NBC, which had produced the show itself, with help from Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis, was unable to recoup its losses. Combined with the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics the following season, which cost NBC millions in ad revenue, the series nearly bankrupted the network. For these reasons, Supertrain has been called one of the greatest television flops.
Reception
In 2002 TV Guide ranked Supertrain number 28 on its '50 Worst TV Shows of All Time' list.
