The Iconic Sci-Fi Adventure Series You Can’t Find Anywhere On Streaming

The series is based on characters created in 1928 by science fiction writer Philip Francis Nowlan, whose novella Armageddon 2419 A.D. later spawned comic strips, a serial film, and early radio and TV shows.

Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens eventually adapted Buck Rogers in the 25th Century for network television in the late 1970s as it vied for a share of the ever-growing market of young sci-fi fans.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century follows its title character half a millennium after he is accidentally frozen. Revived 504 years later, Buck Rogers tries comically to adjust to the social changes of the future, all while helping the Earth Defense Directorate fend off warring factions from the planet Draconian.

Throughout its two-season run, the show featured prominent guest stars and up-and-coming performers, including Markie Post, Richard Moll, Vera Miles, Buster Crabbe, Jerry Orbach, and Sid Haig.

Fast forward to 2015, when it was announced that the original novella would be produced into a feature film.

This brought about a lengthy legal battle between the Dille Family Trust (who claimed the rights and were granting them to Legendary Entertainment) and Brian and Dianne McDevitt, who purported to be the grandchildren of the character’s creator, Phillip Francis Nowlan.

The Dille Family Trust held rights to Buck Rogers in the 25th-Century novella after Chicago newspaper publisher John Dille bought the rights from Nowlan. Nowlan’s heirs tried (unsuccessfully) to have what they maintained was their family’s legacy restored to them under revised copyright laws.

In the end, the Dille Family Trust and Legendary Films won out.

But the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century feature film was never made. Even after star George Clooney was revealed to be a part of the production, its development stalled in 2021.

Maybe the hype surrounding the movie died off as Hollywood studios seem to be more interested in creating superhero films, or perhaps the possibility of more lawsuits made execs change direction.

No matter the reason for the film’s removal, the legal mess might have led NBC to remove the old show from its Peacock app.

In the late 1970s, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was the perfect vehicle for Universal to latch onto after passing on budding filmmaker George Lucas’s idea of making a science fiction film set long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

The success of Star Wars created an avalanche of sci-fi TV shows and movies that, while none of which had the same success as their predecessors, helped to build a genre fanbase for a new generation of audiences.

Universal produced a made-for-TV movie but opted to release it to theaters, where it made a whopping $21 million at the box office following its March 1979 release.

While its ratings were lackluster, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century quickly developed a following that kept it on the NBC network for two seasons.

For 37 episodes, fans tuned in to see Gil Gerard portray the iconic title character, his crewmates, and their adversaries.

After its final episode aired in April 1981, the show’s fanbase was able to secure the pilot film on VHS, Laserdisc, and Betamax, but the complete series wasn’t available in the United States until Universal Studios released it on DVD in 2004.

For old fans of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, finding a way to watch the series has proven to be nearly impossible in the last several years. Older physical media copies can be found online, but often for a high price.

There hasn’t been a new release since Blu-ray versions hit the market more than five years ago, and the sci-fi classic has been conspicuously absent from streaming services for several years.