Today we’ve lost someone who was an undisputed television juggernaut. Glen A. Larson, creator and writer of dozens of popular tv shows from the ’70s to the ’90s, has passed away at the age of 77. Variety reports that he died of complications from esophageal cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Larson leaves behind an amazing legacy on television, creating, writing, and producing some of the most popular television programs of the day, including Battlestar Galactica, Magnum P.I., Quincy M.E., and Knight Rider to name but four. He was a huge champion and proponent of genre television, and specifically science fiction, and a great many of his best shows were in this vein. There are but a few out-and-out moguls in the television game and Glen Larson is certainly one of that select group. He only received three Emmy nominations in his career, two for the miniseries McCloud in 1974 and 1974 and one for Quincy M.E. in 1978, but his impact on popular culture still today is massive.
DANA NALBANDIAN/WIREIMAGE
As a tribute to the master TVsman, I’ve decided to highlight the opening titles of some of his most beloved, by me or otherwise, shows. These are so of their era, they can’t help but elicit a smile, even if you can clearly tell the big screen stories that gave Larson his “inspiration.”
Battlestar Galactica – 1978-1979, then a redone series in 1980
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – 1979-1981
B.J. and the Bear – 1979-1981
Magnum P.I. – 1980-1988
The Fall Guy – 1981-1986
Knight Rider – 1982-1986
Automan – 1983-1984
And last, but certainly not least, possibly my favorite intro to any kind of television show ever, the incredibly lengthy beginning to a show that only had 8 episodes, despite it now getting a big screen reboot (and a momentary reference in Too Many Cooks)…
Manimal – 1983
These are by no means the only shows he created, but it really does show how he attempted to be on the cutting edge of what people were talking about. And, of course, without him, we’d never have the updated Galactica by Ronald D. Moore. Glen A. Larson, an undeniable King of Television.
Its sad that we are starting to see all of the creators of the old classic shows start to die off and sadly there are really no creators coming up that are creating the same volume of classic shows.
Thank you, Glenn, for Battlestar Galactica, especially the “re-imagined” (2004) version, which was perhaps one of the very best sci-fi shows ever created.
All these shows are dear to me. Huge part of my childhood growing up in the 80s and I still love them. Well, I haven’t seen Magnum PI but the others are awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoLs0V8T5AA
Glen A. Larson was one of my dearest friends and a true visionary in every sense of the word. He reached into his collective mind and put to paper dreams of a better world either here on earth or battles across the stars. Glen always made sure to include heart and humor into every show he produced and emphasize strong family morals. Like the mantra his most recognized creation Knight Rider (beyond BSG), he was one man who made a difference. His creative legacy will live on and his smile will be sorely missed by those of us lucky enough to have had him touch our lives and help us reach our dreams.
please go say something nice on his facebook memorial page https://www.facebook.com/glenlarsonmemorial?pnref=story