Best tv shows like Automan
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Automan is an American science fiction superhero television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes on ABC between 1983 and 1984.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: detective, cult classic, light, vintage
Best tv shows and movies like Automan (1983):
Similar in 80%
B.J. and the Bear (1978)
Plot Summary:
B.J. and the Bear is an American comedy series which aired on NBC from 1979 to 1981. Created by Christopher Crowe and Glen A. Larson, the series stars Greg Evigan and Claude Akins.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sitcom, vintage
Similar in 90%
Manimal (1983)
Plot Summary:
Jonathan Chase was a British college professor at New York University who had the unusual ability to transform into any kind of animal. He used his powers to battle crime alongside pretty policewoman Brooke and Vietnam-war pal Ty.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Crime, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: cult classic, vintage
Similar in 85%
Now and Again (1999)
Plot Summary:
Now and Again is an American television series that aired in the US from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the perfect human body for use in espionage, but not being able to yet perfect the brain. In an attempt to get the project up and running, they take the brain of overweight family man Michael Wiseman, who is killed by a train. Given a new life, Michael is kept in an apartment where he is trained by government experts, led by Dr. Theodore Morris, in the art of espionage. Despite his new life and new abilities, Michael longs to return to his wife Lisa and daughter Heather, who are themselves discovering that not all is as it seems with Michael's death.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: offbeat, captivating, semi serious
Similar in 79%
The Powers of Matthew Star (1982)
Plot Summary:
The Powers of Matthew Star is an American sci-fi television series that aired from September 17, 1982 through April 8, 1983, on NBC. It starred Peter Barton as the title character, alien prince Matthew ‘E’Hawke’ Star of the planet Quadris. Also starring were Amy Steel as Pam Elliot, Matthew’s girlfriend at Crestridge High, and Louis Gossett, Jr. as Matthew’s guardian Walt ‘D’hai’ Shepherd. In 2002, The Powers of Matthew Star was ranked #22 on the list of TV Guide's "50 Worst TV Shows of All Time".
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 514
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
The Fall Guy (1981)
Plot Summary:
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series. Thomas appeared in every episode of the show except for one in the first season.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, humorous, semi serious, tense, suspense, detective, relaxing, offbeat, stylized, fast
Similar in 89%
Misfits of Science (1985)
Plot Summary:
A superhero fantasy television series featuring super-powered humans and their madcap adventures.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: cult classic
Similar in 78%
The Greatest American Hero (1981)
Plot Summary:
The chronicles of teacher Ralph Hinkley's adventures after a group of aliens gives him a red suit that gives him superhuman abilities. Unfortunately, Ralph, who hates wearing the suit, immediately loses its instruction booklet, and thus has to learn how to use its powers by trial and error, often with comical results.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: epic, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 76%
The Adventures of the Electronic (1979)
Plot Summary:
Professor Gromov constructs a robot called Electronic, which looks exactly like Sergey Syroezhkibn, a 6-grader from one of Odessa (USSR) schools. The robot also acts a lot like a human, and its dream is to become a real man. Electronic escapes from the professor's lab and accidentally meets Sergey, his prototype. Meanwhile, a gang lead by Stump is trying to kidnap Electronic to make him steal pictures from museums. For this purpose they send their hitman Urrie.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Musical, Sci-Fi
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 215 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 78%
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
Plot Summary:
A stranded spaceship pilot captured by mad scientists survives a blitz of cheesy B movies by riffing on them with his funny robot pals.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: anthology, dark comedy, black and white, skit, parody, futuristic, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty
Similar in 82%
Man from Atlantis (1977)
Plot Summary:
Man from Atlantis is a short-lived American science fiction television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–1978 season, following four successful television films that had aired earlier in 1977. NBC commissioned four movies for the show during the 1976–1977 season. Ratings success by these movies led to the commissioning of a weekly series for the 1977–1978 season.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (1997)
Plot Summary:
Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation is an American live-action television series produced by Saban Entertainment, which ran on the Fox Kids network from 1997 to 1998. The short-lived series was based loosely from Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As of September 16, 2011, the series is currently distributed by Saban Brands and MarVista Entertainment, as Saban has recently regained the rights to the show from Disney. The series introduced many new elements to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, including a female mutant turtle called Venus de Milo and new central antagonists, an army of humanoid dragons known as "The Rank" led by the vicious Dragonlord. The series was touted as a continuation of the 1987 TV series, but by the period of time it aired it turned apparent that this was not the case. Instead, the series apparently followed the continuity of the live-action films. The Turtles lived in the same abandoned train station featured in the second and third films, and Splinter's ear is slashed as it was in the original film. However, the films and the series display differing styles, Shredder being alive, and the absence of April O'Neil and Casey Jones. In a departure from other TMNT continuities, Leonardo states in the second episode that the Turtles are not blood-related, while other media either explicitly states that the Turtles are biological siblings or avoids the issue altogether.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 20 min
Plot tags: exciting, semi serious, humorous, light
Similar in 81%
Street Hawk (1985)
Plot Summary:
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series is a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belous and Robert "Bob" Wolterstorff, and its core format was developed by Bruce Lansbury, who had initially commissioned the program's creation. This series was originally planned for the fall of 1984, Mondays at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. However, ABC executives changed their minds when the summer series Call to Glory did well, and Street Hawk was pushed to mid-season. Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central and ran until May 16, 1985. Reruns aired on the USA Network on Saturdays at 10:00AM from 1990-91.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: retro, detective, exciting, serious, suspenseful, vintage
Similar in 87%
Police Squad! (1982)
Plot Summary:
Police Squad! is a television comedy series first broadcast in 1982, created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, and starring Leslie Nielsen. A spoof of police procedurals, the series featured Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker's usual sight gags, wordplay and non sequiturs. While a parody of many television shows and movies, it bore a particular resemblance to the Lee Marvin cop show, M Squad and the late 1960s series Felony Squad. Although cancelled after only six episodes, the show spawned the successful Naked Gun film series. TV Guide ranked it #7 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sitcom, humorous, funny, detective, absurd, anime, cult classic, realistic
Similar in 80%
The Green Hornet (1966)
Plot Summary:
A newspaper publisher and his Asian valet/martial arts expert battle crime as the feared Green Hornet and Kato. After Bruce Lee's untimely death in 1973, and the global success of 'Enter The Dragon', two 90-minute feature films were created to capitalise on Lee's worldwide stardom. The first of these films, Green Hornet, was released theatrically in 1974. Starring Bruce Lee as Kato and Van Williams as The Green Hornet, the film capitalised on the existing popularity of the 1960s crime-fighting duo. Edited with bruce Lee's star power in mind, the film has an abundance of spectacular fight scenes.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: semi serious, exciting, suspenseful, captivating, tense, realistic, fast, vintage
Similar in 77%
Galactica 1980 (1980)
Plot Summary:
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the original Battlestar Galactica television series. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: saga, epic, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, stylized, vintage
Similar in 87%
The Six Million Dollar Man (1974)
Plot Summary:
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for a fictional government office known as OSI. The series is based on the Martin Caidin novel Cyborg, which was the series's proposed title during pre-production. Following three television movies aired in 1973, The Six Million Dollar Man aired on the ABC network as a regular series for five seasons from 1974 to 1978. The title role of Steve Austin was played by Lee Majors, who subsequently became a pop culture icon of the 1970s. A spin-off series, The Bionic Woman, ran from 1976-78. Several television movies featuring both eponymous characters were also produced between 1987 and 1994.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, exciting, suspenseful, retro, tense, disturbing, vintage, campy
Similar in 81%
Legends of the Superheroes (1979)
Plot Summary:
The adventures of many of DC Comics greatest superheroes and villains. In the first episode, The Challenge, the superheroes must race against time to stop the diabolical super-villains' plot to destroy the world. In the second episode, The Roast, the superheroes pay tribute to Batman and Robin in the form of a roast which even the villains attend.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 606
Genere: Action, Comedy, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: epic, campy
Similar in 85%
Mighty Med (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mighty Med is a live-action comedy series starring popular Disney Channel stars Bradley Steven Perry and Jake Short, premieres as a special one-hour event, October 7 on Disney XD. The series is created by Jim Bernstein and Andy Schwartz, and is executive produced by Bernstein and Stephen Engel.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: not serious, humorous, captivating, light, cult classic, sitcom, surreal, odd
Similar in 85%
Small Wonder (1985)
Plot Summary:
Small Wonder is an American science fiction sitcom that aired in first-run syndication from September 7, 1985 to May 20, 1989. The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, tries to pass it off as their daughter. The show was created under Metromedia Productions and its rights were acquired by 20th Century Fox Television in 1986.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, game show, sensitive, offbeat, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Plot Summary:
When the 12 Colonies of Man are wiped out by a cybernetic race called the Cylons, Commander Adama and the crew of the battlestar Galactica lead a ragtag fleet of human survivors in search of a "mythical planet" called Earth.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, atmospheric, stylized, apocalyptic, uplifting, epic, saga, futuristic, vintage
Similar in 89%
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
Plot Summary:
An Earth Man and his alien friend escape an exploding Earth, and set forth on an odd adventure across the universe with a known fugitive. Based on the book by Douglas Adams, the dialog follows the book closely. This was originally a 6-part series from the BBC.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: humorous, offbeat, light, futuristic, talky, stylized, not serious, witty, sitcom, melancholic
Similar in 88%
Lost in Space (1965)
Plot Summary:
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968. The first TV season was filmed in black and white, but the remainder were filmed in color. In 1998, a Lost in Space movie, based on the TV series, was released. Though the original TV series concept centered on the Robinson family, many later story lines focused primarily on Dr. Zachary Smith, played by Jonathan Harris. Originally written as an utterly evil but extremely competent would-be saboteur, Smith gradually becomes the troublesome, self-centered, incompetent foil who provides the comic relief for the show and causes most of the episodic conflict and misadventures. Smith was not in the un-aired pilot and neither was the robot. A meteor storm in the un-aired pilot put them off course. In the first aired episode, Smith's sabotage and unintended presence caused them to go off course so that they encountered the meteors. In the un-aired version, they were going at such a relatively slow speed that they wondered if they were on Mars, while in the first aired episode, just seconds of hyper-drive and they were lost, unknown light years from Earth.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: retro, uplifting, epic, saga, sitcom, cult classic, serious, futuristic, vintage, campy
Similar in 89%
The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)
Plot Summary:
When an extortionist threatens to force a multi-suicide unless a huge ransom is paid, only Peter Parker can stop him with his new powers as Spider-Man.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: saga, anime, vintage, tv series pilot
Similar in 86%
Power Rangers Time Force (2001)
Plot Summary:
When a crimelord from the year 3000 finds that times are too tough, he goes back in time to 2001. And the Power Rangers of year 3000 come back to battle him. Things only get crazier when the bad guy masters time travel, allowing him to pop up wherever he wants in the timestream.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: serious, exciting, captivating, suspenseful, futuristic, super sentai
Similar in 75%
The Bionic Woman (1976)
Plot Summary:
After fully recovering from her near fatal bout of bionic rejection, Jaime Sommers, the first female cyborg, is assigned to spy missions of her own.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, retro, captivating, suspense, vintage
Similar in 86%
Lab Rats: Elite Force (2016)
Plot Summary:
"Lab Rats: Elite Force" is set in a bustling metropolis after the Mighty Med hospital is destroyed by a band of unknown super-villains. After Adam and Leo volunteer to oversee the students at Davenport's Bionic Academy, Kaz, Oliver and Skylar join forces with Chase and Bree to form a powerful elite force that combines bionic heroes and superheroes. Together, they vow to track down the villains and keep the world safe.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, teen comedy
Similar in 85%
NightMan (1997)
Plot Summary:
Night Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A. Larson. It stars Matt McColm as the title character, a superhero whose real name was Johnny Domino, a saxophonist. Englehart would write three episodes of the series. Night Man is also one of the few series to cross over with characters from Larson's previous series: in the episode "Manimal", Johnny allies with Professor Jonathan Chase, the star of the short-lived 1980s' series Manimal.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 872
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: epic, exciting, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Knight Rider (1982)
Plot Summary:
Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, tense, touching, erotic, retro, soap opera, action adventure, serious, fast
Similar in 75%
Hawkeye (2021)
Plot Summary:
Clint Barton trains Kate Bishop to become a "superhero without superpowers.".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 207000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 339 min
Plot tags: epic, christmas special, anime, disturbing, funny, buddy comedy, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 76%
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
Plot Summary:
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired. The film and series were developed by Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens, based upon the character Buck Rogers created in 1928 by Philip Francis Nowlan that had previously been featured in comic strips, novellas, a serial film, and on television and radio.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, semi serious, touching, saga, tense, captivating, uplifting, epic, apocalyptic