Series synopsis
Fantasy Island is an American sci-fi & fantasy drama comedy television series that premiered on ABC on January 28, 1978. It ended on May 19, 1984. It was created by Gene Levitt. It stars Ricardo Montalban, Hervé Villechaize, Christopher Hewett and Wendy Schaal.
This contemporary version of the classic drama series delves into the “what if” questions that keep us awake at night. Each episode tells emotional, provocative stories about people who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
Premise
This contemporary version of the classic drama series delves into the “what if” questions that keep us awake at night. Each episode tells emotional, provocative stories about people who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
Premise: Welcome to fantasy island...
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke
- Hervé Villechaize as Tattoo
- Christopher Hewett as Lawrence
- Wendy Schaal as Julie
- Victor Buono as Dr. Albert Z. Fell / Jack the Ripper
- Alex Cord as Robert West
- Carolyn Jones as Jessie DeWinter
- Lyle Waggoner as Monty
Supporting cast
- Catherine Campbell as Helga
- Kathryn Fuller as Old Woman
- Vikki Carr as Lois Terry
- Brett Halsey as Charles Layton
- Jan Murray as Ron Ellison
- Gene Rayburn as Bob Barclay
- Jill St. John as Ellen Layton / Jane Doe
- Michael Byers as Clark
- Christian Brackett-Zika as Conrad Block
- Marc Gilpin as Bobby
- K.C. Martel as Mitch Lee
- Lauren Peterson as Can Can Girl
Guest cast
- Victor Buono as Dr. Albert Z. Fell / Jack the Ripper
- Alex Cord as Robert West
- Carolyn Jones as Jessie DeWinter
- Lyle Waggoner as Monty
- Catherine Campbell as Helga
- Kathryn Fuller as Old Woman
- Vikki Carr as Lois Terry
- Brett Halsey as Charles Layton
- Jan Murray as Ron Ellison
- Gene Rayburn as Bob Barclay
- Jill St. John as Ellen Layton / Jane Doe
- Michael Byers as Clark
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 156 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 4 | January 14, 1977 | January 20, 1978 |
| Season 1 | 14 | January 28, 1978 | May 20, 1978 |
| Season 2 | 25 | September 16, 1978 | May 13, 1979 |
| Season 3 | 23 | September 6, 1979 | May 17, 1980 |
| Season 4 | 24 | October 25, 1980 | May 23, 1981 |
| Season 5 | 22 | October 10, 1981 | May 8, 1982 |
| Season 6 | 22 | October 16, 1982 | May 14, 1983 |
| Season 7 | 22 | October 8, 1983 | May 19, 1984 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fantasy Island - Pilot Wealthy businesswoman Eunice Hollander-Baines attends her own funeral; jaded hunter Paul Henley becomes the prey; World War II veteran Arnold Greenwood relives his romance with a woman he met in England. |
January 14, 1977 |
| 2 |
Return to Fantasy Island Career woman Margo Dean's assistant Lowell Benson hopes to romance her; Brian and Lucy Faber want to see the daughter they gave up for adoption; and Lucy Fleming, who lost her memory on her honeymoon, wants to relive it to cure her amnesia. |
January 20, 1978 |
| 3 |
Revisiting Fantasy Island 2005 documentary about the show |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Escape / Cinderella Girls In the "Escape" segment, Mr. Udall is an escape artist trying to get out of the shadow of his famous father by performing a one-man escape that his father never did. In the "Cinderella" segment, Ann Dowd and Maxine Bender are working class girls who wish to become jet-setters. |
January 28, 1978 |
| 2 |
Bet a Million / Mr. Irresistible In "Bet A Million" a Mr. & Mrs. Fred Wade come to the island in the hopes of finding a wealthy financier to help them fulfill their dream of owning a hotel. In "Mr. Irresistible" Chuck Hoffman fantasies about being the most irresistible man in the world. |
February 4, 1978 |
| 3 |
The Prince / The Sheriff In 'The Prince' a handsome young prince wants to live as a common man, but falls in love with a woman who despises poverty. And in 'The Sheriff' New York City Police Detective John Burke, wants to go back in time to become a sheriff in the old west. |
February 11, 1978 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Homecoming / The Sheikh In "Homecoming" a Vietnam veteran, long presumed dead wishes to be reunited with his family. Realizing that his wife has remarried and his son doesn't know him, he must move on with his life. In "The Sheikh" a middle-aged school teacher wishes to have a harem of beautiful women, but instead becomes the target of an assassination attempt. |
September 16, 1978 |
| 2 |
The Big Dipper / The Pirate In "The Big Dipper" a young girl tries to find a normal life with her pick-pocketing father, when a police sergeant shows up in search of her father. In "The Pirate" an eccentric Ted Cavanaugh hopes to win back the love of his ex-wife by playing out a fantasy. |
September 23, 1978 |
| 3 |
The Beachcomber / The Last Whodunnit In "The Beachcomber" Charles Preston fed up with the pressures of his life gives it all up to become a carefree beachcomber and winds up in more trouble than he can handle. In "The Last Whodunnit" an avid mystery reader decides to solve the case of murder involving the death of her favorite writer. |
September 30, 1978 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hit Man / The Swimmer In ""Hit Man"" a desperate man hires a hit man to eliminate him, so his family can inherit his lucrative insurance money. When suddenly an unexpected sales offer comes to him, is it too late or will Johnny Detroit do him in. In ""The Swimmer"" Olympic swimmer Terry Summers is paralyzed in an accident and comes to the island seeking a cure. |
September 7, 1979 |
| 2 |
Goose for the Gander / Stuntman In ""Goose for the Gander"" Marjorie Gibbs from Santa Fe, New Mexico signs up for a cooking competition in order to save her diner and ends up falling for a hash slinger named Joe Lange. In ""Stuntman"" Bill Rawlins who lives in his father's shadow as Greatest stuntman, becomes bitter and alienates everyone around him, its up to his dad to join forces and bring father and son back together again. |
September 14, 1979 |
| 3 |
Tattoo: the Love God / Magnolia Blossoms In ""Tattoo: the Love God"", Tattoo's fantasy of becoming a god to many beautiful native women becomes a bit too much for him too handle. In ""Magnolia Blossoms"" Myra and Gladys seek romance a la ""Gone With the Wind"". |
September 21, 1979 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Devil and Mandy Breem / Instant Millionaire In ""The Devil and Mandy Breem"" Amanda Breem who sold her soul to Satan in order to save the life of her husband, seeks Mr. Roarke's help in saving her from the devil's grasp. And in ""Instant Millionaire"" Tattoo takes on a Fred Catlett's fantasy to become an instant millionaire which could end up getting him killed. |
October 25, 1980 |
| 2 |
Flying Aces / The Mermaid Returns In ""Flying Aces"" airline pilot Tony Chilton goes back to World War II to experience the thrill of combat flying with his father who died in that war. And in ""The Mermaid Returns"" Princess Nyah desires to learn what human love is like and becomes enamored with Mr. Roarke. |
November 1, 1980 |
| 3 |
The Skater's Edge / Concerto of Death / The Last Great Race In ""The Skater's Edge"" untrained farm girl Charlie Girl from Minnesota fantasizes about competing as a world-class figure skater. In ""Concerto of Death"" piano player Jeremy Hale comes to believe that his famous concert pianist brother was murdered and is tormented by his memory. And in ""The Last Great Race"" a couple agree to a winner-take-all race to decide the property settlement for their divorce. |
November 8, 1980 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Show Me a Hero... / Slamdunk In ""Show Me a Hero..."" Helen Ross a romantic woman must confront the love of her past, John Day before she can experience real love in her present, Ted Kingman. And in ""Slamdunk"" a successful sports writer Matt Kane wishes to become a super-star basketball player in hopes in winning over Ginger Donovan the girl he loves. |
October 10, 1981 |
| 2 |
The Devil and Mr. Roarke / Ziegfeld Girls / Kid Corey Rides Again In ""The Devil and Mr. Roarke"" Mephistopheles, the devil himself has come with a very specific purpose in mind -- to capture the immortal soul of Mr. Roarke. In ""Ziegfeld Girls"" two ex-showgirls wish to return to their youth when they were Ziegfeld Girls. And in ""Kid Corey Rides Again"" Ned Plummer who is enamored with the outlaws of the old west wishes to go back in time to ride with one of the legendary and deadly lawbreakers of that era. |
October 17, 1981 |
| 3 |
Cyrano / The Magician In ""Cyrano"" Marjorie Denton travels back in time to the days of Cyrano de Bergerac in order to find the world's most chivalrous and romantic man. And in ""The Magician"" Timothy Potter a likable amateur magician learns his craft the hard way when he accidentally makes the girl he loves vanish into thin air. |
October 24, 1981 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Curse of the Moreaus / My Man Friday In ""Curse of the Moreaus"" Jesse and Kathy Moreau come to the Island so Jesse can fulfill his fantasy to rid himself of a family curse. And in ""My Man Friday"": Linda Whitney's dream is to become vice president of an advertising publicity agency. |
October 16, 1982 |
| 2 |
Dancing Lady / The Final Round In "Dancing Lady" a receptionist from Toledo, Ohio dreams of becoming the dancing star in a lavish musical. And in "The Final Round" a boxing manager wishes to manage his first champion before he retires. |
October 23, 1982 |
| 3 |
The Perfect Gentleman / Legend In ""The Perfect Gentleman"" a famous rock singer who witnessed a murder in Las Vegas and faked his own death comes to the Island to assume a new identity. And in ""Legend"" an actress wishes to start an illustrious career in musicals. |
October 30, 1982 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Forbidden Love / The Other Man -- Mr. Roarke In ""Forbidden Love"" a woman brings her boyfriend to the Island hoping to get him to propose to her after a three-year relationship. In ""The Other Man -- Mr. Roarke"" a woman in her forties wishes to find romance. |
October 8, 1983 |
| 2 |
The Big Switch / The Hooker's Holiday In ""The Big Switch"" a wife wishes for her husband to experience what it is like to be a woman. And in ""The Hooker's Holiday"" a woman of the evening wishes for a normal life with love and romance. |
October 15, 1983 |
| 3 |
Nurses Night Out Three nurses are brought to the Island as guests of a mysterious benefactor who appreciated the care he received during his stay at their hospital. |
October 22, 1983 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 28, 1978 |
| Last aired | May 19, 1984 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Saturday at 22:00:00 |