The New People (1969) TV Spot

[vrikey]

All I know is this show had fairly high ratings, I was just 10 when it aired - but it was unusual, it was kinda creepy, and it had a tone like no other show before it; back then it was definitely worth watching.

Sure, 40+ years later it wouldn't have the same impact - but so what?

The episode that creeped me out the most was when they found that lone dead man - a dried corpse in a run-down shack, on a distant section of the island.

[fromthesidelines]

Well, "GILLIGAN'S ISLAND" wasn't THAT dumb a show, 'Neville'. Sherwood Schwartz created the series with only one purpose in mind- to make people laugh. And it did...slapstick comedy is very rarely executed on TV these days. And only someone who knows how to produce unsophisticated comedy could make that kind of series a success...

[11spike7]

I remember watching every episode of this crap back in the late 60s.  I was already into some of the better film makers, so I could hardly watch it. It sucked !!

There WERE some decent TV sderies back then. Wild Wild West, The Avengers, The Untouchables.

"Lost" comparisons are accurate. Lost sucked!!!!!

[eg463665]

You may snicker at this, but LOST is nearly an exact ripoff of this show! This isn't a stretch either because if you notice they both air on ABC, it is very common for networks to just recreate old sucessful shows rather than come up with risky new ideas. And trust me, the dialogue and premise of Lost will look just as silly in 40 years.

[Neville6000]

@eg463665: I'm sorry, but unless J.J. Abrams was watching TV back in the 1960's, there's NO WAY he would have remembered this show, since it hasn't even been rerun in 40+ years. Therefore, your supposition is wrong.

[eg463665]

@Neville6000 You really think that people in the industry don't know about the shows that don't get picked up into sindication?? Networks often approach writers with ideas to do modern takes of old archived show premises. Furthermore, Mr. Supposition... My comment is not about the origins of Lost, its about people who are making fun of this show as being ridiculous.... Im pointing out its just a dated version of Lost and that Lost will look just as silly in 40 years.

[Neville6000]

@eg463665: The prime word missing from what you said being 'MAYBE'.

[DaviLima90]

"Previously on The New People"

[TheTruthseeker59]

i remember this show now. i was about 11 and i thought it was great for back then. seems to me tho it followed the dick cavett show. i could be wrong but any ways good story line. be nice to see an exact remake with todays quality would be great!

[pictureisup1]

@TheTruthseeker59 It is called Lost

[wolfas4life]

Its year 1, i lol'd

[frankliln31]

I really enjoyed this show. This was a time when the country was in an upheaval politically and socially and these people had an opportunity to recreate society as they thought it should be (courtesy of the Atomic Energy Commission). The island had houses and and buildings and infrastructure and was supposed to be used for an A bomb test that never happened (or hasn't happened yet-there was that underlying fear the whole time).

[mrob75]

All the criticism for this show! My god, people...This was 1969 television. I think those of us who don't remember this era are so quick to judge something like this as bad in comparison to today's T.V. To be honest, the whole premise of this show is similar to "Lost".

[fromthesidelines]

This indeed aired as part of a 90 minute "block" on ABC's Monday night schedule: "MUSIC SCENE" at 7:30pm(et), followed by "THE NEW PEOPLE" at 8:15- both 45 minutes each. And opposite "GUNSMOKE", "HERE'S LUCY" and "ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN", both didn't have a chance. Rod Serling created the series (and wrote the pilot episode) for producer Aaron Spelling. J.J. Abrams was probably influenced by the idea of the show [and probably "GILLIGAN'S ISLAND" as well]....

[Neville6000]

@fromthesidelines: Gilligan's Island was a dumb show, this wasn't-at least the concept for it was well thought out.

[alvastarr1]

Oh. it was great, though!! I remember it was 45 minutes long and was preceeded or followed by The Music Scene which was also 45 minutes. Monday nights, I think.

[kirkmach32]

I was there, I watched this show back when it was new and it was sooooooo STUPID

[VirtualVikki]

This show had an odd timeslot. It was intended to run in a 45 minute block of time up agianst a 45 minute music show if I recall. Funny thing is that with the amount of commericals in a average TV hour now it would be the prefect length for an hour of TV! I would love to see episodes of this series!!!

[quicksite]

ABC execs pitched the idea to writer Jeff Lieber based on succeess of movie Castaways. Writer didn't go looking at this show for ideas.

[alogonss]

Abrams wasn't the guy that pitched Lost. It was another guy. I wouldn't be surprised to find that he watched this seemingly horrible pilot.

Also, the Losties DID run into these hippies.... The hippies cleaned up the swing set and dubbed themselves D.H.A.R.M.A.

[tomtom108]

:23 sounds like some of the music used in Lost, like when Jack and Locke stare down the hatch and a few other times

[dharmamark]

I'd like to see more of Jill Jaress. I dug her.

[chiangui24]

Oh God this looks awful

[VABkWrm]

@chiangui24 Trust me, it was!! My sister and brother and I would watch it to laugh at it!

[coolslim59]

@chiangui24 It was.

[ftsjr]

This was such an entertaining show. Unfortunately, going up against Gunsmoke and Laugh-In on Monday nights, it didn't stand a chance.

[newscaster13]

This does strike a resemblance to LOST 40 years later.

Same plot line - airplane goes haywire, passengers panic, plane crashes onto an island, and passengers are worried as hell.

Same plot line and network (ABC), different decade.

[antdude]

Does this video not play?

[justinarules]

that line that kid says is so similar to "live together, die alone" awesome.

also from abc... coincidence? hmmm....

I love the mannequins on the swingset... is the dharmaville 'set' an homage to "the new people?" I'd like to think so.

[mikecleona]

This may have been mentioned before, but I'd love to see the cast of "Lost" discover these same college kids on the same island. Of course, they'd all be in their 60's. Interesting to see if the original castaways clung to their hippie beliefs.

[Atomank68]

Boy, it certainly does seem like "Lost" may have been mined from Serling's idea. I vaguely remember this pilot, as opposed to hundreds of others that went down the black hole of rejects. Wonder what this says about our country and its "dead" culture now that all the "Boomers" and "Hippies" are old and near-toothless?

The promo is a hoot, though.Like "lost" meets "Lord of the Flies'. Again, other than Rich Kiley, the only noticeable actoress is a young BRENDA SYKES, of "Roots" and "Black Gun".

[usa02]

Is that the late Ernie Anderson v/o the promo for "The New People"?

[SenorZorrozzz]

I was a tennager back when this was on. This program was like, 45 mins long. really, each program was that length. ABC was trying something new! LOL!

The idea for this show was pretty good, but TV brass do not know what young people are about so this was pretty stiff.

[harporocks]

It was 45 minutes and the show that followed it was Music Scene,also 45 minutes,thats 90 minutes plus 10 for commercials!

[SenorZorrozzz]

The show hosted by what's his name, david Stienberg, that was first, then this came on. really, on ABC. That's how it went. I know. I'm 55. I was there, watching this. I actually liked this show. I never forgot the theme song! This show was not a hit!

[gooneybird47]

@SenorZorrozzz I too remember this show & theme song very well...I'm 51. Too bad it was a flop...only 17 episodes made. Actually, my favorite part about this show was the D.C.-3, which unfortunately crashed !!

[bobstheking]

like an optimistic "lord of the flies" Nice photography. Thanks!

[videojaxx]

I remember this show!...I watched it as a kid (even though it didn't last very long). Who would've thought that almost 40 years after this show premiered on ABC, they would introduce another show with a similar premise called LOST!...Amazing!

[MadScout]

Wonder if Abrams saw it as inspiration?

[Neville6000]

@MadScout: Abrams was born in 1966, he would have only been 4 years old when it was on. And the show's never been rerun (I only know about it because of TV reference books) so there's no way he would have known about it.

[eg463665]

@Neville6000 So you can know about this show existing but no one else could have. How do you think the rest of us found out about it?? Just us by the way... Not JJ Abrams. Since you know him personally and all...

[Neville6000]

@videojaxx: Lost was about ordinary people crashing on an island, they weren't hippies-there's no current issues being mentioned on Lost, so no, it isn't the same.

[eg463665]

@Neville6000 Of course if they remade Lost based on the old version they would change the Hippie part! It would be simple to change a few characteritics for modern times.

[Neville6000]

@eg463665: 1) I don't know J.J. from a hole in the ground

2) Abrams was most likely too busy growing up and living life to be mining TV reference books for ideas about old shows (especially one that, as I said, had not been rerun in 40+ years!)

3) this concept has been around since J.M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton, so no, J.J. did not steal this from Spelling, Goldberg, or Serling, he just did his own version, come up with in his own head.

4) you are now being silly.