Why You Can’t Watch Helen Hunt’s Forgotten 1975 ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ Series Anywhere

In 1965, Irwin Allen created Lost in Space, which he based on Johann David Wyss’ 1812 adventure novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, a classic tale of one family’s survival on a tropical island after a shipwreck. A decade later, Allen produced a more faithful adaptation of the same source material, ABC’s Swiss Family Robinson. This TV version began with a two-hour pilot in April 1975 before launching as a full-fledged series in September 1975, a half-century ago now.

But ratings, reviews, and time were not kind to Swiss Family Robinson. The series lasted just 20 episodes before dropping off TV, though it did, at least, give Helen Hunt an early acting gig. Today, the show is more than unstreamable — you’d have to shell out a few hundred dollars to even watch it on DVD.

Swiss Family Robinson featured Martin Milner and Willie Ames, among others

The 1975 TV movie The Swiss Family Robinson, also produced by Allen, had Adam-12 alum Martin Milner playing Karl Robinson and future Days of Our Lives actor Pat Delaney as Lottie, while their sons Fred and Ernie were played by Michael-James Wixted (The Smith Family) and Eric Olson (Apple’s Way), respectively. Cindy Fisher (Days of Our Lives) played orphan Helga Wagner, while Cameron Mitchell (The High Chapparal) played Jeremiah Worth, a survivor of another shipwreck.

When ABC turned that TV movie into the TV series Swiss Family Robinson, producers recast two of those roles: Hunt took over the part of Helga, and a pre-Eight Is Enough Willie Ames stepped into the role of Fred.

Critics gave harsh appraisals

Swiss Family Robinson was itself a shipwreck, according to TV critics. “Irwin is the man who gave us The Poseidon Adventure, a big-screen disaster film. With Swiss Family, he has a small-screen film disaster,” Associated Press critic Jay Sharbutt wrote. “I know it’s a family show and not much is required of it, but Swiss Family is so child-like in writing, acting, and production, it gives infantile a bad name.”

Dick Adler of the Los Angeles Times said the show had a “lugubrious debut” with dialogue that “makes Tarzan sound like Oscar Wilde,” per Television Obscurities.

Norman Dresser of The Blade, meanwhile, said the show was “so bad that it could make strong men cry and drive weak ones to drink.” He also said the show “lacks a single redeeming quality, social or otherwise” and was “a disgrace to television.”

The TV show eventually sank in the ratings

Swiss Family Robinson initially scored higher ratings than even NBC’s Wonderful World of Disney, but by the time ABC halted production, it had fallen to 59th place, as the New York Daily News reported. CBS’ 60 Minutes had moved into the same time slot and given Swiss Family Robinson stiff competition, according to Television Obscurities.

And after six weeks of preempting Swiss Family Robinson, ABC finally aired the final two episodes on in March 1976, marooning Swiss Family Robinson after just 20 episodes.

Helen Hunt poked fun at the role on Saturday Night Live

During her 1994 Saturday Night Live hosting gig, Hunt devoted her monologue to a showcase of her “long and rather distinguished career in television,” showing the audience a few moments of which she was especially proud.

“This first one is from when I was 8 years old,” she said, segueing into a Swiss Family Robinson scene. (She was actually around 12 at the time.)

In that scene, Helga looks for seashells and gets barbed by the spines of a sea urchin. Luckily or unluckily for her, Fred is around to help her — and he, quite cavalierly, yanks out the spines after she reports being attacked by “some kind of a water plant.”

“God. It’s funny, I’d forgotten just how good I was!” Hunt quipped, revisiting that Swiss Family role.

(FYI, Hunt also showed the infamous clip from the quasi-afterschool special Desperate Lives in which her character overdoses on angel dust and jumps out of a window.)

Fans can’t get Swiss Family Robinson on DVD, but memorabilia still circulates

Lost in Space is still yours for the viewing on physical and streaming media, but Swiss Family Robinson is lost in time, having never been released commercially on VHS or DVD, according to Television Obscurities. A DVD version of the series that may not be official in provenance is currently selling on Amazon for $299.

But fans sometimes have the chance to snap of Swiss Family Robinson memorabilia. In 2023, concept art panels from the show sold at auction for nearly $700, and the following year, a collection of Irwin Allen Productions scripts including Swiss Family Robinson teleplays went to the highest bidder for $5,500.