Jaime Summers was introduced in a 1975 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man. The character is nearly killed in a skydiving accident, but is saved with bionic implants. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement in January 1976. The show was amazingly popular and won Lindsay Wagner an Emmy. Despite this, ABC cancelled the show, but it was picked up by NBC. The network shift eliminated any possibility of crossover appearances by Lee Majors and may have hurt the show. It ended after the third year. Both Majors and Wagner reprised their roles in several TV movies from 1987-94. The show was an example of feminism's impact on pop culture in the seventies. Wagner portrayed a strong, independent woman.
Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcba-ZgtsT4
The price tag sounds ridiculously low by today's standards, but staggered the imagination in 1973. The TV series ran five years, 100 episodes, and became a phenomenon. It centered around Steve Austin, an astronaut, who received bionic implants following a crash. It was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin and evolved from an examination of what made human beings human into an action adventure sci-fi spy amalgamation. Austin's bionic implants enhanced his speed, strength, and sight. It also made him the perfect spy/problem solver for the U.S. government. Lee Majors starred as Austin and Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman, a George H.W. Bush type administrator. Anderson narrates the now iconic opening sequence, "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better....stronger...faster." The series featured slow motion action sequences along with distinctive sound effects. The Six Million Dollar Man led to spin offs, TV movies, and has been the subject of possible reboots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoLs0V8T5AA
