The Prisoner Turns 50

Friday A/V Club: Celebrating half a century of an individualist TV show

The Prisoner—a science fiction series about a former spy confined in a mysterious totalitarian enclave—was both the most experimental and the most anti-authoritarian TV program of the '60s. It first aired 50 years ago today, so I'll mark the occasion with one of my favorite installments: "Living in Harmony," the episode that answers the question, "What would a western written by Philip K. Dick look like?"

If you've never been exposed to this show before, this would not be the place to begin; half the story's pleasure comes from seeing a familiar series reimagined in an entirely different genre. But if you've experienced the series a few times but never encountered this episode, you're in for something wonderfully weird.

For yet more from Reason on The Prisoner, check out this article by Larry Niven, this article by Emmanuelle Richard, and this video by the fine folks at Reason TV. And last year, when we hit the 50th anniversary of the day the series started filming, I devoted a different Friday A/V Club post to another Prisoner episode. I make no apology for taking another bite at the apple: Surely this is a show worth watching at least once a year.

Comments

[Number 7]

damn you number 6

[Hugh Akston]

If the show was so good then why did he resign?

[Dick Puller, Attorney at Law]

Meh. I watched the show when I was a kid in the 60s. But when I see it now it just looks dated, campy and mostly incoherent. Kind of like a lot of psychedelic music.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Same here. Glued to my TV as a kid. Could barely finish each episode and the entire series when I rented them recently on Netflix.

Sort of reminds me of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Couldn't get enough of it as a kid. Individual songs still sound good, once in a while, but incredibly dated.

[RockLibertyWarrior]

I don't know what is wrong with you guys but I am younger (I am 37 years old) and I was introduced to this show a year ago by somebody who wasn't libertarian and I fucking loved it. In fact, this show is libertarianism and anti authoritarianism on steroids. I recommend this show to every person who loves liberty the ideas aren't dated and the 1960's mod vibe adds a certain charm to the show.

[Chipper Morning, Mean Girl]

Great music inspired by The Prisoner.

[gbear]

I still watch it on DVD.

[Number 2]

"Living in Harmony?" Not "Free For All" or "Dance of the Dead?"

[Jesse Walker]

I did "Free for All" last time.

[Robert]

"Dance of the Dead" & "The Chimes of Big Ben" (as well as the usual opening credits sequence) were alluded to thematically by Lost.

Interesting that what in the USA was a summer replacement series on CBS (re-run the next summer) became associated with educational TV years later.

[samdg671]

The Prisoner never gets old to me. I saw it on what I think was its first run in the USA. It had an excellent libertarian message, was done in a beautiful setting, and had creative ideas. It was an unusual and wonderful show.

[Brandybuck]

The new remake was so horrible I have completely forget about it, except that it stared Jesus Christ and Gandalf and has something to do with drugs.

The old Prisoner, however, was sheer genius.

[Ethan Hunt]

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