''Lost on Earth'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

starring Tim Conlon. The series premiered January 4, 1997 on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

. It centers on a group of aliens who took the form of puppets after catching broadcasts of ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...

'' and a reporter who's forced to work with them on a TV series.

Plot

KTEE-TV television reporter David Rudy ( Tim Conlon) has just suffered an on-air gaffe that could cost him his job. Rather than be fired, Rudy accepts a demotion from his boss, George Greckin (

Paul Gleason Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was known for his roles on television series such as ''All My Children'' and films such as ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Die ...

), by agreeing to host a children's

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

show. Rudy quickly discovers that the puppets are not props, but are real

aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

that became stranded on Earth while exploring the universe. Rudy is also dating the boss's daughter Sherry (

Stacy Galina Stacy Galina (born September 24, 1966) is an American jeweler and former actress. She is known for her roles as Kate Whittaker and Mary-Frances Sumner in the CBS prime time soap opera ''Knots Landing''. Early life Galina was born in Baltimore, M ...

Cast

*Tim Conlon as David Rudy - David is a mild-mannered reporter who grew up in an orphanage. Since h has no family safety net, he struggles to keep his life together, and he walks a tightrope working with his girlfriend. *

as Sherry Greckin - Sherry is the station's business manager, and she's wound a little too tight. She's the girlfriend of David and the daughter of station owner George. *Victor Togunde as Nick - Nick is a smart alec whom David befriended at the bar. The two frequently bond over drinks, and (in the unaired episodes) Nick ultimately learns the secret of David's puppets. *

as George Greckin - George is the blowhard station owner, and father of Sherry.

Aliens

Terri Hardin Terri Hardin Jackson (born June 21, 1957) is an American puppeteer, artist, and former Disney imagineer. Her first Hollywood job came during her college years in which she built the stillsuits for the film version of ''Dune'' and acted as a stun ...

/Kristin Charney as Angela - Angela is the only female of the group, and she's horny for David. *

Kevin Carlson Kevin D. Carlson (born April 12, 1962) is an American puppeteer, best known for his role of Mr. Potato Head in ''The Mr. Potato Head Show'' and the title character in ''The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth''. Early life Kevin D. Carlson was born an ...

as Ahab - Ahab is a gruff, armless weirdo who's quick with the quips. *Peter McCowatt/

Greg Ballora Greg Ballora (born 1965, and also known as Gregory Ballora, Gregory B. Ballora and Gregory Bellora) is an American puppeteer. Filmography Film * ''Men in Black II'' – Sleeble * ''The Muppets (film), The Muppets'' – Additional Muppets * ''The ...

as Philippe - Philippe is the leader of the aliens. *Sandey Grinn as Bram - Bram is a sadsack who's in love with Angela. *

Drew Massey Drew Massey (born April 4, 1972) is an American voice actor, puppeteer and director for Nickelodeon and the Jim Henson Company. He has worked extensively with the Muppets and has performed in many films, television series, and commercials. He h ...

as Reliegh - Raleigh is the most humanistic alien of the crew. *Carl J. Johnson as Cubby - Cubby is a giant pig-like creature.

Episodes

Reception

Steven Linan of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called the series "mirthless" and "a lost cause". Linan also stated that the show is "too silly for adults and too coarse for kids". John Levesque of the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...

'' did not find the series funny, and said that the scripts were "unimaginative" and "unprofessional". Claude Brooks of ''

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' we ...

'' said the series "isn't that bad", however "the puppets are funnier than the humans". Brooks referred to the series as essentially "

3rd Rock from the Sun ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrials who are on an e ...

meets

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost On Earth 1990s American sitcoms 1997 American television series debuts 1997 American television series endings 1990s American comic science fiction television series English-language television shows USA Network original programming American television shows featuring puppetry