''The Second Hundred Years'' is an American sitcom by

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

starring

Monte Markham Monte Markham (born June 21, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, television series and on Broadway. Early life Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, the son of Millie Content (née Willbur) and Jesse Edward Markham Sr., ...

Arthur O'Connell Arthur Joseph O'Connell (March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American stage, film and television actor, who achieved prominence in character roles in the 1950s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both ''Pic ...

, and

Frank Maxwell Charles Francis Maxwell (November 17, 1916 – August 4, 2004) was an American actor who served as president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from 1984 to 1989. Life and career A native of The Bronx borough of New Yo ...

, which aired on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television network for one season from September 6, 1967 to March 28, 1968 (repeats were shown through September 1968).

Synopsis

''The Second Hundred Years'' was what was called a "

high-concept High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise. It can be contrasted with ''low concept'', which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summa ...

" show—one which was based on circumstances which were extremely unlikely to occur in real life. The concept here was that one Lucius "Luke" Carpenter (

) had left for

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

in 1900 as part of a

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

, but soon after his arrival was buried in a glacial avalanche. His burial was evidently so complete and so rapid that he survived in a state of

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

for 67 years. He was then thawed out and soon brought to the home of his now-elderly son, Edwin (

), a land developer in Woodland Oaks, California. In the pilot episode, a heavily bandaged Luke awakens in Edwin's house and thinks Edwin is a gold robber. After removing his bandages, a bearded Luke dons his prospector's outfit and grabs his rifle in an attempt to find the sheriff to report the robber, but accidentally turns on a TV, which is playing a western. Luke comments "There's a midget in a box challenging me to a duel" and attacks the TV set. Outdoors, Luke, thinking he is in turn-of-the-century

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

, is confused and scared by automobiles, as well as people's strange fashions. Accidentally pointing a rifle at a woman gets the attention of the police, who return him to Edwin. Starting to grasp what has happened, Luke decides to assimilate to 1967 California by shaving off his beard and wearing more modern clothes, which makes him look very much like his grandson Ken (also played by Markham). After some confusion, Luke decides it is best not to burden his family and strikes out on his own by taking a train to San Francisco, but is stopped by Edwin, who convinces his father to live with him and they will take a flight to San Francisco in order to help show that Luke has been given a unique gift, a chance to see the fruits of his generation's sacrifices through the advances of the latter 20th Century. The Army officer who oversaw Luke's unfreezing holds Luke, Edwin and Ken to a state secrecy act, as the Army does not wish for this to be public until the medical corps can fully comprehend why Luke survived. When told the order came from the top, Luke responds "if President McKinley says so it is good enough for me!" The humor centered around how Luke was younger, both in appearance and attitude, than both his son, who was 67 (referenced in the pilot), but also his grandson Ken, who at 33 was the exact age at which Luke had disappeared and been preserved, and who was a near double for his grandfather (not surprising, as both characters were portrayed by Markham). Difficulty adjusting to all of the technology of the modern era aside, Luke, who was an affable, light-hearted sort, was in some ways more at home in his new world than Edwin. Other times it would play on how both men had buttoned-down ways, but how Luke is treated differently than Edwin for it, such as when Luke considers remarrying and courts a young woman by taking her out on a date in a

horse and buggy ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two ho ...

, to which he is treated as an old-fashioned romantic.

Reception

The series drew overwhelmingly negative reviews, but premiered with strong Nielsen ratings, ratings. By October, however, the series dropped to the bottom 25. In March 1968, the series was moved to Thursday nights (replacing ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'') but was canceled by ABC a little more than a week later.

Episode list

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Second Hundred Years, The American Broadcasting Company original programming 1960s American comic science fiction television series 1960s American sitcoms 1967 American television series debuts 1968 American television series endings Television series about families Television series by Screen Gems Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in California Fiction set in 1900 Television series set in the 1900s Television series set in 1967