Kenneth Culver Johnson (born October 26, 1942) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known as the creator of the ''V'' science fiction franchise as well as ''

The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction film, science fiction Action-adventure fiction, action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson (producer), Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel Cyborg (novel), ''Cyborg'' by ...

'' (1976–78), '' The Incredible Hulk'' series (1977–82), and the TV adaptation (1989) of '' Alien Nation''. His creative efforts are almost entirely concentrated in the area of television science fiction.

Early life

A native of

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, Jefferson County. The population of the city wa ...

, Johnson is a graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Career

1970s

His early TV work includes ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'', ''

'' and '' The Incredible Hulk''. Johnson created the character of Jaime Sommers and ''The Bionic Woman'', an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin-off from ''The Six Million Dollar Man''.

1980s

In 1983, he wrote and directed the original

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' V'', about an invasion of Earth by reptilian aliens, originally inspired by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1930, he became the first author from the United States (and the first from the America ...

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

novel ''

It Can't Happen Here ''It Can't Happen Here'' is a 1935 dystopian political novel by the American author Sinclair Lewis. Set in a fictionalized version of the 1930s United States, it follows an American politician, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, who quickly rises to pow ...

'' (1935). The miniseries aired on NBC, and a year later was followed by a sequel, '' V: The Final Battle'', which Johnson briefly worked on before leaving the project due to disagreements with the network. Johnson was subsequently credited as a co-writer of the sequel miniseries under the pseudonym Lillian Weezer, and was not involved at all in the weekly ''V'' television series that followed. He directed ''

Short Circuit 2 ''Short Circuit 2'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film, the sequel to the 1986 film ''Short Circuit''. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi, Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sand ...

'' in 1988. In 1989, he produced the television series '' Alien Nation'' based on the 1988 film of the same name.

1990s

He wrote and directed '' 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns'' in 1993, an American television movie about the fictional detective

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

, that stars Anthony Higgins as Holmes. He wrote and directed five TV movies that served as spin-offs to his '' Alien Nation'' series. They were: '' Alien Nation: Dark Horizon'' (1994), '' Alien Nation: Body and Soul'' (1995), '' Alien Nation: Millennium'' (1996), '' Alien Nation: The Enemy Within'' (1996), and '' Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy'' (1997). In 1997, he wrote and directed the movie ''

Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

'', based on the DC comic book character

. It featured basketball player

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

as John Henry Irons, the character's alter-ego. The film was a financial and critical failure. He directed the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'', starring Kirsten Storms as the eponymous heroine. The film was based on the book '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'' written by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. In 1999 he also directed '' Don't Look Under the Bed'', a Disney Channel Original Movie.

2000s

In 2006, Johnson announced his completion of a four-hour script for a new ''V'' mini series called '' V: The Second Generation''. The storyline takes place 20 years after the original 1983 mini-series, ignoring the second mini-series (''V: The Final Battle'') and subsequent weekly television series. However, NBC told Johnson that they were more interested in a remake of the original ''V'' mini-series instead, which, if successful, might lead to his proposed sequel. Since then, Johnson adapted his screenplay for ''V: The Second Generation'' into a novel. It was published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...

and released on February 5, 2008. However, since his discussions with NBC, Warner Bros (who hold the television rights to the ''V'' franchise) have opted to produce a remake of ''V'' (written by Scott Peters) for the ABC Network, thus ending any prospect of Johnson's sequel being produced for television. In April 2008, Johnson stated his intention to remake the original ''V'' mini-series and his new sequel ''V: The Second Generation'' into feature films. Johnson claimed to have been in discussions with producers interested in the project. Since this statement, Johnson's potential film production has not been developed further, although talks with potential backers are still ongoing. The Warner Bros. television remake for ABC premiered on November 3, 2009. It was canceled in 2011, after two seasons, due to low ratings.

2010s

In 2017, Johnson published the novel
The Man of Legends
'.

Personal life

Johnson married Bonnie Hollaway on February 2, 1963; the couple had three children and divorced in 1975. On June 19, 1977 (the day after completing filming of the pilot movie of '' The Incredible Hulk'' series), he married Susan Appling; they have one child.

Filmography

Film TV movies TV series Miniseries

References

External links

* * *
Kenneth Johnson's page
at

Kenneth Johnson 2009 interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kenneth 1942 births 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American screenwriters 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers Film producers from Arkansas American male novelists American science fiction writers American male screenwriters American television directors American television producers American television show creators American television writers Carnegie Mellon University alumni Living people People from Pine Bluff, Arkansas American male television writers Film directors from Arkansas Screenwriters from Arkansas Writers of Sherlock Holmes pastiches