History of Lucan

LUCAN'S Pilot movie aired on the ABC Network as a mid-season replacement on May 22, 1977. The Pilot was successful and picked for the line-up.

Unfortunately, LUCAN (1977) was constantly put on hiatus and bounced between Monday and Tuesday nights. This, sadly, never allowed the series to develop a substantial audience or fan following. Although initial Press releases touted it as a "mini-series," the show kept being retooled, and the final episode doesn't offer the closure of a mini-series. 

3 months after the Pilot aired, LUCAN (1977) returned as a weekly television series. The first change had Lucan being hunted down by a Bounty Hunter to be returned to the University because he may present a danger to the public. 

Lucan was retooled after another short absence, and a fugitive spin was added to the plot. Lucan was now hunted by the same Bounty Hunter, now a Police Lieutenant, for a crime on campus that he didn't commit. The series took even more cues from The Incredible Hulk (1977), and both shows were inspired by two other TV classics –The Fugitive (1963) and Kung Fu (1972).

LUCAN (1977) was a semi-anthology series since the titular character didn't stay in the same place for long. LUCAN (1977) boasted an impressive array of guest-stars. Stockard Channing and Ned Beatty played a father and daughter in the Pilot, and familiar TV actors such as Don Gordon (Prentiss), John Randolph (Dr. Hoagland), Robert Reed, Regis Philbin, Leslie Nielsen, Celeste Holm, and Stephanie Zimbalist appeared.

LUCAN (1977) aired during the burgeoning superhero genre of television – The Six Million Dollar Man (1973), Bionic Woman (1976), Man From Atlantis (1976), The Incredible Hulk (1977), Wonder Woman (1975), Captain America (1979), Spiderman (1977), The Secrets of Isis (1975), Shazam (1974) et al … competed on the airwaves with varying degrees of success during the 1970s. In 1978, Superman: The Movie turned the superhero genre on its ear. Since then, everything has attempted to live up to and surpass its greatness in both extraordinary effects and storytelling.

Lucan, the character, isn't a superhero; he doesn't wear a cape or costume. He prefers moccasins, jeans, and a brown leather jacket. He's relatively honest about his identity. He sees no reason to lie. Lucan is reminiscent of Tarzan for his "wild child" ways, David Banner from The Incredible Hulk (1977) for his good Samaritan, wandering lifestyle, and Mark Harris from Man From Atlantis (1977) for his wise but straightforward worldview based on nature. There are shades of Spiderman in his character – A young college student who gets a "spider" sense when there's trouble. In this instance, Lucan has a "wolf" sense. And just a pinch of X-Men's Wolverine – he reverts to animalistic behavior when cornered or protecting someone.

Sabu as Mowgli in The Jungle Book (1942)

Perhaps above all inspirations, Lucan is like the twentieth-century version of Mowgli, From Rudyard Kipling's famous novel, The Jungle Book (1894). Mowgli is a bright-eyed and perceptive Indian boy raised by wild animals in the jungle.