On August 11, 2025, one of the greatest sci-fi television series of all time premiered — on a Saturday morning.Land of the Lostwas the brainchild of brothersSid KrofftandMarty Krofft, the 1970s television super-producers behind children’s showsH.R. PufnstufandSigmund and the Sea Monsters, as well as theDonny & Marievariety show. The show featured the Marshall family, who found themselves transported to a prehistoric-like land populated with dinosaurs, monkey-like cavemen, and a terrifying species of lizardmen called the Sleestak.
The series starred Spencer Milligan as Rick Marshall, with Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman starring as his children Will and Holly. As the show’s opening theme song explains so famously, the three are rafting when an earthquake drops them down a waterfall, transporting them to a strange land. The show earned blockbuster ratings for three seasons and 43 episodes from 1974 to 1976, and its popularity only grew in syndication, with a strong cult following to this day.
Land of the Lostfeatured fantastic creativity and production quality for a kids' show, with outstanding special effects, makeup, and costumes. It was also an intelligentsci-fi series that kids and adults could enjoy, and that was because the Kroffts made the wise decision to hire David Gerrold.
Land of the Lost’s Sci-Fi Pedigree
In early 1974, Sid and Marty Krofft approached David Gerrold about developing a show that mixed dinosaurs with aSwiss Family Robinsonplot. At the time, Gerrold was best known for writing the famous “Trouble with Tribbles” episode ofStar Trekin 1967. He becameLand of the Lost’slead writer and story editor, injecting a science fiction element that expanded the show’s storytelling abilities, even though it wasn’t part of the Kroffts' original plan for the series.
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Gerrold bought in otherStar Trekveterans and notable sci-fi writers to pen episodes, including D.C. Fontana (Star Trek: The Original Series), Walter Koenig (Star Trek’sCheckov), Larry Niven (Star Trek: The Animated Series), and Ben Bova (Analog Magazineeditor), among others. They took a high-concept approach to the series, that never dumbed down the plots yet still made it accessible and entertaining for kids.
A “Pocket” Universe
Gerrold’s ingenious approach to the show included setting it in a “closed” or “pocket” universe. Essentially, the entire universe is made up of the river valley where the Marshalls found themselves after going down the waterfall and a “hole in space,” as Gerrold described it. If the Marshalls tried to leave the valley, the mountains that bordered the valley only brought them back to where they started, forming a dimensional loop from which there is no obvious escape.
However, a possible way home emerged from the mysterious metallic pylons found throughout the jungle in the Land of the Lost. The Marshalls find a way to enter the pylons and discover they control various aspects of the land, from the weather to the sun and moons, and even time, opening doors to other worlds. Gerrold revealed in a DVD commentary thatthe dinosaur-infested valleywas created to be a “transfer point” for beings who used the pylons to travel between worlds and time.
A complete explanation of the “pocket” universe was never given, so while it never got too cerebral for kids, it was an effective plot device. In the mind-bending finale for Season 1 (Episode 17 “Circle”), the Marshalls escaped the “pocket” universe and returned to their world through a time portal, closing a time paradox they created the moment they went over the waterfall. As they leave the Land of the Lost, the episode ends by circling back to the beginning of the first episode, where the Marshalls arrive once more, and the time loop begins again.
The Dinosaurs
There were three prominent dinosaurs featured in the show: Grumpy the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Big Alice the Allosaurus, and Dopey the baby Brontosaurus that befriended the Marshalls. A number of other species also made appearances, including a Triceratops, the flying Pteranodons, and the spiny-finned Dimetrodons. The dinosaurs were created mostly throughstop-motion animation, a process used by Willis O’Brien inKing Kongand Ray Harryhausen inJason and the ArgonautsandThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Puppets were used for close-ups, particularly with Grumpy (as seen in the show’s opening) and Dopey.
The Sleestak
Perhaps the most memorable characters from the series were the Sleestak, a species of walking, hissing lizard men that hunted the Marshalls with crude weapons. Gerrold created the Sleestak as a terrifying alternative to the dinosaurs, which couldn’t be featured constantly because of budget restraints. To create the seven-foot-tall creatures, the show’s producers hired local basketball players to play the Sleestak, including future NBA legend Bill Laimbeer.
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During the first season, the show introduced Enik (Walker Edmiston), a more evolved, peaceful Sleestak who could speak and wore a groovy orange lamé tunic. He befriended the Marshalls and revealed that he was from the past, and used the pylons to control everything from the weather to rifts in time and space. Enik sends the Marshalls home through a time portal at the end of the first season, but thanks to the show’s time loop, more adventures were possible in the following seasons.
The Pakuni
The Land of the Lost is also populated by a race of monkey-like cavemen called the Pakuni, who are completely covered with fur, except for the face, which had Neanderthal-like features. They speak a primitive language and are generally distrusting creatures. In the very first episode, we are introduced to Cha-Ka (Phillip Paley), a young Pakuni who befriends the Marshall family. He is part of a family with Ta and Sa (Joe A. Giamalva and Sharon Baird), and although their relationship isn’t clear, they appear to be Cha-Ka’s mother and father.
After the first season, David Gerrold left the show over creative differences, particularly that episode directors were changing his scripts. While the series lost some of its sci-fi edge with his departure, the show continued to build on his concepts, with two additional seasons of entertaining episodes. Spencer Milligan left the show after two seasons in a dispute over merchandising using his likeness (actors were not compensated at the time).
Even today, nearly 50 years later, the showcontinues to win over fans, and stars Wesley Eure, Kathy Coleman, and Phillip Paley often appear at conventions to share their experiences with fans.
