One Season Wonders: Probe (1988)
We live in something of a golden age of information. The internet has made possible an explosion of sheer, raw data. Can’t remember the title of a book you read ten years ago? Type a description into a search engine, and you’ll probably find it. Is your favorite TV show of all time something that aired for ten episodes in 1976 and was never heard from again? Chances are, someone on the internet has copies available and you can relive those happy moments all over again, or at the very least find a forum or newsgroup dedicated to your own obscure corner of fandom.
In this day and age, you know something’s really obscure when it still manages to slip through the cracks in this glut of information. Which brings me to Probe. There’s not a whole lot out there on this very short-lived series, so my description is necessarily brief.
Probe lasted for seven episodes. It’s of interest to science fiction fans because the co-creator of the show was Isaac Asimov. Parker Stevenson played Austin James, a child prodigy grown into an isolated, antagonistic genius who works for a think tank. He starts to open up a bit when he hires bubbly, cheerful secretary, Mickey Castle (played by Ashley Crow). Together, they solve crimes. Baffling, high-tech crimes requiring intelligence and application of scientific principles to solve (in the spirit of Asimov’s own science fiction mysteries such as The Caves of Steel).
I haven’t seen it since it went off the air, so my memories are fuzzy. I liked the show. I liked hanging out with Austin and Mickey. It was clever, with lots of inside jokes (I remember Austin, just before smashing to bits a murderously malfunctioning supercomputer, shouting, “Sing ‘Daisy,’ computer!”). And that probably gives us a big clue as to why it was cancelled. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long enough to develop the kind of following that generates an internet footprint, so it will probably continue in its entrenched obscurity.
WTL said,
Wrote on March 18, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
I remember this show - I was in high school at the time - I too don’t remember it well, but it would be really cool to see it again.
I seem to remember that Austin had a computer that he could talk to and have it play music at his whim - something somewhat do-able today.
Andrew said,
Wrote on March 22, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
OMG! I’m glad I’m not the only Probe out there! I was a teenager when it was first aired on ABC way back when.
I agree with you about the science. That’s what attracted me to the show.
The SCI FI channel reran it in the early 90s. I taped all of them but then my sister taped over the episodes. Family…
I’m just glad that someone else remembered this show and wish it was given time to find its audience.