It is amazing that the massively popular themes of SF, fantasy and comics have received so little coverage on TV. And that the meager existing coverage has been so abysmally bad.
Prisoners of Gravity was the one shining exception.
This series crammed a mass of ideas and observations into a format that was fast-paced yet scholarly, lively yet never condescending. It introduced me to endless new ideas and new creators, and let me get a first-hand glimpse of authors I'd known only by their creations.
My favorite episode by far was the one that focused on the great Jack Kirby. This one man did more to influence our culture than almost any other creative talent of the 20th Century. Yet I've never seen him interviewed anywhere else. Prisoners of Gravity was the one TV series that not only recognized Kirby's importance, but managed to capture a portrait of the warm, wonderful human being behind so many iconic creations that continue to dominate pop culture into this new century.
But that was just one episode. Sadly, the complete series does not seem to be available for purchase. However, many partial episodes can be viewed on YouTube. Hopefully, they'll remain there until a full commercial version appears. This series includes unique material that has become priceless, as many of the people it interviewed pass away and become inaccessible to posterity.
If you have the remotest interest in science-fiction, fantasy, comics, futurism or related topics, you owe it to yourself to seek out Prisoners of Gravity.
