646f9e108c While exploring the Egyptian pyramids, the Sterling family become lost inside the labyrinths. After finding their way out, they find that they are in a parallel universe. The Earth they wind up on is called Thel, ruled by the Church of Artificial Intelligence, and kept in line by ruthless Zone Troopers. Making their way through the various Provinces on the planet, the Sterlings make their way toward the province of Imar, capital of Thel and home to Signpost Astrologers who may be able to help them find their way back to their universe. Thrown into another dimension, a family must keep ahead of a tyrannical state's hunters while searching for a way home. This series combines elements of Lost in Space, assorted time traveler shows and The Fugitive. The cast is competent but none of them ever became stars. The two whom I remember are Gretchen Corbett, who was a regular for awhile on The Rockford Files, and Johnathan Banks, who is still active and makes his living with guest spots as various menacing types-gangsters and other unpleasant persons. Herein he appears as a Zone Trooper in pursuit of the hapless family.<br/><br/>In each episode they change provinces. The gimmick is that each province is of an entirely different socio-economic system in which the family of fugitives must attempt to conceal themselves. The major premise being that the fugitives are on an alternate earth: all the provinces vary in time periods based on earth history, which means there are no elaborate special effects, space ship sets, etc. <br/><br/>Chep enough to make, this series still did not get high enough ratings to warrant renewal; this was a hole filler until something better came along. Still worth watching for the clever bits, but it will never even rival the erstwhile Buck Rogers seres which hung on for two seasons.. If Otherworld had gone into production 5-7 years later, it might have enjoyed a long run and been regarded as a classic of the genre.<br/><br/>The series revolved around the Sterling family, Hal, his wife June and their children, Trace, Gina and Smith, who while touring the pyramids of Egypt, found themselves whisked to the "otherworld," a parallel world with pockets of civilization or provinces, separated by a forbidden zone where only the "Zone Troopers" are allowed to travel. All this is ruled from the capitol province of Ymar (e-mar) where a portal back to Earth was said to exist.<br/><br/>What follows in the 8 filmed episodes are the adventures of the family as they travel from province to province, on a journey to Ymar, always hounded by Kommander Nuveen Kroll, the sadistic Zone Trooper leader the Sterlings ran afoul of upon their arrival.<br/><br/>Created by Roderick Taylor, a musician, Otherworld always maintained a surreal quality with music and effects, where everything is just off kilter, maintaining the feeling of another reality. Each province had it's own character, from a colony of androids to a repressed 50s style city, ripe for the introduction of Rock n' Roll.<br/><br/>There was no resolution to the series which disappeared after the last (and best) episode, "Princess Metra" faded out with the Sterlings continuing their journey home. This was a surprise, since Taylor had said in interviews, the network had commissioned 13 episodes, even describing a couple of upcoming episodes but apparently canceled before the full production run.<br/><br/>Still, there are rumors of several lost episodes that were never broadcast. So, who knows?<br/><br/>Too bad CBS never gave the series a fighting chance, choosing to bury it on Saturday nights. Stories were always, well written, entertaining and pro-family. Repeated often was the refrain that family was always the Sterlings main strength. Otherworld might have found a bigger audience with more promotion and a better time slot, but, in my opinion would have found great success in the kinder, gentler television of the 90s.
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