V: The Series

In the 1980s, producer Kenneth Johnson, the creator of many popular series such as The Incredible Hulk and The Bionic Woman, wanted to produce a miniseries about the French resistance during the World War II Nazi occupation. CBS executives were not thrilled with his idea and wanted a science fiction show, so Johnson added aliens to the mix and V was born. The show was aired in 1983 as a miniseries. Its tremendous success led to a sequel in 1984 and a 12-episode series, often refered to as V: The Series (1984-1985).

Its debut, watched by 65 million viewers, featured nearly fifty gigantic spaceships making their descent on several of the earth’s major cities, an image that was later reproduced in the 1996 film Independence Day. The ships’ crew members resembled humans and assured the cities’ bewildered citizens that they came in peace to exchange technological advances. However, under their seemingly human exterior, hid reptilian creatures in need of food: humans.

In an allusion to Hitler’s youth, the visitors are portrayed in uniform and Johnson also takes the opportunity to reflect on those who had collaborators within their own families by having the Visitors infiltrate homes and workplaces, disguised as people they have replaced. The resistance movement, headed by Mike Donovan, succeeds in confronting and driving out the invaders while painting the streets with the letter “V” for victory.