Les visiteurs

This was one of the only science fiction series made for the french TV at the beginning of the 80s and I saw it when I was a teenager. I bought it recently from INA (Institut National de l'Audiovisuel)for a few euros, and I must concede that it is much worse than what I remembered. It is mainly a holiday catalog (Italy, Columbia, South Africa, Austria,France, Germany) with lot of landscapes and very little dialogs or scenario. The idea is not bad (even if not very original), but it is poorly developed and the acting by Barbara Kramer is terrible. Many details are incorrect on IMDb. The main actors were Josep Maria Flotats and Barbara Kramer (not Michael McGovern), who are present in all six episodes.

Les Visiteurs may not be the finest sci-fi frecnh tv show, especially given the lack of experience and production means for sci-fi. SFX are terrible, the plot is very average and the "around the world location" was a comon trick to make productions more exotive but still cheap, thanks a trade (local production costs against local transmission right). These 1960, 1970 productions has generally more than 2 or 3 production netwrok in the wake of the european alliance (started with the eurovision broadcasting agreement).

Then, with all its limitations, Les Visiteurs has the freshness of its time: 1980 french recession has not yet imprinted tv shows (with more social topics): Les Visiteurs surfs on1970 mainstream concepts: environement/climate change, slave labour, younger generations vs grownups/socially established, feminism/women having equal rights. At last bit not least, the "outter space aliens" with "super powers" and the "we can't be alone in this world" flair try to give some substance - with alternate results - to the scenario.

The Visiteurs is a simple, nice, bit naive watch for 1970 born kids. Millenials stay away!