Bionic Woman Classic now on Hulu

October 6, 3:05 PMPop Culture News ExaminerAndy Williamson

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LINDSAY WAGNER AS THE BIONIC WOMAN

In a previous article, Bionic Blunder -- Where Are Those Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman DVDs?, I reported on the legal entanglements between Universal Studios (who owns the TV shows) and Dimension Films (who owns the rights to the source material, Martin Caidin’s novel Cyborg), and when we could expect to see any season DVD box sets of these iconic 1970’s shows.  While there has been no official news from either source, an interesting development has occurred which may (or may not) signal something exciting on the horizon.

Hulu.com is now showing all 14 first season episodes of The Bionic Woman (the REAL Bionic Woman, not the weak wannabe that NBC tried a few years ago).  After spending a couple days reliving my childhood (all of these episodes are from 1976), I wondered if they would still hold up after so much time.  Since this was one of my favorite shows (and yes, I have admitted on here before that back in the day I had a MAJOR crush on Lindsay Wagner), I hoped that 33 years (I honestly cannot recall ever seeing these in syndication) would not tarnish my memories.  I needn’t have worried.  I already knew that the plots were often simplistic and the special effects cheesy, and that The Bionic Woman’s true appeal was in the talent, beauty and charisma of its star.  Rewatching these episodes again after so many decades merely reminded me of those facts.  I was not disappointed in the least ...

... well, I will say these first season episodes are a bit too plot-heavy, and (if memory serves), seasons 2 and 3 wisely relied more on personal stories, but they are still quite enjoyable.  In fact, for anyone who grew up in the 70s and had the same affection for this show (and its Six Million Dollar counterpart) as I did, these are incredible comfort food.

And ... it begs the question again: when will we see these shows on DVD?  I don’t know.  But the fact that Hulu has acquired the rights to show the first season of The Bionic Woman tells me something is moving in the right direction.  If the numbers end up going through the roof (and I suspect they will), then perhaps it’s just a matter of time before both Steve and Jamie can come home to our DVD shelves where they belong.

I am posting the two-part pilot, Welcome Home, Jamie below -- you can check out Season One of The Bionic Woman on Hulu.com.  If you have the same affection for this show as I do, let me know by leaving a comment below.