I don't know why I liked this show so much as a child. Maybe it was the fantasy island bit where people's dreams and fantasies come true only it was never an ideal. This show was a spin-off of Love Boat again with celebrity guest stars from other shows and a cast that included the wonderful Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaise who said the "Plane, the plane" in the beginning sequence of the show. Sadly, Herve killed himself. The show was never the same without him. I think the show provided lots of jobs to actors who probably needed the job outside their own shows. Of course, I remember the episode with Barbi Benton as a mermaid. It was pure fantasy but remember to be careful what you wish for because it might come true and it may not be all that you wanted in the first place. Also I liked the fact that they filmed in Hawaii too.

What a nightmare that was! Because stereoscopic television transmits two images that correlate to the desired "3-D" effect. It makes some shots too coded for non-glass wearing public to interpret. Someone at ABC mentioned... if that violated the FCC charter on "public" airwaves. Could we charge for the glasses on a public media... Would TV Guide carry them. And at what cost... Who sues for eye problem that suddenly developed... Syndication... Outside Editors are paid in lieu of or concurrent with home editors... 3-D has few reaction shot so would a flat viewing during reruns look weird. Were TV sets capable of such tuning -- off colors would cancel out the "filter" "doped eye" requirement.

The bloom has worn off this fondly remembered series of which the memories do not match up to the reality seen during reruns. When the show first aired, it seemed like a lush, star-laden piece of wonderment and entertainment. With its tropical setting, unique lead characters, eventful and varied stories and the parade of name actors each week, it was a hit that lingered in the memory for decades. However, now, after so much has changed in television, the series often looks cheap, seems trite and inane and, worst of all, comes off as pretty dull! Montalban (the essence of class, dignity and charisma) was forced each week to react to the unintelligible, unfunny ramblings of Villechaize (a freakish persona who looks like the dwarfed love child of Freddie Fender and Charo.) These forced, ludicrous scenarios (shown just before the guest stars' names appear) are downright painful to watch (and even more painful to listen to with Villechaize seemingly deliberately placing emphasis on all the wrong words and syllables in his dialogue.) Then the "stars" arrive and it is criminally clear that all of the shots of the leads were done separately at different times. The primary characters never even met during the legendary opening arrival scenes! (Even worse, the SAME shot of the SAME dancer and musicians is shown over and over and OVER week after week!) Even though it is always fun to catch a glimpse of once-famous or almost famous celebrities in their waning years (or also to spot up and comers who often don't even get billing in these episodes), the storylines are, for the most part, beyond lame and hugely predictable. Additionally, the cheap-jack production values (aside from the location filming that was used again and again and AGAIN) spoil a lot of the effect of the guest appearances. Many times the celebs are lit with worse lighting than Donna Reed complained about when she was given the shaft on "Dallas". The show is worth checking out if one is a completist for seeing a favorite guest actor or if almost nothing else worthwhile is on, but unfortunately the show simply doesn't hold up today. Still, even this beats the wrong-headed, flop, 1998 remake version that starred Malcolm McDowell. Oh well, at least the customized red and white station wagons were fun.

Here's a great example of a "cult" TV show.When I was a teenager in the late 1970's, I wouldn't go out(much to the annoyance of my then girlfriend) 'till both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat were over on Saturday nights. Now, living in the Central Time zone, where prime time started at 7pm, as opposed to 8pm on the East, you still had plenty of time to do things, and be home before the parents got mad. ++SPOILERS++Probably the best example of "escapist television" ever made. You didn't have to be an Einstein to follow the paper thin plots. The basic premise was that the mysterious Mr. Roark would grant guests to his island any wish that they wanted. Fame, fortune, love, whatever. However, according to his trusty helper, Tatoo, one could only visit the Island, only once.The guests were pretty, the scenery was gorgeous, and you usually felt happy when the show ended.Paired with "The Love Boat" this was a ratings winning pair for the ABC television network. After it was cancelled, it was replaced by a sort of similar feeling show, "Finders of Lost Loves", that lasted just one season.As of July 2003, "FI" was running on TVLand.