I loved this series when it was on the air in New Jersey. Back in the 1980s when syndicated or independent programming ruled television on the weekends, now it's all infomercials. Anyway, I loved Ann Robinson who reprised her film role as Sylvia Van Buren. She appeared to be the only person who knew how to deal with the aliens. My favorite moment is when her stepson visited her at the nursing home (it's too nice to be a sanitarium), the old guy approached him and said "It's not safe in here" and he replied "It's not safe out there." The show was really well-written with characters like Van Buren who provided a connection to the original program. I think Orson Welles and H.G. Wells would be proud of this show. It paved the way for shows like the X-Files. I only wished that they made more syndicated programs today.

The 1953 "War of the Worlds" is one of my all time favorite movies, and the TV series that's inspired from it is one of my favorite shows of all times, too bad it was cut short for it had great potential. In my comment I will cover Season 1 & 2 separately and the DVD set.Season 1: The series begins about 35 years after the movie where the aliens are resurrected by nuclear waste and set out to conquer the world. Only the Blackwood team, consisting of the free-thinking genius Harrison, the mother/scientist Susan, the tough soldier Ironhorse, and the sometimes funny wheelchair-bound Norton, must stop this from happening. While some of the acting is less than stellar(some of the acting from Harrison is over-dramatized, Drake's could have been better too along with several secondary persons, but Susan and Ironhorse acting was good) and some cheesy 80's culture make an unwanted appearance (some of the bad clothing and irritating music), the series was solid and exciting. By adding the viewpoint of the aliens it made for a more unique and interesting storytelling (some episodes are influenced by other movies like "Alien" "The Thing", and "It's Alive!") that were also well-written, though at times it did lag. All the characters are likable, even, ironically, the aliens themselves. I must note that the some violence is gory, almost R-rated, including melting bodies, eye-gorging, and limb-ripping, though I am hardly complaining on that issue. Like many fans I wished the 2nd Season continued on this pace, however...Season 2: ***Spoiler begins*** Killing off Drake and Ironhorse was a huge mistake ***Spoiler ends*** Season 1 is practically discarded, with character's personalities altered, a new apocalyptic-"Blade Runner" setting, and even a drastically different alien invaders. The mythology and character set-up from Season 1 no longer exist in Season 2, leading to major conflicting storyline. This was a major complaint from fans, however, if you view it as a separate series, it's still very good. The aliens are giving more familiarity, the new dark world setting is interesting, and the story lines deal with some touchy issues like religion, ecological & urban decay, and the influence of music and movies on the brain. While Season 2 had some fresh ideas, it did bring the whole series on a radical altered path that turn many fans away.On the DVD set: Season 1 has been released on DVD, which is great, though it could have been a better set. There are no extras and the picture quality is below DVD standards, though it is still very watchable and not as bad quality as some may have you believe. The missing arm animation, which irked many people, is easily forgotten. It's just great to see it out on DVD."War of the Worlds" the series was a fantastic short-lived show that may have helped paved way for others like "X-files". It's entertaining delight, so buy Season 1 on DVD as soon as you can!

I first started to watch the series when i was in Pakistan in 1989/90, i was like..13 years old I was so inspired by the plot the secrecy the commando actions the science and the character of Dr. Blackwood and Lt. Col Paul iron-horse that i took up Physics in university in London six years later, and also decided to join the army.. ... I used to get immerse in the story totally..and would see myself as Harrison Blackwood.. the credit to my major in physics goes to the war of worlds series.. I will now try to search ebay trying get hold of a VHS or DVD or something.. To my mind this is an evidence on how a strong influence TV has on a childs mind

I am impressed with some of the reviews on the series, "War of the Worlds The Second Invasion" was a great and modest series based on the HG Wells novel and the movie in 1950's. Its sad to see that its taken about sixteen years or so for people to catch on to the fact that this was a great series, but in retrospect, it shows how of our culture is of here unable to appreciate a good thing until it's good.The series ran for 42 episodes, and it premiered with a 2 hr movie, which gained some success and it gained popularity as the series went out. The series had some interesting plot lines and twist.For instance, episode six which I saw again called "An Eye for an Eye" uses the clever story tbat the fake broadcast by Orson Welles on Martian Invasion was NOT a fake but FACT and the government covered it up in 1938. Interesting and that sums up the whole show interesting and entertaining. We at first just get a short look at the Aliens, through a 3d like view like in Terminator movies. We then in several shots see the full alien body, more than the original movie in the 50s. Creator Greg Strangis who is listed in the opening theme of each episode, deserves a lot of credit for bringing this series to light. He gave us a continuation of the movie and gave us an intriguing array of episodes, thoughts and dilemmas to ponder There is also a strong resemblance between Dr. Harrington and Fox Mulder (X Files). I mean the comparison is uncanny. At first no one believes Harrington's story that Aliens have come back to life, likewise everyone thought Fox Mulder was crazy with his UFO and paranormal research.. Harrington's parents were killed by Aliens. Fox Mulder's sister was abducted by aliens. Interesting parallels eh? Chris Carter who created the Xfiles probably in some part borrowed the ideas for that show from here.The series does also take its jab at the military and how they always cover up alien happenings. In fact the aliens use this to their advantage like in episode 7 "Second Seal" where theyuses as hosts the bodies of Army personel to attack a base and gather weapons. There is also an ode to the original movie as the original Martian Spaceships are used commonly in the series.The acting is great too. Jared Martin as Dr. Harrison Blackwood, who is one of the first to discover the alien invasion is great. At first he is portrayed as a science nerd, but as time goes on, he can really kick butt. The writers in the second season made him more darker given him a beard, and darker look. Lynda Mason Green as Suzanne McCullough is great too as is Richard Chavez as Lt. Ironhorse. The first season is great though we do see a lot of "recycled footage" to essence save money on episodes, but oh well, its still a great series to watch, and for all you Highlander fans, will appreciate the appearance of Adrian Paul in the second and final half of the season.The series has not been released officially on DVD, although people have been selling DVR copies converted from VHS, however, a word to the wise, sometimes these transfers are of low quality and I wouldn't fork over the 50 or 80 dollars some people ask.