The Phoenix

Many television shows in the 1980s and 1990s were what I called "concept shows", that tried to insert a technological or supernatural concept into an otherwise mundane reality.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, depending on the writing and the willingness of the audience to suspend disbelief.  One of the idiosyncrasies of such shows was to have an opening monologue that briefly explained said concept or backstory.

Unfortunately for The Phoenix, its monologue gave too much information, which spoiled the plot entirely.  The concept itself was interesting enough, one inspired by the books of Swiss author Erich von Däniken: an alien known as Bennu of the Golden Light (played by Star Trek veteran Judson Scott) was prematurely awakened from his mystical sleep by archaeologists and now searches for his lost wife who had also landed somewhere on Earth.  Bennu has great mental abilities, amplified by his Phoenix Amulet that absorbs energy from the sun.

Aided by sympathetic scientist Dr. Ward Frazier (E.G. Marshall), Bennu travels across the world and manages to barely stay one step ahead of his antithesis Yago, who draws his powers from the moon.  Another pursuer is government agent Justin Preminger (Richard Lynch) who is determined to prove to his superiors that Bennu is more than what he appears to be.

The show aired on ABC from March 19th until April 16th 1982.  Like many of its contemporaries it had a solid plot and characterizations, with a main character who had some viable opinions about his surroundings and how to preserve them for the future.  Despite its promising start, ratings were low enough to cause its cancellation after only five episodes.  Four more episodes were known to have been scripted but were never filmed.

To date the series has not been released to home video, but the opening sequence and clips from several episodes are viewable on YouTube.