Doctor Strange (1978)

 Before the existence of streaming or a 1000 channel universe, in North America there was only the big 3 networks ABC, CBS and NBC. It would be a number of years before FOX and specialty channels like MTV to make a significant mark in ratings or be established on the television landscape.  CBS offered counter programming by being the network to air superhero genre content. On September 1978, CBS was airing the Amazing Spiderman, and the Incredible Hulk during their scheduled primetime slots.  To offer counter programing ABC aired Wonder Woman, as ABC had rights to another DC property like the 60s Batman which aired weekday afternoons in syndication. The immediate survival of a show was more important back then that it is now with a show not having alternative opportunities to get picked up like Lucifer  continuing 3 more seasons on Netflix after being cancelled on network television as an example. 

A big budget television movie like Doctor Strange also served as a pilot for the network to have it share a primetime slot with the Amazing Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk.  By today's standards the visual effects, and trippy astral plane imagery seem childish, but top special efx teams were trying to give authenticity to the project,  and the director did go over in time and budget to ensure the best quality went into the production.  With Stan Lee  working with a producing credit and being on record of saying how happy he was with the completed film. The movie never got picked up as a series.  As it failed well below expectations in ratings that week.  It was Wednesday September 6, 1978.  ABC strategically placed a re-run of its highest rated mini series of all time 'Roots' that entire week.  Root's final episode to this day holds the third highest rating in television network history.  Many fans who were around that time, did not even realize Doctor Strange had even aired at this time because of the popularity and impact Roots had made on network television.  The fate of a show was decided by the ratings it drew that day.  

Director Philip DeGuere Jr. who co-wrote and directed the film really believed the movie would be  picked up as a series, as according to his close friend Paul Chihara.  Chihara who composed the electronic musical score for the film would work with DeGuere Jr. again scoring his next television series Whiz kids, which lasted only one season, That show offered a hint of cutting edge technology with a wisp of a superhero genre. By introducing an artificial intelligent computer similar to that of the movie 'War Games', but having 'Goonies' like teenagers star around it.

Doctor Strange  had carefully picked its cast with Arrested Development actress the Late Jessica Walter, as Morgan le Fay; and John Mills, Hayley Mills (parent trap) father, Playing the Sorcerer Supreme Thomas Lindmer.  With the syllable inverted we had a story of Merlin and Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend, providing the unspoken historical weight of the would be series.  Morgan le Fay had one of two tasks, destroy the sorcerer supreme or turn his successor doctor Stephan Strange over to the dark side.  Being a doctor in psychology and treating patients who suffer from varied forms of mental illnesses, Having Doctor Strange distinguishing between supernatural ailments and clinical diagnoses would have been one of the driving storylines  for the season, with a different patient and case each episode.  The pilot has university student Clea Lake temporarily possessed by the spirit of Morgan le Fay to kill Thomas Lindmer, but unknowingly develop a psychic link to Stephan Strange; haunted by visions of her actions and feeling she will die in her sleep by Morgan, Clea is treated by Stephen Strange at a psychiatric hospital where they first meet.  The potential to mine a developing story was evident, but would never reached fruition.   

Trivia note - The first time Strange enters his office he momentarily picks up an Incredible Hulk comic book from his bookshelf.