"Loosely" based on the novel by Jules Verne. In 1865 a group escapes from a Confederate prison in a balloon, only to be carried halfway around the world. They are shot down while approaching land (which they later discover is an "uninhabited" island. The shooter (Nemo) wishes to make use of them for some experiments he has planned. The volcano on the island has other ideas.
Review
It was a shame this series only lasted one season, because it seemed to just be hitting its stride in the final few episodes. The cast made this show work but without sounding bias I do believe this is some of Gordon's best work, if you can get past the dodgy hair (joke!).
In this 'Herbert' starts out as a scared kid, looking very much the youngster torn our of his comfort zones but as the show progresses you start to see the transformation, as his hair begins to grow and by the end of the series, Herbert has become a man - and to achieve that so convincingly in television is a rare thing, but its seen here.
The story very much becomes Herbert's in some way, as he struggles to cope with the fact he could be stranded on the island for many more years, possibly the rest of his life, where the other characters seem quite content to make do and it's this story that finds its feet late on in the run, when it really should have been a focus a lot earlier.
Getting away from the adulation this show did have some classic moments, and they involved Gordon's character being pretty dumb, but bless him - of course the first thing you do if a bug attacks you is step into a fire, or if your mother yells at you to get down when bullets start firing, you obviously stand up and look first.
This was by no means a classic to look at, but the cast make it happen and ok, truth be known, can you ever really hate a show that has Gordon sunbathing a lot of the time on a desert island, no, I don't think I hear many complaints.