# Otherworld (1985)

> An American family is stranded in a parallel world in this short-lived 1985 CBS science fiction series.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1518

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, drama
- Created by: Roderick Taylor
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Gretchen Corbett, Tony O'Dell, Jonathan Banks, Jonna Lee, Sam Groom, Michael Ensign, John Astin, Amanda Wyss
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088587/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, adventurous, wholesome, nostalgic, hopeful

## Synopsis

Otherworld (1985) is an American science fiction series created by Roderick Taylor for CBS. Across eight hour-long episodes that aired from January to March 1985, the series follows the Sterling family, with June Sterling (Gretchen Corbett) and Trace Sterling (Tony O'Dell) at its center, along with Hal Sterling (Sam Groom), Gina Sterling (Jonna Lee) and the menacing Kroll (Jonathan Banks). The engine of the show is a family pulled out of their ordinary life and into a parallel world, where every episode turns on the practical problems of surviving somewhere unfamiliar and finding a way back. Each installment is built around encounters with strange locals and recurring threats, giving the story an episodic adventure rhythm within a single season-long premise. The show is a fish out of water story with a warm, earnest tone, rooted in the optimistic family adventure conventions of 1980s network television. Its atmosphere is that of an old-fashioned sci-fi romp, closer in spirit to Lost in Space and Sliders than to modern serialized mystery. Fans of Lost in Space and Sliders will find resonance in its parallel world premise and stranded family dynamic, though the single season ended before its premise could fully unfold.

## Shows like Otherworld

- [V: The Final Battle (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/65791)
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- [Amazing Stories (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/963)
- [Sliders (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/1552)
- [Space Rangers (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/4772)
- [VR.5 (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/1848)
- [Land of the Giants (1968)](https://ember.film/tv/3183)
- [Land of the Lost (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/2065)
- [The Crossing (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62337)
- [The Lost Room (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/3681)

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