Supertrain is an American television drama/adventure series that ran on NBC from February 7 to May 5, 1979. Nine episodes were made, including a 2-hour pilot episode.

Overview

The series took place on the "Supertrain", an imagined nuclear-powered bullet train that was equipped with amenities more appropriate to a cruise ship than a train, such as swimming pools and shopping centers. It was so big it had to run on very broad gauge track (not two sets of tracks as depicted in some advertising). The train took 36 hours to go from New York City to Los Angeles. Much like its contemporary The Love Boat, the plots concerned the passengers' social lives, usually with multiple intertwining storylines, and most of the cast was composed of guest stars. The production was elaborate, with huge sets and a high-tech model train for outside shots.

At the time, Supertrain was the most expensive series ever aired in the United States. The production was beset by problems, including a model train that crashed, and while it was heavily advertised during the 1978-1979 season, it suffered from bad reviews and low viewership; despite attempts to salvage the show by reworking the cast, it never took off and left the air after only three months. NBC was never able to make up the production losses (it produced the show itself, at first with help from Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis), and combined with the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics the next season (which cost NBC millions in ad revenue), it nearly bankrupted the network. For these reasons, Supertrain is usually cited as one of the greatest television flops.

A portion of the theme music to Supertrain, composed by Bob Cobert, would later be recycled for the NBC game show Chain Reaction, while the Chain Reaction theme itself can be heard during a disco scene on the Supertrain pilot.

External links

• Supertrain Unofficial Site Supertrain series information including episode guide and airdates.