Episode 71 – TV G.O.A.T. Pt. 1: 'The Prisoner' - a podcast by Phi Phenonenon

Before the advent of the current Peak TV era, television has seen its reputation burnished from the low idiot box cool medium to the novelistic adult venue for sophistication that, in especially the last few years, has been collectively stealing talent from and kicking the ass of its audio/visual counterpart, cinema. How did we get to Peak TV? What were the isolated beacons of quality before the era? In this first of a three-part and — as all G.O.A.T. naturally conversations go — highly subjective series, Ted Haycraft is back to show off his pick: 1967’s Kafka-esque, surreal SF spy allegory(?), The Prisoner. On this episode, we discuss:

- Why its star, (mostly) pseudonym’d writer, producer, and director Patrick McGoohan became a creative force on this show;
- then never replicated its creativity or success again;
- if this is the birth of the mythology, Reddit show, a la Twin Peaks or Lost, that’s ripe for endless speculation of its deliberate mysteries; - and… fucking Rover, man…!

Also:

- Why it didn’t seem so obvious then that actually putting an end to a story on a television series would be so impactful;
- why it actually feels modern by spinning its wheels during the middle part of its episode run;
- how absolutely bonkers and bold that finale still is, much less was when it aired;
- and how it formatively impacted people from then-13-year-old Alan Moore to -9-year-old Ted.

The Prisoner is currently streaming on IMDb TV and Tubi, and also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

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