Logan's Run Episodes Ranked

As a legitimate science fiction program, I could never recommend Logan's Run the TV series. It's unfaithful to its source material but has no new direction in which to take the story. The writing is poor, simplistic and unberably convenient.

That said, as a corny, retro excursion into the world of nostalgic 70's TV nonsense, it is a rare gem & worth owning for fans of such content. To that end, I rank all 14 episodes to assist in whatever role Logan may, or may not, play for collectors.

The main criteria are how well the episode develops or at least pertains to the world of Logan's Run. Past that, is it good science fiction? Past that, does it have any entertaining value of any sort? Let us then proceed on to the adventures of Logan, Jessica & Rem.


The summaries and release dates provided courtesy of Wikipedia (the summaries aren't the most accurate though).

#14. Capture
Aired: September 30, 1977

A hunter named James Borden and his wife capture the Runners and Francis. Now all of them have to run from the new hunters, who enjoy the chase.

Episode 3. Coming in deservedly at the very bottom, what's immediately clear is that this is The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell and not an ounce of anything else. This story, having been done to death (no pun intended), leaves no narrative intrigue. 

It has NO bearing on the world of Logan’s Run outside of establishing some weird trust between Francis & Logan that, though referenced in a later show, is overall inconsequential. It's simply far too early in the series to resort to this level of writing & character exposition.

#13. Crypt
Aired: November 7, 1977

The Runners find an underground room with six selected survivors of the nuclear holocaust, chosen to rebuild civilization, cryogenically preserved. They need a cure for a plague from the past, but there is not enough medicine for all of them.

Episode 7. Another derivative story mostly using Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None with a little bit of Sophie’s Choice tossed in. Again, does not develop the world of Logan’s Run nor does it really think out its premise.

The six unfrozen scientists are the greatest minds necessary to rebuild society. So, although they’ll work together create civilization from ashes, they can’t make 3 extra doses of a compound of which they already have three samples?!?

They had an entire functioning medical department at their disposal!

#12. Night Visitors 

Aired: January 23, 1978

The Runners stop at a house haunted by spirits from another time. Jessica is captured so that one of the spirits can use her as the receptacle for his dead wife's spirit.

Episode 12. Logan vs Satanists? Really?!? Released in January, this can hardly be thought of as a Halloween-minded episode which is the only reason to introduce such material.

The villains say the Dark Lord who gave them their powers killed Gavin's wife and is making them find a body for her as a payment for the powers. What kind of a plot is that?!?

It adds nothing to Logan’s “run.” Not even on a philosophical level. It’s just filler.

#11. Futurepast 

Aired: January 2, 1978

Logan and Jessica are accidentally put to sleep by a dream analysis machine controlled by a female android named Ariana. Logan dreams he is back in the City of Domes being interrogated by the Sandmen about how he found Sanctuary, and Jessica dreams she is being forced to take part in Carousel.

Episode 10. Rem falls in love with Anne Murray, but pretends he’s only circuity. This may have been the writers creating a side story that would have greater relevance had the series continued. But, since it didn’t, this episode comes off pointless.

It does rank a little higher since it - at least - was trying to develop one of the characters and give some background on the other two. Despite Wiki's summary, the episode is really more about Rem & whether he may actually possess human emotions.

#10. Fear Factor 

Aired: November 14, 1977

The Runners are captured by scientists of an authoritarian, concealed city who plan to use Logan in their experiments, in order to remove all human fears and to create a powerful army.

Episode 8. This one might have ranked higher, but for the fact Fear Factor’s society’s existence really makes Logan’s world - the City of Domes - pretty untenable. These societies cannot all be existing within a car’s drive of each other and not have clashed.

Besides, it’s basically a sanitarium, out in the open in broad daylight. It's not a city, no defenses, nor - as Wiki asserts - is it "concealed" (Logan walked right up to it). How have these people survived all these centuries? Are the all-male orderly staff having children with the female patients to make more male orderly staff?

#9. Half Life 

Aired: October 31, 1977

Logan, Jessica and Rem are attacked by two bands of duplicate humans with vastly different temperaments: one group is kind and gentle while the other is violent and vicious. Jessica is captured and split into two different persons with completely opposite temperaments.

Episode 6. The concept is interesting despite being a spin on Jekyll & Hyde and even a Star Trek's The Enemy Within variant. A machine is able to split a person's nature, create a clone of that person & imbue it with all the negative traits while leaving the original person with only the kind ones.

There's some cool ideas (i.e. sometimes one half dies in the separation process but not the other), but - again - really has no bearing on the world of Logan’s Run.

So two questions emerge:

1) If the people in the city are all good & kind, why are all the guards there suspicious & violent?

2) If one of the violent outcasts  - these peoples' Queen no less - has been masquerading for decades as her kind half - of what use was that machine?!?

Overall, a mixed bag that begs more questions than it answers.

#8. The Collectors 

Aired: September 23, 1977

Logan and Jessica are abducted by John the Protector and Joanna, aliens from another planet who are manipulating their minds, making them believe that they have found Sanctuary. But they are not alone in their captivity.

Episode 2. Another one right out of Star Trek with overly simple & convenient writing. It was nifty to see a grown up Angela Cartwright in a key role. She herself is a veteran of the sci-fi series Lost in Space. Sadly, her presence in no way elevates the humdrum story.

In this ranking The Collectors is the best failed attempt at this series doing science fiction. It's not great, but its story is far more cohesive than Half Life.

#7. The Innocent

Aired: October 10, 1977

Logan, Jessica and Rem encounter a young woman named Lisa, whose parents left her alone with only two robots for company. Lisa has a crush on Logan and plans to get rid of Jessica so she can have him for herself.

Episode 4. It's a Good Life from The Twilight Zone with an unimpressive twist. Another story already done & much better. Star Trek TOS (Squire of Gothos) has variants that Star Trek TNG would repeat (Future Imperfect): the powerful mischievous youth wanting company.

And there’s, not surprisingly, quite a bit of Carrie (1976) in here.

It’s another example of Logan’s Run trying to do science fiction even if it's science fiction that has nothing to do with Logan’s Run. While not as big a failure as The Collectors, it does drop the ball in that it simply goes nowhere with the story or this remarkable character.

It is cute to note that Lisa from this episode would go on to play Jenny Summers in Beverly Hills Cop (1984).

#6. Stargate

Aired: February 6, 1978

The Runners encounter aliens from a much hotter planet who need parts from Rem to bring others of their kind to Earth.

Episode 14. A spin on Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). These aliens need humans in which to duplicate their bodies, use them as hosts and discard the original person.

There are some questions as to why Rem’s components are perfectly compatible with alien technology, but whatever.

It is a reasonable effort & definitely the best of the non-Logan’s Run world action stories that has some science fiction to it.

#5. Logan's Run

Aired: September 16, 1977

75-minute pilot episode: In the 24th century, survivors of a nuclear war live in a domed city where they are allowed to stay alive only until age 30. "Runners," who refuse to die in the extermination ceremony known as Carousel, are hunted down and killed by enforcers called Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who's begun to question the system, and he and a woman named Jessica leave the city to look for a mysterious place called Sanctuary. Along the way they meet an android named Rem, who joins them in their quest. The three of them are being pursued by a Sandman named Francis.

Episode 1. Basically, it’s a repeat of the movie with all the changes the series would make to the original story. Not a lot: the year, name of the city, what Sanctuary was & most importantly that Logan’s world is run by old people & not a computer.

So, the point of this series is that the elders of Logan’s city insist Logan be brought back alive. These elders do, though, have the technology to transform a living person into the exact physiological image of a dead one (ep. 9). So why not bring him back dead?

In fact, a great deal of the technology renders most agendas in this series pointless. Still, despite recycling a lot of footage from the theatrical release, they did alright. If you’re familiar with the film, this episode is gonna lean on the boring button a bit.

#4. Turnabout

Aired: January 30, 1978

The Runners are captured by backward desert dwellers and condemned to death. Francis attempts to rescue Logan and Jessica.

Episode 13. Logan vs Islam. This episode makes no effort to disguise its subject matter or its commentary upon it but the action’s surprisingly good. The story, typical to the series’ moralizing focus, is pretty spoon-feeding in nature. It does nicely, at least, stay in the world of Logan’s Run.

#3. Man Out of Time

Aired: October 17, 1977

Scientist David Eakins time-travels 200 years into the future, where he encounters Logan, Jessica and Rem. He then plans to change history and prevent the nuclear war, but in the process he could erase the Runners world's existence.

Episode 5. This is a strange episode in that The Twilight Zone twist at the end elevates a more humdrum story into a compelling bit of backstory. Serling would’ve been proud of this one.

This episode definitely brings the best supplemental bit of information on the world of Logan’s Run fleshing out its history.

Definitely the best ending in the series & would rank well in best endings for 70’s TV altogether.

#2. Carousel

Aired: January 16, 1978

Strangers shoot Logan with a dart containing a serum that erases his memory. Francis then takes him back to the City to testify against Sanctuary and to be terminated via Carousel. Jessica and Rem try to save Logan and retrieve his memory.

Episode 11. Outside of episode 1, Carousel offers the most exposure into the City of Domes. The premise is pretty idiotic, but the story it sets up excuses much.

Fun as it was, it really punches the nerve of "How long will this chase between Francis & Logan continue?" Or is it just gonna be The Fugitive set in the future?

They imply Francis is using a tracker to keep so close to Logan but, with all the advanced technology available to Logan - why not remove it?

#1. The Judas Goat

Aired: December 19, 1977

A Sandman is given plastic surgery to appear as the runner, Hal 14, one of Jessica's friends. He is sent on a covert mission to try to persuade Logan and Jessica to return to the City to supposedly help other Runners escape to the outside world.

Episode 9. If by "plastic surgery" Wiki means "laser transform-a-clone'd" then yes, the Sandman was given plastic surgery.

The Judas Goat really deserves best of the 14 as it sticks to the narrative of Logan’s Run, is an interesting story, offers previously unknown backstory and is a fun watch.

We are also introduced to the very first runner, Matthew, and shown insights into his dealings since his escape. Why Wiki fails to mention such a critical character escapes me.

Matthew's story in this episode would later be recycled in the follow-up series Battlestar Galactica in a two-parter called The Living Legend in which Commander Cain of the Battlestar Pegasus is discovered to have survived the Cylon decimation of the colonies.


And there you have it. For nostalgia, corniness & actors that would go on to bigger projects, Logan's Run the TV series gets an A+. For everything else this series should have been, it gets a grade of D.

Film Discussion: Logan's Run (1976)