User reviews

I absolutely adored this TV series, which unfortunately I've not been able to find in recent years on re runs. For me it was much more entertaining than its predecessor, The Six Million Dollar Man, possibly because being female, I identified more with its heroine. Also, I agree with another comment made that Steve Austin (Six Million Dollar Man) is more a comic book figure, while Jamie is a real multi dimensional person.

The series revolves around a lovely young lady, Jamie Sommers, who suffers severe injuries in an airplane crash and is then rebuilt with bionic legs, one arm, and an ear. This first female cyborg is then sent undercover on spy missions by the Office of Scientific Investigations (OSI), using a high school teacher front as her cover.

Lindsay Wagner is simply perfect here, charming and endearing as Jamie Sommers. Jamie's bionic colleague, Steve Austin (played by Lee Majors) occasionally joins her on missions. However, the other star I recall best from the series is Max, the wonderful bionic German Shepherd and her frequent companion.

Jamie uses her special bionic speed, strength, and hearing in each episode to hunt down assorted spies and mad scientists. The episodes feature lots of action adventure and surely one of the most appealing heroines in television history. Jamie is beautiful, intelligent, affable, and compassionate...vulnerable in a sense (despite her powers) but strong and resourceful. Her strength is not simply bionic but strength of character. She would make a wonderful role model for modern young female viewers. In the intervening decades, television has never come up with a female action adventure star to equal her.

I had the treat of going to the set at Universal Studios and meeting Lindsay Wagner and seeing her in action while I was in college. I've got to admit the Hollywood Magic bubble was burst when she didn't jump over the 12 foot fence or actually push a car on her own. But none the less the show was always entertaining and a nice change in those days to see a woman who was beautiful and powerful, something us girls could look up to. My second treat was when my cousins and I ended up getting a little chilly and she told us we could go into her motor home to watch TV and warm up. At 9:00 pm she come running in and says " if you don't mind the show is on." She turns on Bionic Woman and sits down next to me. As I called it back then –"Way Cool"! Lindsay is a charming and sincere lady.

If the original Bionic Woman already came out on DVD, then why not have the original on Blu-Ray. It would be terrific that the classic Bionic Woman television shows are in high definition. How about having the sound remix in either Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound or Dolby True High Definition 7.1 surround sound instead of the original mono sound version. I think Dolby Digital Surround Sound sounds more realistic than the original mono version. So how about the same for the 2007 remake version starring Michelle Ryan? The sooner this will happen, the sooner the Blu-Ray version will be release. It is an excellent idea to have the original and remake version on blue-ray.

Even though I was a huge fan of "The Six Million Dollar Man", I was also a fan of this show. The main thing I liked about the series was that while Steve Austin was more or less a comic book character come to life, Jaimie Sommers was more of a real person. Jaimie had more of a private life and she still had time to enjoy that life. Also, you could see she was more vulnerable and was not afraid to show her softer side. You could also see that she had her self doubts about her job, which also made her a more endearing characacter. Also, this had some more comic elements to it and that's what helped to distinguish it from the show from which it was spun off from.

I grew up with all those series from the end of the seventies, early eighties so when they become available I try to pick them up. So I did with The Bionic Woman but it just couldn't fulfill my expectations.

I have seen The Six Million Dollar Man last year and it was great. I never had any problem with the way it was done with the effects. But here with this series it sometimes do has a cheesy feeling. I have seen so many things that looked laughable and didn't stand up for the time being. I mean, if a door is blocked by a stone and Jaime (Lindsay Wagner) is given her force against the rock it's so easy to spot that it isn't a real rock and when she do split the rock with her feet just look, you could see that it was made from styrofoam. It never occurred to me that I saw those cheesy things with the Six Million Dollar Man. Some effects were rather good, like her leg being damaged and it reveales the wires inside.

Don't misunderstand me, it isn't all that bad, Lindsay do give a good performance and being a spin-off of the Six Million Dollar Man it do works sometime but when Lee Majors do appear it do level up a bit.

Let me also say that Claws was the strangest thing to experience. Back then everything was possible. There weren't any restrictions and it shows. Just see how a real lion walks in a class full of children. They even may touch him. Can't think that's possible nowadays. In that particular episode all animals do walk around on a ranch, from ape to lion to elephant to everything you get in your mind. But not only that, in Claws the lion even opens a door. It's a close-up of his claws opening the door, and it's so clear that it was a fake leg from the lion. It makes it all so cheesy, really.

They also used real footage from the army when necessary, a thing they also did in The Six Million Dollar Man. For me it's between The Six Million Dollar Man (the use of the sound and slo- mo when using her bionic powers) and Wonder Woman (the cheesy use of styrofoam). A mediocre series.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

In this television spin-off of "The Six Million Dollar Man," professional tennis player Jamie Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) nearly died in a skydiving accident, but was saved by the United States government, which used parts bionics to save her. After fully recovering from the terrible accident, the beautiful young woman, Jaime Sommers, transforms into a bionic person. Now, with her new abilities, she becomes a secret agent and must stop dangerous crimes and save the country from her. He discovers that the best way to stop the bad guys is with his bionic abilities. Both legs, one arm, and one ear are artificial, giving him a number of superpowers. He works as an agent for the Office of Scientific Investigation fighting spies, mad scientists and aliens... As does his friend Colonel Steve Austin (Lee Majors). Meanwhile, Jamie is teaching basic education classes to young children at the Venture Air Force military base.

A nice and well-paced television series in 58 episodes, over 3 seasons, including action, adventure, intrigue, and fantastic events shot by naive means and traditional special effects. Lindsay Wagner's first appearance in The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) was supposed to be her last role in honor of her contract with Universal. However, the public reaction to her was so strong that she was offered her own series. The absolute protagonist is Lindsay Wagner who is the complete show, she is very attractive and gives a very sensitive, friendly and attractive performance. She even did most of her own stunts. As it became clear that Jamie Sommers was becoming a role model for children, the level of violence in the series decreased, and Jamie rarely (if ever) ) kills someone.

The characters of Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) and Rudy Wells (Martin E. Brooks) appeared in the series The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) and in the spin-off, The Bionic Woman (1976). When the spin-off moved to another television network, this practice continued. This was the first time that the same characters appeared in two different television series broadcast on two different networks at the same time. An unexpected effect of the show's popularity was that the producers discovered that some children who were fans of the series were deliberately trying to seriously injure themselves in the hopes of obtaining bionic parts. This prompted the producers to write a letter to at least one of those children to tell them that the show is purely fictional.

The 1971 novel "Cyborg" by former U. S. Air Force pilot and N. A. S. A. public relations man Martin Caidin was the source material for The Six Million Dollar Man series (1974-1978). And The Bionic Woman (1976), both created by Kenneth Johnson.

In addition to the series' regular actors such as Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks and Martha Scott (6 episodes), a notable cast of guest actors appears, such as: Forrest Tucker, George Maharis, Jack Kelly, John Houseman, Andy Griffith, Barry Sullivan, Barbara Rush, Donald O'Connor, Vincent Price, Kristy McNichol, Lew Ayres, James Olson, William Schallert, Ed Nelson, John Saxon, Vito Scotti, Katherine Helmond, David Opatoshu, Ed Nelson. Sandra Bullock rose to fame playing Kate Mason. She was the protégé of Steve Austin and Jamie Sommers; the Bionic Girl; in this franchise.

Producer Harve Bennett was the opening voice of the show, making this recording after Richard Anderson had already recorded the rest of the monologue. Anderson was not available at the time to record the addition, so Bennett did it himself. The success of the series The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman (1976), was a turning point for television networks, as it convinced Hollywood that the fantasy superhero genre was viable as prime-time entertainment material, more on its own terms than drama and opposed to cheesy parody comedy like Batman (1966). Characters Steve Austin and Jamie Sommers (from The Bionic Woman (1976)) were ranked number nineteen on TV Guide's list of the "25 Greatest Science Fiction Legends"

After a tragic accident, a revolutionary procedure was necessary. You guessed it. Only her replacement parts are a tad different. No not those parts.

Run-of-the-mill series with good and bad guys. Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) with close direction from her handler Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson), must use her bionic abilities to get into and out of situations.

Who disguised as a mild-mannered teacher by day, "Out of the night when the full moon is bright," "she fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way."

Of course, if you have seen one episode you will see them all. Yet, there is still some room for kibitzing.

Old and very light spirited series. It does not bother me with the old look and lacking special effects. I think season 1 was fairly good and season 2 was really good. Season 2 had a lot of interesting stories/episodes. Season 3 many of the episodes was a pain to get through. Jamie became more a saint than an OSI agent and most of the stories were just not interesting or too unlikely even when you see a sci-fi series.

Do not see this for the special effects or if you like plausible stuff. If you are willing to ignore the laws of physics and just switch the brain off it can be good entertainment. I would recommend the first two seasons for people that care about good stories. Avoid the last season maybe see a few chosen season 3 episodes. but very few from season 3 was actually worth seeing.

Most spin-off shows must be viewed with caution as they are usually pale imitations of their predecessors. The Bionic Woman was not one of them.

The beautiful Lindsay Wagner played bionic woman Jamie Sommers. She was joined by Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman and Martin E. Brooks as Dr. Rudy Wells. She worked for the OSI agency (it's amazing how in the 60's and 70's there were so many government agencies fighting evil on the small screen). Jamie had had an airplane accident and she was rebuilt. She was given bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic ear (no doubt used for listening to gossip).

Like most shows of that era, The Bionic Woman was fun as Jamie Sommers fought all sorts of threats from Bigfoot to Fembots to aliens and also a few more down to earth threats as well. I really loved the theme tune and the action sequences to this show. The acting was great on the part of the three leads and the show had a mixture of stories from comedy episodes to dark episodes. Popping in from time to time was Steve Austin (not the WWF/WWE star but the Six Million Dollar Man played by Lee Majors).

All in all, a great show which is better than it has ever been given credit for.

In order to fully appreciate this series, you have to remember the context of the times. 1976 was the year the Viking II landed on Mars and gave us our first closeup pictures of another planet. In 1976, West Point admitted its first female cadets. Legendary punk rock group The Ramones released their first album. America was on the cusp of a technological, sexual and artistic turning point. Why then was TV still dominated by archaic shows like "Donny & Marie" and "Happy Days"? Who knows, but "The Bionic Woman" changed all that.

For one thing, it was the first action series to feature a no-nonsense, independent female lead. Sure there had been "Police Woman" in 1974, but in that show her male partner handled all the rough stuff. There was also "Wonder Woman" in 1975, but come on, Lynda Carter prancing around in a bikini? I sure didn't take her seriously. Same went for "Charlie's Angels" in late '76 (although big kudos go to Kate Jackson who refused to do the bikini prance). For my money, it was Lindsay Wagner who first gripped American audiences for her brains, talents & humour, not for her legs & cleavage.

For this, I tip my hat to the greatest TV writer of the day: Kenneth Johnson. He's the guy who brought us "The Incredible Hulk" and the groundbreaking miniseries "V" ...shows that focused less on rockem-sockem action and more on the human story behind it all. There's a certain sensitivity to his work that was far ahead of its time. Whereas the networks wanted to portray their heroes as infallible tough guys, Kenneth wasn't afraid to show them buckle on occasion, paving the way for more realistic, emotional and powerful stories.

"The Bionic Woman" is a fine example of his work, and Lindsay Wagner was the one & only actor for the job. Charming yet old-fashioned (a 27-year-old schoolteacher who lives above her adoptive parents' garage), she was actually something of a nerd despite her classic beauty and stubborn personality. She really reminds me of a 1970s version of Katherine Hepburn: quick witted, never to be "put in her place" by anyone, but with a sweetness & feminine grace that's undeniable. (Uh... that is until you see the bloopers on the DVD where Lindsay swears like a sailor in heat! Haha, but nevermind that.)

As for the action, there's a good bit of it, but mostly she saved the day with her smarts. And it's a real treat to see how much passion & emotion Lindsay put into the role ...again, breaking from the traditional "infallible tough guy" heroics.

There's a lot of playful humour in the series, and the other regulars (Oscar & Rudy) are fleshed out to become more human than any other action sidekicks I can think of. In short, this was a landmark series which holds up today--if not surpasses--almost 40 years later, due to its progressive, human edge. Do NOT miss the opportunity to watch this show. Also check out the Kenneth Johnson series I mentioned: "The Incredible Hulk" and "V - the miniseries". And at the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, check out the work of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson: "Space 1999" and "UFO". If you know where to look, the 70s really rocked!

I don't know why it's so boring! I've tried watching a few episodes in the ams and it's beyong boring. It must have been hard for Lindsey to try to carry her own series in the era of Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Wonder Woman. She looks quite striking when her bangs have volume added to them, she looks quite different. Sadly, she invariably pulls her hair back and tucks it behind her ear, giving her the unflattering "flat 70's hair" (or hair plastered against her forehead) that was so unbecoming for her otherwise lovely self.

Because I'm so distracted by her hair, I can't focus on the episode. The romance with Steve Austin left me cold (another boring show with unremarkable---even if handsome---TV star) but it got a bit interesting when they brought in a cool bionic dog. It was a police dog, very reminiscent of Run, Joe, Run, a show I adored as a kid.

Not much else to add. It has its own cult following, but for me, it's a borefest. Oscar Goldman was a nice enough character but "pizzazz" and "oomph" was missing from this series. It didn't help that---like $6 Mil Man---they turned it into the "run in slo-mo" show. As a kid, I got interested when they sped up the reel and Jaimie was unbolting bolts real fast. But that got old fast. Nothing much to see here, but if you're "coronalocked down", eh! It's good enough and a family show so don't let my review deter you: you might like it better and more power to you.

PS: Wagner has a gorgeous speaking voice. Her "country star" episode is on now but I'm disappointed by her singing (and I loved 70's country music). I'll try to not doze off and watch it till the end but it's a very tedious watch. 4/10 stars from me.

There is no stopping the phenomenon that was and still is to this day The Bionic Woman!! 35 yrs down the road we're still talking' and makin' references to this show. There was nothing i wanted more than to experience the thrill of jumping over wells and busting through doors as a child. now.. as an adult it brings back old memories of playing Fembots in the yard with the neighborhood kids and now that they're all back on DVD i enjoy watching them and yes i have to laugh a little at the cheesiness of some of it , but oh well! you can't put a price on memories like that!! To those of you who never experienced it the first time around check out clips posted by fans from all over the world online and judge for yourself. Jaime Sommers rules.. now and forever!!!!

To say that this badly-conceived, copycat TV series (whose premise was already going stale within its first few episodes) could've been a whole lot better would truly be an understatement like no other.

You know, I have never been all that impressed with TV"s "The Six-Million Dollar Man" - But, I'll tell ya - This laughable "Bionic Woman" series made that preposterous program look absolutely wonderful by comparison.

Anyway - I cannot believe that some viewers actually perceive the disappointing "Jamie Sommers" character as being the epitome of the "empowered woman" (of the 1970s) - 'Cause (IMO) she was nothing but a total pawn in the dog-eat-dog world of male dominance.

Even now, from over 20 years distance from "the bionic woman" - she is still quite an example for women heroines in the entire Television history. She is beautiful, witty, brave and non-compromising - a lot thanks to Lindsay Wagner which performed her roll in such an elegant way. Jaime was one of the first women in television, to be shown as more then just another pretty face - at first, as a sidekick for the six million dollars man but soon enough, in behalf of herself. To bad the series didn't last longer - there was a lot of potential - the series combined both action and drama, and even humor now and then. Jaime always encountered intriguing and complex situations, and always handled them very well. All and all, I think that what made Jaime so special was the fact that bionic or not - she was human, very human and emotional but one of a strong character.

The Bionic Woman was not only the show that pioneered and paved the way for shows with strong female leads, but did so at a time when the 'womens' movement' was knocking down walls and breaking stereotypical barriers like never before (much like Jamie Sommers did!!). The irony is that this all happened by accident, as the Sommers character was supposed to die off in the original Six Million Dollar Man series. Well that might have worked in some shows with some characters – but enter Lindsay Wagner who stole America's hearts overnight. Every man wanted to marry her, every woman wanted to be her. If you are of a…eh hem…a certain age, you'll remember that time when the nation immediately fell in love with Ms. Wagner. In fact I know we were all in love with her because I'll never forget being so incredibly heartbroken as a little kid when Jaime Sommers "died" in the show. I had nightmares for weeks.

Well it turns out I wasn't the only one with a bionic crush. Families and kids everywhere bombarded ABC with fan mail to keep Jaime and the series alive. As clever as studio execs think they are, they had no idea what they had on their hands and did not foresee how the series would have such a tremendous impact on a generation - and go on to become a tour de force in television pop culture for women and men alike.

As a kid The Bionic Woman was an event in our home - just like everyone else's home at the time. After we took our baths and got into our pajamas the family gathered around the television for some incredible acting and storytelling that in many cases were way ahead of its time. This show was so dynamic it resonated with both kids and adults alike; there was something for everyone. It was clever, funny, thoughtful, exciting, and quite possibly most of all – 'dark'. The thing that was so intriguing about these cyborg characters was that they were humans who ended up with some special strengths and gifts, but they were extremely flawed compared to your stereotypical 'super hero'. In our minds it was very easy to relate to these characters because all of us saw ourselves in their position if we had a horrible accident and woke up one day with super strengths and a ton of responsibility to our fellow mankind. We watched Jaime get amnesia and forget about her love Steve Austin. We watched her reject her bionics and almost die from the very same gifts that she would go on to battle the evil forces of the world with. We watched her struggle from leading a normal life as a school teacher on one day, to battling fembots and saving the world the next.

But unlike the types of strong women you find in most film and television series today, this woman's key gift was her 'girl next door' flare. And that was her greatest appeal. In fact it's important to note that unlike superhero stories today, the bionics were a secondary character to the show (which is exactly why the re-launch of The Bionic Woman miserably failed on all levels). The bionics may have been a fantastic eye catching weapon; but they provided so much more; for instance – 'comic relief; (cut to Jaime using her bionic arm to whip up an omelet or clean her house). The writers were insightful enough to understand that if any of us wound up with these special gifts, they would probably be used in unsophisticated ways to get us through a painstakingly typical boring rough day.

Unlike the highly sexualized female leads we see on film today, Lindsay Wagner was a combination of incredible beauty and cool sweet charm. Whereas hair and wardrobe take center stage to female characters in our post-modern era, her gifts revolved around her inner strengths the most notable being her magnetic personality. Her smile was her deadliest weapon. And it were these exact traits along with her incredible acting skills that enabled her to win an Emmy for this iconic role. In fact you could easily relate this win to the Oscar nominations Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received for Stephen King's "Carrie". These were the types of television and film genres that would most likely be overlooked for such prestigious awards – but were handled so brilliantly by the actors that nobody could deny giving credit where credit is due and offering accolades that the performers greatly deserved no matter what the genre.

The only downside to The Bionic Woman was its short lived 2 season run. Unfortunately for a show ahead of its time it was also extremely costly and challenging to produce. What's interesting is that the show would be easy to produce with todays sophisticated means. However, it was the simplicity, sound effects, and camera trickery that made the show work on so many levels. So unfortunately, even with today's incredible advanced technical tools, The Bionic Woman wouldn't survive as a fast paced action packed CGI television series. And even if it stood half a chance, the biggest problem is you don't have the most crucial other half – Lindsay Wagner. The comforting part is that the show was so important and real to many of us, that to this day we feel content in knowing that Jaime and Max are relaxing happily by the fireplace in her cozy loft in Ojai, California.

Still now do I remember the Bionic Woman. At that time the plot was quite new and unique. I loved so much the simplicity of it, of the bionics, Jaime etc... In and out of character Jaime or Lindsay Wagner seemed like a great person in reality. Lindsay played the role like a goddess right for the part. All the plots for all the episodes was never the same and always fun to watch, especially all the undercover missions, which were a lot.

Watching it in 2010 seeing the beliefs and technology so far behind makes it that much more enjoyable and special to watch. I cannot stress this enough, that this is a great series, I was extremely sad to see it come to an end after just approx. 50 episodes, I must admit I spilled a couple tears. I recommend greatly and I believe it to be available on DVD, the full collection on internet. If you plan to watch the Modern Bionic Woman re-make, don't, it is waist of your time and in no way brings any sense of the original version with all it's violence, it in my opinion dishonors the legacy. A 10 out of 10 for this series!

This is an alright series for all viewers to watch. This series could have been a bit better if the crew had put in extra effort. The storyline of this series was a bit straightforward. It needed something else. Some parts throughout the series were confusing. It was a bit disappointing. The cast selection was alright. It was not enough. They did not fully commit to the storyline nor to their respective characters. The chemistry between the cast members was not that strong. This series reveals to viewers the true limits everyone can go to protect everything that they want in life. This is a fine series that could have been better.

The Bionic Woman is not just sheer, wonderful fantasy but it also brought us amazing femininity and full-on, '70's glamour...Lindsay Wagner advanced the usually dormant societal awareness of how a beautiful looking woman could also be strong, compassionate, fair and run at 60 mph in high heels! The series is important in that it raises the profile of actually seeing women as something more than just pretty, stay-at-home objects of male desire... In many ways much of its residual effect is only realised after time has passed...

On another level, the series is easy on the eye, full of action and has great music...it is escapism which is translatable to new generations of sci-fi fans...and Ms Wagner... you are so beautiful!!!

Lindsay, if you read this , I'd love if you sent me a message. The bionic woman has the most incredible and cute series I've ever watched when I was a child. Richard Anderson Lindsay Wagner Martin E. Brooks All of them I was a child from Barcelona , Spain And I enjoyed the series, because in that was showed the importance of being kind, good person, sensitive, etc, and Lindsay was a great and talented actress, for sure.

I have a question for the people: in the first episods , Lindsay didn't have an injury in her lip, but after 4 episods she had an injury in her lip... anyone knows what was the reason and how?

Thanks a lot

All I can say is I love Lindsay Wagner! She was my favorite actress as a child and The Bionic Woman was my favorite TV show of all time! I would rush home after school so that I could see her battle it out with Steve Austin against the evil Fembots! When Stephanie Powers starred in "The Return Of Bigfoot" well, all I can say is "did it get any better?" As I watch the show now, it's still fun to see the super-human strength Jamie had as she went undercover for many a mission for the OSI. As cheesy as the "special effects" look now, you have to admit they were pretty cool in their day and made the show a lot of fun, especially the series when Jamie & Steve were surrounded by the evil and powerful FEMBOTS! To all the shows creators, producers and directors I applaud you for a job very well done! Lindsay, if you ever read this, I love your causes and your efforts and the fact that you will always be my heroine! PS: If anyone would like to exchange emails, drop me a line sometime! Martin Gatin, Calgary Alberta, Canada. Email: mlgatin@shaw.ca PSS: If anyone has any screen shots taken from the TV show's introduction I could add to my collection I would very much appreciate it!

Even in this day & age The Bionic Woman is a spectacular show. Jamie is a tennis player who goes skydiving with boyfriend Steve (The Six Million Dollar Man)...The adventure turns to disaster when Jamie plunges to the ground. Steve convinces the OSI (place of employment) to give Jamie Bionic legs, arm, & ear. She learns to use her super strength, super speed, & super hearing to go to work for the OSI. The Six Million Dollar Man was an excellent show as well, but, The Bionic Woman is the one to watch. There were a few follow-up's to both shows including "The Return Of The Six Million Dollar Man & The Bionic Woman", "The Bionic Showdown", & "Bionic Ever After". The shows rarely air, so if you get the chance, without a doubt, watch them! 1-10 Bionic Woman(10)...Six Million(9+)...Return of(8)...Showdown(9)...Ever After(6)