Man-Eating Space Lizards: When V Was a TV Smash
American broadcast television in the 1980s didn’t leave a lot of room for subtlety. Shows like Hill Street Blues were outliers, crowded off the schedule by head-hammering episodic series featuring mercenaries (The A-Team), car chases (The Dukes of Hazzard), or soapy melodrama (Dynasty).
On its surface, V appeared to be no different. A two-part miniseries airing on consecutive evenings in May 1983, it told the story of the “Visitors,” gregarious aliens who arrive on Earth in three-mile-long spaceships and greet humans with a bargain: Let the Visitors harvest a chemical needed for their continued survival and receive advanced medical knowledge in return.
As the humanoid aliens reveal themselves to be malevolent lizard-like creatures who prefer to dine on humans rather than prolong their lives, V took on the look and feel of a pulpy sci-fi epic—the kind of thing that could be easily summarized in one Amazing Stories cover image from the 1940s.
But writer Kenneth Johnson had something far more subversive in mind. The Visitors were stand-ins for fascists, and V was a cautionary tale about the perils of complacency.
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A Carnegie Mellon graduate, Johnson had broken into television with a writing stint on The Six Million Dollar Man, for which he conceived a female counterpart in the form of Jamie Sommers (Lindsay Wagner).
Sommers got her own series, The Bionic Woman, which Johnson produced until he was tasked with adapting The Incredible Hulk as a live-action drama.
It was around this time that Johnson became fascinated with a 1935 novel by Sinclair Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here, about a fascist group that rises to power in the United States.
Johnson reworked the concept into Storm Warnings, a feature-length screenplay; that work landed on the desk of NBC president Brandon Tartikoff, who encouraged Johnson to adapt it into a television miniseries by casting Soviets or the Chinese as the antagonists.
Tartikoff’s request made sense. The miniseries format, which took off in the 1970s with Roots and Rich Man, Poor Man, was drawing record numbers of viewers. The Thorn Birds, about a priest who is tempted to break his vow of celibacy by a younger woman, was a hit; so was Shogun, about a 17th century man who shipwrecks in Japan and becomes a pawn in a war between samurai.
(Both starred Richard Chamberlain.) Storm Warnings had an appropriately sprawling narrative with multiple characters, a feat of creative engineering Johnson was encouraged to use after reading War and Peace.
But the writer was less enthused about casting a foreign superpower as a rival. Tartikoff then suggested aliens, the allegorical turf of Rod Serling that had fueled many a socially-conscious episode of The Twilight Zone.
Johnson later told Starlog he “ran screaming from the room” at the suggestion, but eventually warmed to it. Storm Warnings became V: NBC committed $13 million to produce the four-hour drama.
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While a generous budget for television, the scope of Johnson’s idea taxed every available dollar.
A 60-foot-long model of one of the Visitor ships was built; a giant hangar intended to depict the inside was made to scale, albeit cut in half; matte effects, with the ships laid over a background painting, depicted their unsettling arrival over Earth’s major cities. A feature with those same ambitions might take months of pre-production planning: Johnson got three weeks.
Whatever was lacking in the special effects and costumes—Johnson opted for a regal, military-inspired garb for his aliens that hasn’t aged well—never diluted the real attraction of V.
Following a television cameraman (Marc Singer) and a botanist (Faye Grant) as they grow suspicious of the true intentions of the Visitors, the series quickly turns into an examination of what happens when a population is seduced by the promise of a helping hand.
Celebrities and world leaders endorse the Visitors; scientists questioning their motives are corralled and delivered to ships for “re-education.” By the time their foot soldier Diana (Jane Badler) is seen devouring a guinea pig, Singer and his cohorts have decided to form a resistance to push back against being turned into alien kibble.
For viewers who didn’t care for the subtext, there was still the birth of a lizard baby to talk about with coworkers and friends the next morning.
In a departure from conventional advertising, NBC decided to take a conservative approach with V. Posters in subway stations and bus stops depicted illustrations of the Visitors in propaganda-style posters; later, a “V” would be spray-painted over the ads. There was never any mention of the series.
The premiere of V drew a 40 share, which meant 40 percent of all households watching television at that hour were watching the lizard people establish their dominance on Earth.
Tartikoff even granted Johnson the ability to run 15 minutes past the allotted two-hour time slot, cutting into local newscasts. On night two, V maintained much of that audience.
What might have turned out to be a lucrative franchise for NBC quickly lost its way. Tartikoff wanted Johnson to oversee a weekly drama continuing the story of the resistance while ramping up their licensing efforts; Johnson argued that the premise would be too expensive for the format and suggested a two-hour movie air every month or two instead.
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In the end, neither quite got their wish. Another miniseries, V: The Final Battle, aired in 1984, but Johnson disowned it after extensive rewrites. V: The Series followed, but lasted just one season. Johnson lamented that the network had taken his cautionary tale and turned it into a spectacle, with gunfights and lizard people eating small animals taking the place of the allegory.
V was revived by ABC in 2009, but low ratings led to a quick demise after two seasons. Other shows and movies like 1996’s Independence Day had borrowed heavily from Johnson, wearing out the premise. In 2007, Johnson published V: The Second Generation, a novel based on one of his follow-up scripts.
The miniseries format would continue throughout the 1980s and 1990s before serialized dramas with shortened seasons edged them off television schedules.
Like The Thorn Birds, V remains one of the most well-remembered entries in the medium, due in no small part to Johnson’s nods to levity. When the aliens arrive, a high school band plays the Star Wars theme.
The ’60s Icon Who Lost Love And Endured Tragedy: Her Photos At 86
Connie Francis stands as one of the most influential and successful female vocalists in American music history—a performer whose unmistakable voice helped define the sound of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
With timeless classics such as “Who’s Sorry Now?”, “Stupid Cupid,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own,” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” she became an international sensation, captivating audiences around the world with her emotional delivery and remarkable vocal versatility.
Behind the glamour, however, was a life marked by extraordinary triumphs, heartbreaking loss, and an unwavering determination to survive challenges that would have broken many others.
Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, Connie showed musical talent from an early age. Recognizing her potential, her father became the driving force behind her career.
Fiercely ambitious and deeply determined to see his daughter succeed, he encouraged—and often pressured—her to perform from childhood.
Under his strict guidance, Connie appeared in talent competitions, television programs, and live performances while still very young.
Although his relentless efforts ultimately helped launch one of the most successful careers in popular music, they also created enormous emotional pressure.
Connie would later acknowledge that the discipline and expectations placed upon her during her formative years shaped both her incredible work ethic and many of the personal struggles she experienced later in life.
Her breakthrough arrived in 1958 with “Who’s Sorry Now?” At first, the song attracted little attention, but after legendary television host Dick Clark played it on American Bandstand, everything changed.
Almost overnight, Connie Francis became a household name.
The record climbed the charts not only in the United States but across Europe and beyond, transforming her into one of the world's first truly international female pop stars.
Over the following years, she dominated radio with a remarkable string of hit records, sold millions of albums, and performed in multiple languages, building an enormous global fan base that stretched far beyond English-speaking audiences.
While her professional life appeared glamorous, her personal life was often filled with heartbreak. One of the deepest emotional wounds came from her romance with fellow singer Bobby Darin.
Their relationship blossomed during the early years of their careers, and the pair reportedly envisioned a future together.
However, Connie's father strongly disapproved of the relationship and ultimately intervened, preventing the romance from continuing.
The separation devastated both young performers. Bobby Darin eventually moved on and married actress Sandra Dee, while Connie would later describe losing him as one of the greatest heartbreaks of her life.
Years afterward, she admitted that she often wondered how different her life might have been had they been allowed to remain together.
As the years passed, the tragedies continued to mount. In 1974, Connie became the victim of a horrific assault following a performance, an event that profoundly affected her emotionally and psychologically.
The traumatic experience left lasting scars and dramatically altered her confidence and sense of security.
Determined that others should not endure similar suffering without support, she later became an outspoken advocate for victims' rights, helping raise awareness about crime victims and encouraging improvements in victim assistance programs throughout the United States.
Not long afterward, another devastating blow struck when her beloved younger brother, George Franconero Jr., was murdered.
His death shattered the family and plunged Connie into overwhelming grief. Losing someone so close while still coping with previous trauma compounded her emotional struggles and made everyday life increasingly difficult.
The combination of public pressure, personal loss, and unresolved trauma gradually took a severe toll on her mental health.
During these painful years, Connie faced profound depression and experienced periods of emotional crisis.
She openly discussed her struggles with mental illness, including a suicide attempt, choosing to speak honestly about experiences that were rarely discussed publicly at the time.
Her willingness to share her story helped reduce stigma surrounding mental health and encouraged countless others to seek treatment and support. Rather than hiding her pain, Connie transformed it into a source of compassion for people facing similar battles.
As if those challenges were not enough, Connie also endured a devastating setback to the very gift that had made her famous—her voice.
Following nasal surgery intended to improve her breathing, complications temporarily robbed her of her ability to sing.
For an artist whose identity and livelihood depended upon her voice, the experience was emotionally crushing.
The fear that she might never perform again left her questioning whether her extraordinary career had reached its end.
Through months of rehabilitation, patience, and determination, she gradually regained her vocal abilities, demonstrating once again the remarkable resilience that had become a defining characteristic of her life.
Despite enduring repeated personal tragedies, Connie refused to let hardship define her legacy.
Throughout the years, she found strength in several enduring sources: her deep religious faith, the love she shared with her adopted son Joey, and the unwavering support of generations of devoted fans who continued to celebrate her music long after her chart-topping years had passed.
Their encouragement reminded her that her voice—and her story—continued to matter.
Professionally, Connie Francis achieved accomplishments that remain extraordinary by any standard.
She sold more than 80 million records worldwide, recorded songs in numerous languages, and became one of the first female solo artists to enjoy sustained international superstardom.
Her influence reached far beyond America, making her one of the most recognizable voices of her era.
Even decades after her biggest hits, her recordings continue to be rediscovered by new generations of listeners who appreciate the sincerity, warmth, and emotional depth she brought to every performance.
Today, at 87 years old, Connie Francis is remembered not only as a legendary singer but also as a symbol of perseverance.
Living a quiet life in Florida after retiring from the spotlight, she remains an enduring inspiration to fans around the world.
Her extraordinary journey serves as a reminder that fame does not shield anyone from heartbreak, loss, or personal struggle, but it also demonstrates the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.
Through unimaginable challenges, Connie continued to move forward with courage, dignity, and hope.
Her legacy extends far beyond the millions of records she sold or the timeless songs she recorded.
It lives on in her advocacy for victims' rights, her openness about mental health, and her willingness to transform personal pain into compassion for others.
Connie Francis is remembered not simply because she possessed one of the most recognizable voices of the twentieth century, but because she showed the world that true strength is measured not by the absence of suffering, but by the courage to keep singing after life has tested you again and again.
