Seven stranded castaways, one tiny ship, a fateful three-hour tour, an uncharted desert isle — those were the key elements of “Gilligan’s Island,” the 1964 sitcom that ran for three seasons and 98 episodes before ending in 1967. Thanks to years of endless reruns, the show’s popularity grew, reaching generations of viewers who weren’t even born when it first aired; by the early 1980s, “Gilligan’s Island” had also spawned three made-for-TV movies and two Saturday morning cartoons. If you’re looking to embark on a rewatch and don’t want to get lost at sea, here’s your definitive guide on how to watch the franchise in the proper order.
Things kick off with the series that started it all: “Gilligan’s Island.” The franchise’s flagship show introduced us to the bumbling first mate Gilligan (Bob Denver) and his hot-tempered captain, “The Skipper” (Alan Hale Jr.). Their fellow castaways included millionaire Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus), his wife, Eunice “Lovey” Howell (Natalie Schafer), The Professor (Russell Johnson), Mary Ann Summers (Dawn Wells), and movie star Ginger Grant (Tina Louise, the last surviving member of the original cast). Throughout the series, the gang often attempt ridiculous escape plans, only for Gilligan to spectacularly blunder them every single time. And if you’re wondering whether the castaways ever got off the island in the original show — they didn’t. The original series ends without a rescue, leaving our favorite castaways seemingly stranded for good … at least, until the TV movies came along.
The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island marked the end of the franchise’s live-action canon
Just over a decade later, frustrated fans finally got their resolution in the 1978 two-part TV movie event “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island.” The plot finds our castaways washed out to sea after constructing a makeshift boat during a tsunami. For once, one of Gilligan’s screw-ups has a positive outcome: He sets the raft on fire while cooking fish, attracting the attention of the Coast Guard. Back on the mainland, however, the rescued castaways struggle to adapt to modern life, which leads to a reunion cruise on the S.S. Minnow II. Once again, they’re blown off course, ending up shipwrecked on the exact same island.
The story picks up just 12 days later in 1979’s “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island.” This time, the plot sees the group rescued by the U.S. Navy. But instead of abandoning the place that brought them together, Thurston buys the island and turns it into a luxury getaway — fittingly named The Castaways Resort. Gilligan and the rest of his fellow castaways are hired to help run it, which, of course, leads to holiday-resort shenanigans with the guests.
In 1981 came probably the weirdest entry of all: “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.” This story’s bonkers plot sees the famous basketball team crash-land at the resort just as a corporate villain (Martin Landau) attempts a hostile takeover using a team of basketball-playing robots. The Globetrotters, along with Gilligan and the Skipper, save the day on the court. This final installment of the live-action canon ends with the gang celebrating their victory, seemingly living happily ever after.
Gilligan’s Planet sent our castaways to outer space
If you’re a completist for everything “Gilligan’s Island,” you can now circle back to the animated entries that ran alongside the live-action projects. First up is “The New Adventures of Gilligan,” a Saturday morning Filmation cartoon that originally ran from 1974 to 1975, between the original show and the TV movies. The show featured the vocal talents of most of the original cast — minus Louise and Wells, who were replaced by Jane Webb. The series basically revisited classic storylines with kid-friendly moral lessons and a new pet monkey named Snubby.
In 1982, Filmation brought us “Gilligan’s Planet,” which saw the castaways venture into outer space. After building a makeshift rocket ship to escape the island, they accidentally crash-land on a distant planet. Wells returned to voice both Mary Ann and Ginger for this 13-episode sci-fi spin-off, which exists strictly in its own continuity.
With the original TV series and TV movies and cartoons out of the way, you can cap your marathon with “Surviving Gilligan’s Island.” This 2001 CBS docudrama features intimate interviews with Denver, Wells, and Johnson. Blending real-life recollections with dramatic reenactments of casting disputes and pilot reshoots, it stands as the perfect meta-finale to television’s favorite three-hour tour. Lastly, as a bonus feature, you can track down the unaired lost pilot of “Gilligan’s Island” – just treat it as a piece of TV history that’s not at all considered canon.
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