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The 1970s were an amazing decade for science fiction — this is the era when the first “Star Wars” movie came out, after all. Despite this, there weren’t a lot of sci-fi cartoons on the small screen, especially compared to how many forgotten genre cartoons aired in the ’80s.
It makes a certain amount of sense. To start, there simply weren’t as many cartoons back then as there are today. With far fewer networks and a prevailing wisdom that animation was just for kiddos to enjoy on Saturday mornings, there wasn’t as much opportunity for the medium. Additionally, a lot of the best sci-fi shows of the ’70s, live-action or otherwise, premiered in the back-half of the decade. In the grand scheme of things, the pop sci-fi genre that “Star Wars” helped make such a sensation may have been more of an ’80s trend than a ’70s one.
And yet, there are real hidden sci-fi gems among the cartoons of the 1970s — some that could make for an interesting, entertaining reboot now. Here are five cartoons from the ’70s — including a goofy kaiju adventure, a forgotten superhero team, and a famous sitcom family inexplicably having space adventures in space — that deserve a modern revival.
Sealab 2020
In a way, “Sealab 2020” has already gotten a revival — although given that “Sealab 2021” premiered on Adult Swim more than a quarter-century ago, it doesn’t quite count as a “modern” reboot. “Sealab 2021” wasn’t exactly a regular reboot, either.
“Sealab 2020,” a short-lived Hanna-Barbera cartoon that aired on NBC for one season in 1972, was an earnest underwater adventure with environmental themes set inside the titular aquatic research base. “Sealab 2021,” meanwhile, took the original animation and spoofed it. As one of the shows that helped launch Cartoon Network’s adult animation programming block, “Sealab 2021” is almost certainly the more well-known and beloved of the two series. If “Sealab 2020” has any legacy, it’s because of “Sealab 2021.”
Despite this (or, perhaps, because of it), there’s an opportunity for “Sealab” to come back in non-parody form. If a rebooted “Sealab 2020” is able to escape from the shadow of “2021” — admittedly a big “if” — the possibilities for nautical exploration are rich. It could be like “Star Trek,” with a diverse cast of science-minded characters, only set on the ocean floor rather than the final frontier. We do know more about the moon than we know about our own ocean, after all…
Godzilla
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is perhaps more popular than he’s ever been. There are movies about the kaiju being made in Japan and the United States, and there’s even an Apple TV+ series spin-off of the American films. There could always be more Godzilla, though, so why not capitalize on the monster’s fame by rebooting one of his most infamous — and goofiest — depictions?
Joseph Barbera, co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera, was interested in making a “Godzilla” cartoon. The Japanese studio behind the monster, Toho, gave him the go-ahead to make one for NBC in 1978. There were some problems, though. As Barbera recalled in “Japan’s Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G,” network standards and practices forbade Godzilla from breathing atomic fire on anybody or stomping on cars or buildings — a.k.a. doing the things that make Godzilla the King of the Monsters.
Instead, the Godzilla of the two-season cartoon went on adventures with a human research crew and his nephew, a small, comic relief kaiju named Godzooky. It was a deeply cheesy, silly show, yet there’s a certain amount of nostalgic charm present. While Godzilla originated as an intense metaphor for nuclear war, most of his movies are fun (if not downright ridiculous). A rebooted “Godzilla” cartoon — one with a bit more leeway to get away with city-stomping than the ’70s original — could be a nice way to round out the iconic character’s modern-day depictions.
Valley of the Dinosaurs
In 2025, Netflix announced it was rebooting the classic ’70s live-action series, “Land of the Lost.” The show followed a family who had been stranded inside a strange primitive land, and had already been rebooted as a Will Ferrell-led film in 2009. If another streamer out there wanted to snag a lesser-known IP with a similar premise, “Valley of the Dinosaurs” is ripe for the taking.
The similarities between “Land of the Lost” and the Hanna-Barbera animated series run deep. “Valley of the Dinosaurs” even premiered on CBS the very same day that “Land of the Lost” first aired on NBC: September 7, 1974. The first and only 16-episode season follows the Butler family after they go through a vortex that takes them back in time where they become friends with a Neanderthal family.
Most episodes had the Butlers using some knowledge from humanity’s future to solve problems — including the dinosaurs that anachronistically exist alongside early man. Given the success of the animated series “Primal” and the somewhat similarly themed “La Brea,” it’s clear there’s a desire for families having prehistoric adventures on television. Perhaps it’s time to return to the “Valley of the Dinosaurs.”
Space Sentinels
“Super Friends” was also a sci-fi animated series of the ’70s, but there’s hardly a lack of great shows about DC superheroes, like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Rather than a reboot of “Super Friends,” consider “Space Sentinels,” a totally forgotten ’70s superhero series. Premiering on NBC on September 10, 1977, “Space Sentinels” followed three teenagers from antiquity who were teleported to a distant planet and given superpowers along with eternal youth. They’re then sent back to Earth where they protect the world as the heroes Hercules, Mercury, and Astrea. Their mentor, a sentient supercomputer named Sentinel One, assists them in the then-future of the 1980s.
Though short-lived, ending after one 13-episode season, “Space Sentinels” was notably progressive. Mercury was a Chinese character, while Astrea, a Black woman, was the team’s leader. The idea of a trio of characters hailing from ancient times and different parts of the world doing superheroics in the present day with the help of advanced alien technology has a ton of potential. A rebooted series could be kind of like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Eternals” movie, only hopefully better-received.
Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
“The Partridge Family” was a classic ABC sitcom about a fictional family band. When it ended after four seasons in 1974, the only natural next step was to [checks notes] send the Partridges to the far future in animated form. As the title suggests, “Partridge Family 2200 A.D.” was set in the year 2200, a “Jetsons”-like setting where the band was famous throughout the galaxy. They had a robot dog and alien friends, as one does. Should “Partridge Family 2200 A.D.” be rebooted for the modern era? Nah. It would be wild to revive the animated sci-fi spin-off to a live-action sitcom that was so emblematic of the ’70s without also reviving “The Partridge Family.”
That said, the general premise behind “Partridge Family 2200 A.D.” is intriguing and could be replicated in potentially good (and certainly amusing) ways. Pick any recent live-action sitcom and set it more than 200 years into the future. Put the “Abbott Elementary” teachers in an elementary school classroom aboard a space station! Have Ted Lasso coach a bunch of aliens with tentacles instead of feet as they try to play soccer! Make the “Modern” in “Modern Family” refer to the 23rd century! The “Big Bang Theory” spin-off, “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” is already trying a version of this. “Partridge Family 2200 A.D.” teaches us that we can get animated and go even further into genre. We just need some TV executives to have the mad courage they had in the ’70s.
