The ‘Lost in Space’ Series Remake Finds its Dr. Smith: Parker Posey

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Netflix, settling deeper into their cozy brand of pop cultural regurgitation, is remaking the cult classic TV series Lost in Space, as was reported back in June. (You may recall that there was already a 1998 movie based on the show.) The series, which Deadline announced was given a 10-episode straight-to-series order, has just gotten its Dr. Smith, and that Dr. Smith is a Dr. Smith who makes this thing sound like it may be worth watching — for Parker Posey will take on the role, initially played by Jonathan Harris.

The 1965-1968 series began by focusing on the Robinson family. Set in the futuristic world of…1997, it saw said family embarking on a space colonizing mission on behalf of the United States, but then the show slowly started to focus more on the character of Dr. Smith, the Doctor of Intergalactic Environmental Psychology who actually may have been a spy working for another country that was competing with the U.S. in their celestial efforts. (The series came out, of course, during the Space Race.) Though Dr. Smith was initially portrayed as a saboteur, he later became a less adversarial character and more of an innocuous, incompetent comic relief/star.

Back when the series remake was first announced, Cindy Holland, VP Original Context at Netflix, said:

The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience. The current creative team’s reimagining of the series for Netflix is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world.