History Series / Supertrain

* TheSeventies: The WHAT-ies? We can't hear you over the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUERtAe73NI Disco Funk]]!

* TrainTopBattle: [[SarcasmMode Shockingly enough.]]

* WritersCannotDoMath: Supertrain had a top speed of 250 mph and cruised at 190 mph, but took 36 hours to cross the United States. As mentioned under JustTrainWrong, that meant Supertrain would have to move at less than 80 mph.

* RecycledInSpace: It's ''TheLoveBoat'' on train tracks!

* GratuitousDiscoSequence

Hour-long comedy-drama series which debuted as a MidseasonReplacement in 1979 on Creator/{{NBC}}. An attempt at emulating Creator/{{ABC}}'s success with ''Series/TheLoveBoat'', ''Supertrain'' [[FollowTheLeader was essentially the same show]] with the ''Pacific Princess'' [[RecycledInSpace swapped out for the titular "Supertrain"]], [[CoolTrain a super-broad gauge, nuclear-powered bullet train]] that could cross the United States from coast to coast in 3 days.

Hour-long comedy-drama series which debuted as a MidseasonReplacement in 1979 on Creator/{{NBC}}. An attempt at emulating Creator/{{ABC}}'s success with ''TheLoveBoat'', ''Supertrain'' [[FollowTheLeader was essentially the same show]] with the ''Pacific Princess'' [[RecycledInSpace swapped out for the titular "Supertrain"]], [[CoolTrain a super-broad gauge, nuclear-powered bullet train]] that could cross the United States from coast to coast in 3 days.

** As noted by TheOtherWiki, the so-called "Supertrain" was much slower than the affordably-priced Amtrak Acela Express, French TGV and Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains.

* FollowTheLeader: A pretty shameless ripoff of ''TheLoveBoat'', though being a mystery dramedy rather than a romantic comedy.

Hour-long comedy-drama series which debuted as a MidseasonReplacement in 1979 on Creator/{{NBC}}. An attempt at emulating Creator/{{ABC}}'s success with ''TheLoveBoat'', ''Supertrain'' [[FollowTheLeader was essentially the same show]] with the ''Pacific Princess'' swapped out for the titular "Supertrain", [[CoolTrain a super-broad gauge, nuclear-powered bullet train]] that could cross the United States from coast to coast in 3 days.

* RecycledSoundtrack: NBC would reuse the theme for the GameShow ''Series/ChainReaction''.

-> ''"[[HilariousInHindsight You're letting your psychotic fascination with railroads lead you into a suicidal gamble for the future of this company!]]"''
-->-- '''Unnamed Corporate Executive''', "Express to Terror" [[note]]This was in the opening of the first episode.[[/note]]

* BiggerOnTheInside: Apparently.

* JustTrainWrong: See above.

The show was an abject disaster for NBC, who had produced the series by itself (initially with [[DarkShadows Dan Curtis]] in charge) and spared no expense in building both the elaborate sets and the complex, fragile model trains (one of which crashed during production and had to be replaced at great cost). Worse yet, once the series premiered, viewers simply weren't interested; attempts to {{retool}} the series by adding more suspense elements failed, and the series left the air in July 1979 after just five months and nine episodes.

It's often been named the biggest flop in US television history, not just because of the derivative content but because it, combined with the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, came so close to [[CreatorKiller taking NBC down with it]]. It's never been released to syndication or home video, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

The show was an abject disaster for NBC, who had produced the series by itself (initially with [[DarkShadows Dan Curtis]] in charge) and spared no expense in building both the elaborate sets and the complex, fragile model trains (one of which crashed during production and had to be replaced at great cost). Worse yet, once the series premiered, viewers simply weren't interested; attempts to {{retool}} the series by adding more suspense elements failed, and the series left the air in July 1979 after just five months.

It's often been named the biggest flop in US television history, not just because of the derivative content but because it came so close to [[CreatorKiller taking NBC down with it]]. It's never been released to syndication or home video, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

* FollowTheLeader: A pretty shameless ripoff of ''TheLoveBoat'', though being a mystery drama rather than a romantic comedy.

* FollowTheLeader: A pretty shameless ripoff of ''TheLoveBoat''.

* StrangersOnATrainPlotMurder: One episode featured a literal "Strangers on a Train" plot with DickVanDyke as the psycho who suggests a murder swap with another passenger.

The show was an abject disaster for NBC, who had produced the series by itself and spared no expense in building both the elaborate sets and the complex, fragile model trains (one of which crashed during production and had to be replaced at great cost). Worse yet, once the series premiered, viewers simply weren't interested; attempts to {{retool}} the series by adding more suspense elements failed, and the series left the air in July 1979 after just five months.

--> Unnamed corporate executive in the opening scene of the first episode.

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey It's That Theme!]]: NBC would reuse the theme for the GameShow ''ChainReaction''.

* TooSoon: The premise of the show was that the train was nuclear-powered. ''In the same year of the Three-Mile Island meltdown.'' "ILoveNuclearPower" was probably not foremost on most people's minds at that moment...