[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/automanwalter_8537.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Walter and Automan.]]

''Automan'' was a short-lived cop show that aired on ABC in TheEighties. Creator/DesiArnazJr played Walter Nebicher, a police scientist/nerd who's stuck in the computer room when he'd rather be out on the street. In response, he creates Automan (short for "Automatic Man", played by Chuck Wagner), an artificially intelligent [[ProjectedMan holographic partner]]. Automan had the ability to do any action he's seen on video, and interface with any computer system. He was also aided by Cursor, a [[RobotBuddy blinking ball of light]] who could become virtually any object Automan needed, such as various vehicles or civilian clothing.

Naturally, they fight crime.

Twelve episodes of the series aired in 1983-84. The complete series, including the thirteenth episode, was released to DVD by Fabulous Films on the 1st October 2012 in the UK only. It was then released in Australia on the 18th August 2015 by Madman Entertainment and in the US on the 10th November 2015 by Shout Factory.

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!!''Automan'' provides examples of:

* CatchAFallingStar: One episode had crooks taking Automan and Walter into a plane to throw them out to their deaths. While they do that to Walter, they are stunned to see Automan do the same on his own accord. However, Automan is able to simply order Cursor to create an aircraft and it swiftly catches them both.
* CharacterAsHimself: Cursor even gets the "AndStarring" billing.
* DaChief: Capt. Boyd (Gerald O'Loughlin), an old-school captain who doesn't care for Walter's new-fangled computers.
* CoolCar: A black Lamborghini Countach decorated with retroreflective tape, which also happens to be a FlyingCar and helicopter.
* CueTheSun: Inverted for this series. Namely, during the day, Automan cannot typically appear and Walter is on his own against any danger he faces. However, as in the pilot episode, when Walter is mortal peril on his own, the fact that the setting is now at night changes the atmosphere since we know the superhero can now help him.
* EnergyShield: Automan can be one, by "merging" yourself with him. Since he's made of light, you can just walk through him and stand where he stands (but since it's HardLight, it will subsequently stop bullets, etc.).
* ExtremeOmnisexual: For a glowing ball of energy, Cursor was very "interested" in any attractive females nearby. Indeed, the shot where he draws a heart around a poster of Heather Thomas from fellow Glen A. Larson series ''Series/TheFallGuy'' gets in the series' main title.
* FakeBand: Sweet Kicks, an all-girl band who are targeted for death in the episode "Murder Creator/{{MTV}}".
* FollowTheLeader: Inspired by ''Film/{{Tron}}'' (and even produced by that film's producers), but also borrows heavily from ''Series/KnightRider'' (also from Glen A. Larson[[note]]by this time Larson had left his long-time home at Creator/{{Universal}}, where ''Knight Rider'' produced, to move to 20th Century-Fox[[/note]]).
* FutureSpandex: It's easy to see that Automan is something different because he's dressed up in sparkly Future Spandex.
* HardLight: Automan, Cursor and all Automan's vehicles are made out of it.
* HoverBot: Automan's buddy Cursor acts like this.
* InertiaIsACruelMistress: Automan's CoolCar can ''hard turn at 90 degrees'', which is no problem for Automan, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments but any human passengers...]]
* InternalAffairs: They investigate the death of Walter's partner in "Flashes and Ashes".
* MagicalComputer: This show didn't even ''pretend'' to be realistic [[ArtisticLicense about how computers work]].
* NotWearingTights: Unless you count that Tron-like [[FutureSpandex glowy suit]].
* {{Novelization}}: In the UK, only of the [[https://starlogged.blogspot.com/2015/06/1984-automan-novel-titan-books.html pilot]].
* OpeningNarration: It takes up ''two whole minutes'' and features a long, slow InfoDump about Automan's abilities. This means that ''three minutes of show'' is taken up by a plodding opening.
* PowerCopying: Automan could copy any skill he sees performed at least once.
* ProjectedMan: As a result of [[TimTaylorTechnology adding more power]].
* RunningGag: Walter's last name is regularly mispronounced as "nebbish".
* SueDonym: Automan's usual alias outside the computer is Otto J. Mann.
* ShortRunners: Only lasted 12 eps, with a 13th episode unaired (though all 13 aired in the UK and Mexico).
* ShoutOut: Many, as one of Automan's abilities was to duplicate skills he saw performed in movies or television. One notable incident involved duplicating the skills in ''Film/TheHustler1961'' -- right down to the missed final shot. One shows in the opening titles of each episode. Witness the poster of Heather Thomas from Larson's concurrent series ''Series/TheFallGuy''.
* TranslatorBuddy: Fortunately, Automan is there to translate for Cursor.
* TronLines: On every vehicle Cursor creates. Also Automan's holographic body; even when in plainclothes disguise, his glowing collar is always visible.
-->'''Woman:''' [[LampshadeHanging Does that collar require recharging?]]\\
'''Automan:''' No, but [[DoubleEntendre I do]].
* TheUnintelligible: Cursor only speaks in various beeps.
* UnmovingPlaid: The glowing blue pattern in Automan's suit behaves like this when he moves around.
* WeakenedByTheLight: Automan and Cursor's power needs meant that they could only be projected into the physical world during off-peak hours, i.e. nighttime. This also negated the need to have neon-themed objects in broad daylight.
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