Long-Forgotten Planet of the Apes TV Movies Are Streaming for the First Time

Four made-for-TV Planet of the Apes movies from 1980 are now streaming online, the first time they have been available for viewing since a DVD set was released nearly two decades ago. The four films are actually compilations of episodes from the 1974 CBS Planet of the Apes live-action series. The four films are currently streaming for free on YouTube’s Movie Channel.

Some fans of the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film are not even aware that the CBS series or TV films even existed. In September 1974, CBS premiered the series, which was based in the same timeline as the 1968 film starring Charlton Heston. Roddy McDowell was the lone cast member from the original Apes films to return for the series. However, he played a completely new character, Galen, a chimp who helps two astronauts (Ron Harper and James Naughton) who have traveled from the past and crash-landed on their home planet a thousand years later.

The series was filmed at the Fox Ranch, and utilized many of the same Ape Village sets as the films. The makeup and costumes were the same as the films as well, but ratings were never very high. It was canceled after only 14 episodes in December of 1974.

In 1980, CBS and Fox took some of the series episodes and edited them together to make five movies, with two episodes making up each film. The films were aired on CBS and later sold to syndication. Roddy McDowall filmed new introduction and exit scenes as Galen, acting as a narrator for the films. Unfortunately, those scenes are not included in the streaming versions.

Here are the five films that were made from the episodes. Only four are available to stream; Farewell to the Planet of the Apes is currently not streaming.

• Back to the Planet of the Apes (Episodes #1 “Escape from Tomorrow” & #3 “The Trap”)
• Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes (Episodes #2 “Gladiators” & #5 “Legacy”)
• Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes (Episodes #9 “Horse Race” & #11 “The Tyrant”)
• Life, Liberty and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes (Episodes #7 “The Surgeon” & #10 “The Interrogation”)
• Farewell to the Planet of the Apes (Episodes #6 “Tomorrow’s Tide” & #14 “Up Above The World So High”)

The Cast of the Planet of the Apes TV Films

The series’ appeal relied mostly on the presence of Roddy McDowall, an Emmy winner who successfully made the transition from child actor to appear in films like How Green Was My Valley, Cleopatra, and Fright Night. He also had a strong cast of character actors supporting him, including:

• Ron Harper played Colonel Alan Virdon, the commander of the spacecraft that travels from the 20th Century to a future Earth where apes rule the planet. Harper also appeared in the original Land of the Lost series, Pearl Harbor, The West Wing, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He died in 2024.
• James Naughton played Major Peter J. Burke, an astronaut on the ship with Virdon, who also survived the crash. His other acting credits include The First Wives Club, Cat’s Eye, The Blacklist, and The Devil Wears Prada.
• Mark Lenard played Chief Urko, the leader of the gorilla army and the series’ main villain. He is best known for playing Sarek, the father of Mr. Spock, in the Star Trek TV series and films.
• Booth Colman played Zaius, the orangutan in charge of the High Council of Central City. It is the same character (theoretically) as the Zaius in the films.