The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Series Created by George Lucas is a true treasure for the most nostalgic fans

For those who saw the introduction to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade featuring a young Indiana Jones played by River Phoenix, there was clearly room for more scenes of the character. That’s what George Lucas told himself and immediately started working on a TV series dedicated to this young hero.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones is a TV series that aired from March 1992 to July 1993 on the American channel ABC. Created by George Lucas, as its title suggests, it tells the story of the early years of Henry Jones, Jr., especially his adventures around the world, during which he met some of the most famous personalities of his time.

Each episode of the show follows a recurring format: Old Indy (depicted as one-eyed, played by George Hall) serves as an introduction and tells a story from his past, from when he was a child or young man. Then there is a flashback which is the heart of the adventure, then we find old Indy which ends the story.

Set between 1908 and 1920, Indy is played by Sean Patrick Flannery (the young version) and Corey Carrier (the child version). River Phoenix, now a star, left for the movies and could not or did not return to the role.

The series is primarily educational, hence the fact that the episodes introduce major scientific, historical and/or political figures in Indiana. This is an opportunity for young audiences to meet famous figures of the early 20th century: Eliot Ness, Charles de Gaulle, Pancho Villa, Bram Stoker, Louis Armstrong and Wyatt Earp among many others.

In terms of “teaching” Indiana Jones, we learn throughout the series that the character lived to be at least 93 years old, that he has a daughter and grandchildren. A plot that was completely ignored by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and then dialed in by fate, since Professor Jones has no daughter but a son.

Harrison Ford, the Indiana Jones of the big screen, refuses to appear there except for one episode to please his friend Lucas. This is episode 5 of season 2 called Young Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Blues. Ford replaces “Old Indy” as the episode’s “modern day” scene takes place in 1950, 5 years after the opening scene of Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny.

Expensive filming and difficult distribution

Filming the first fifteen episodes of the first season was very expensive, as it was spread over almost a year and in more than 15 countries around the world. The series’ broadcast run was completely chaotic and began with six episodes airing between March and April 1992, before viewers, albeit decently, were axed by disappointed ABC.

At the start of the 1992 school year, 4 new episodes were still airing from September to October to mark the start of the second season, with 14 additional episodes from March to July 1993. It will never be released.Broadcast by ABC.

George Lucas still managed to finance a third season of 4 TV movies (each containing two episodes that were as connected as possible) thanks to the Family Channel from 1994 to 1996, before the adventure ended prematurely.

Luke’s Demiurge

As is always the case with Luke, the series will change twice during its release on physical media:

• The 1999 VHS release split the series into TV movies, each combining two episodes linked by new scenes and adding two new episodes.

• During the 2008 DVD release, the episodes were in chronological order (first with the adventures of the child version of the protagonist) and parts were cut with the old indie.

Since then, the series has not been released, and even more so in its original version, which has become very difficult to watch. The recent failure of Indiana Jones 5 at the box office is not encouraging, as its inability to revive the license means that disinterest in the 90s show on the part of Disney is more than certain.

We can always hope that the series will be placed on Disney+, which would be welcome, so that new audiences can rediscover this ambitious effort that did not have the success it deserved.