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| {{Crew Data
| | [[Image:Bsg_larson_glen_b&w_001.jpg|thumb|Glen A. Larson<br>(Source: Unknown)]] |
| | image=Bsg_larson_glen.jpg
| | {{derivative2| |
| | role=Executive Producer | | INTERWIKI=Wikipedia| |
| | series=TOS | | TITLE=Glen A. Larson| |
| | series 2=1980
| | TITLE_TEXT=Glen A. Larson at Wikipedia| |
| | series 3=RDM
| | LICENSE=GNU FDL}} |
| | born_month=1 | |
| | born_day=3
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| | born_year=1937 | |
| | death_month=11
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| | death_day=14 | |
| | death_year=2014
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| | nationality=US
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| | imdb=0488991 | |
| |series 2=1980}}
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| '''Glen A. Larson''' (3 January 1937 – 14 November 2014) was the creator of the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' and a consulting producer for the 2003 [[re-imagining|Re-imagined]] [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Series]]. | | '''Glen A. Larson''' (born 1937) is a television writer and producer. Some of his series have become cult hits and either remain in syndication or have been revived. Larson is sometimes compared to [[Wikipedia:Gene Roddenberry|Gene Roddenberry]] by fans of genre television. He began his career in the entertainment industry as a member of the singing group [[Wikipedia:The Four Preps|The Four Preps]] (with whom he appeared in one of the ''Gidget'' films). |
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| Larson was a prolific television producer and writer who created numerous iconic series throughout his career, including ''[[Knight Rider]]'', ''[[w:Magnum,_P.I.|Magnum, P.I.]]'', ''[[w:Quincy,_M.E.|Quincy, M.E.]]'', and ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]''. His work consistently featured high-concept science fiction and action-adventure themes, often incorporating cutting-edge technology and vehicles as central elements of the storytelling. | | After working for [[Wikipedia:Quinn Martin|Quinn Martin]], Larson signed a production deal with [[Universal Studios|Universal]]. His first hit series was ''Alias Smith and Jones''. One of Larson's tactics has been to copy successful formats. He was involved in the development of ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' and later secured an unprecedented $1,000,000 per episode budget for ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' which exploited the popularity of ''Star Wars'' ([[Wikipedia:George Lucas|George Lucas]] sued for copyright infringement and lost). Even with this generous budget the series was reportedly marred by recycled effects shots along with poor scripts and cancelled after a short run. The pilot episode of Galactica was refashioned as a theatrical release in North America and Europe, and in some Europeans markets was the top grossing film of 1979. |
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| == Early Life ==
| | Larson was known for co-authoring some of the themes to TV programs he produced, usually with the help of composer Stu Phillips. |
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| As child to a single mother, Glen A. Larson would be later described as a "latchkey kid" by his son, [[David Larson]], who notes his father's predilection for running water as being a means to remind himself of the halcyon time in his childhood. This was because Glen A. Larson's mother would start running a bath upon returning from work at night, and thus Larson would know that she had returned.<ref group="production" name="sswa_larson_childhood_latchkey_running_water">{{cite book/sswa|35}}</ref>
| | Larson re-used sets, props, costumes, and effects work from ''Galactica'' to create the light-hearted sci-fi series ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' (1979). Larson collaborated with [[Wikipedia:Donald Bellisario|Donald Bellisario]] in creating ''Magnum, P.I.'' one of the most enduring television series of the 1980s. (Curiously, "Magnum" was only developed because the production company had significant unutilized resources in Hawaii after the cancellation of "Hawaii 5-0".) |
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| == Early Career and The Four Preps ==
| | Larson also created ''The Fall Guy'', which made much use of stock footage as well. Larson's most influential series was probably ''Knight Rider'', featuring science-fiction elements with a light hearted action adventure scenario and limited violence. These basic elements characterised Larson's output through the 1980s with ''Automan'', ''Manimal'' and ''The Highwayman'' but few of these were renewed and Larson's popularity declined. He made a brief comeback in the 1990s' with an adaptation of the Ultraverse comic Nightman, which lasted two seasons and became a small cult favourate, but failed to make a larger impact. |
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| Later in life as a young man, he became a page at [[w:NBC|NBC]], where he became surrounded by motion picture and, later, television production.<ref group="production" name="sswa_larson_nbc_page_television_exposure">{{cite book/sswa|35}}</ref> During this time, he also entered the music industry under [[w:The Four Preps|The Four Preps]] in the late 1950s, writing and performing songs that hit the top 5 in the [[w:Billboard chart|''Billboard'' pop charts]], including "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)"<ref group="external" name="murrells_golden_discs_four_preps_billboard">{{cite book
| | He was credited as ''consulting producer'' for the Sci-Fi Channel/Universal's radical 2003 [[re-imagining|remake]] of ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' which attracted wide attention and scattered critical praise. |
| | first= Joseph
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| | last= Murrells
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| | year= 1978
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| | title= The Book of Golden Discs
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| | edition= 2nd
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| | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
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| | location= London
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| | page= 91
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| | isbn= 0-214-20512-6
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| | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr
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| }}</ref> and "Big Man." In 1959, Larson appeared in the film ''[[w:Gidget (film)|Gidget]]'', making it his first on-screen appearance.
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| During his work with the Four Preps, Glen A. Larson began writing using [[w:IBM Selectric|IBM Selectric]] typewriters, writing his first script called "Finger Popper," a script that was never produced.<ref group="production" name="sswa_larson_first_script_finger_popper_ibm">{{cite book/sswa|35}}</ref>
| | Larson has a star on Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the television industry. |
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| == Creative Philosophy and Writing Process == | | == External link == |
| | [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0488991/ Glen A. Larson] at the [[Wikipedia:The Internet Movie Database|Internet Movie Database]] |
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| When it came to writing, Larson believed that "writing isn't writing, it's rewriting" during the search for themes of a story. Whenever he would come across a story problem, he would "reverse it"—"if you can't make something happen one way you look at the opposite [ways]."<ref group="development" name="sswa_larson_writing_philosophy_reverse_problems">{{cite book/sswa|34}}</ref>
| | [[Category: A to Z]] |
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| He was also known for isolating himself from distractions, secluding himself in his [[w:Malibu, California|Malibu, California]] residence when writing, not answering phone calls and delegating tasks to others.<ref group="development" name="sswa_larson_malibu_isolation_writing_process">{{cite book/sswa|36}}</ref> [[Jeff Freilich]], [[Chris Bunch]], and [[Alan Cole]], among others, have noted this approach in various interviews relating to Larson's working methods.
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| == Career in Television Production ==
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| === Early Television Work ===
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| Larson's television career began in earnest during the late 1960s, starting with associate producer roles on series such as ''It Takes a Thief'' in 1968. He quickly moved into executive producer positions, notably with ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' television movies in 1973, which established his reputation for high-concept action-adventure programming.
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| === Science Fiction Television ===
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| Larson's approach to science fiction television consistently emphasized accessibility and entertainment value over hard science fiction concepts. He believed in creating shows that would appeal to broad audiences while incorporating fantastical elements that captured viewers' imaginations. This philosophy became evident in his most famous creation, ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', which combined space opera elements with family drama and military action.
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| == Connection to Re-imagined Series ==
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| According to the Official Companion, Larson wanted a credit for the new 2003 [[Miniseries]] by [[Ronald D. Moore]] who began the Re-imagined Series, and his claim went to arbitration at the Writer's Guild of America. Ron Moore actually felt that Larson deserved a credit because the story was essentially the same as Larson's, just done "in different ways". As a result, Larson is credited in the Miniseries under the pseudonym "Christopher Eric James."<ref group="production" name="bassom_companion_larson_credit_arbitration_christopher_eric_james">{{cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972}}</ref> Larson is also credited as a consulting producer on every episode of the Re-imagined Series because he holds the rights to the concept of ''Battlestar Galactica''.
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| == Notable Filmography ==
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| *''It Takes a Thief'' (1968) (TV series) (associate producer)
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| *''The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War'' (1973) (TV movie) (executive producer)
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| *''The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping'' (1973) (TV movie) (executive producer)
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| *''Quincy, M.E.'' (1976) (TV series) (executive producer)
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| *''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (1978)
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| *''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' Movie and TV series (1979)
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| *''[[Galactica 1980]]'' (1980)
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| *''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980)
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| *''Knight Rider'' (1982)
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| *''Team Knight Rider'' (1997) TV Series (executive producer)
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| *''Millennium Man'' (1999) (TV) (executive producer)
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| *''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (2003) TV Miniseries (consulting producer)
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| *''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' (2004) TV Series (consulting producer)
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| *''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' (2009) TV Series (consulting producer)
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| == Official Statements ==
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| * ''Glen A. Larson comments on the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]:''
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| :Our point was to whenever possible make it a departure like you're visiting somewhere else and {{TOS|List of terms|we did coin certain phrases}} for use in expletive situations, but we tried to carry that over into a lot of other stuff, even push brooms and the coin of the realm.<ref group="commentary" name="cnn_larson_battlestar_terminology_creative_language">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/02/tv.what.the.frak.ap/|title=The curse word 'Battlestar Galactica' created|date=2 September 2008|accessdate=9 October 2008|last=|first=|format=|language=English|archive=Y}}</ref>
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| == Death and Legacy ==
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| Glen A. Larson died on 14 November 2014, leaving behind a significant legacy in television production. His influence on science fiction television, particularly through ''Battlestar Galactica'', continues through both the enduring popularity of the original series and the successful re-imagined series that followed. His approach to high-concept television programming established templates that continue to influence producers and creators in the genre.
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| == External links ==
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| {{ext-wikipedia|article=Glen A. Larson}}
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| == References ==
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| === Development and Creative Process ===
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| {{reflist|group=development}}
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| === Production History ===
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| {{reflist|group=production}}
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| === Commentary and Interviews ===
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| {{reflist|group=commentary}}
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| === External Sources ===
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| {{reflist|group=external}}
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| [[Category:A to Z]] | |
| [[Category:Crew]]
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| [[Category:Crew (TOS)]] | | [[Category:Crew (TOS)]] |
| [[Category:Producers]]
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| [[Category:TOS]]
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| [[de:Glen Larson]]
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| [[fr:Glen A. Larson]]
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