A Failed Sci-Fi Series Brought The Flintstones Back To Primetime In The '80s

"The Flintstones," the iconic prehistoric family, made history in the '60s when it became the first animated series to air in primetime. Two decades later, the classic cartoon made an unexpected return to primetime after the star of "The Powers of Matthew Star" — a now-forgotten NBC sci-fi series — was injured during filming. With the show on hiatus, the network scrambled to find a temporary time slot replacement and turned to Fred and Barney.

"The Powers of Matthew Star" followed the title character who was an undercover alien prince attending high school like a normal human teenager. Peter Barton played Matthew while the late Louis Gossett Jr. played his guardian. The show premiered in November of 1982, but would've made its debut earlier if not for an accident on the set. According to a November 1981 Associated Press report, Barton received second- and third-degree burns on his buttocks, lower back, and right arm after he fell onto magnesium flares that were being used for lighting. Gossett, who had been tied to a chair as part of the scene they were shooting, was also burned, albeit not as badly.

Barton eventually recovered, but production was halted and the premiere got pushed back a season. Needing to find a replacement show to put on the air, NBC unearthed "The Flintstones," which aired on Sunday nights at 7:00 p.m. "The Flintstones" had previously been on primetime from 1960 to 1966 on ABC.

Peter Barton still has scars from the accident, though as he told the Philadelphia Inquirer (via MeTV), "I'm lucky they're on my butt, not my face." Considering that "The Powers of Matthew Star" only ran for one 22-episode season before it was canceled, and that TV Guide named the series the 22nd worst show in television history in 2002, perhaps it wasn't worth the sacrifice. There are plenty of forgotten '80s sci-fi shows that are worth watching; this ain't one of 'em.

"The Flintstones" filling in for "The Powers of Matthew Star" would not be the only connection between the two shows. Steven E. de Souza, co-creator of the short-lived sci-fi series, would go on to become an accomplished screenwriter behind classic '80s action movies like "Die Hard," "Commando," and "The Running Man." A little more than a decade after "The Flintstones" filled in for "The Powers of Matthew Star" in 1994, de Souza was one of three credited screenwriters for the live-action "Flintstones" movie, which starred John Goodman and Rick Moranis. Like "Matthew Star" before it, reviews for the film were not good.