The TV hit ABC almost missed: how Fantasy Island went from a joke pitch to a Saturday night fixture
Fantasy Island began as a half-joking pitch, became an ABC fixture in 1978, and kept returning long after its 1984 end.
One of classic TV's more surprising backstories is that Fantasy Island was not born as a carefully polished sure thing. ABC first tested the concept as a movie in January 1977, then turned it into a weekly series on Jan. 28, 1978, making it a regular part of the network's Saturday night lineup.
Before viewers ever heard Tattoo announce the arriving plane, producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg had already watched at least six ideas get rejected by ABC executive Brandon Stoddard. Spelling later said the island premise came out half-seriously, but it was the one Stoddard embraced. Writer Gene Levitt received the creator credit.
The first TV movie introduced Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke and Herve Villechaize as Tattoo. ABC had wanted Orson Welles for the lead role, but Spelling declined because of Welles' reputation for being difficult on set. In that original film, guests paid $50,000 in advance for a weekend on the island, about $265,000 in current dollars.
A second movie, Return to Fantasy Island, aired in January 1978. The weekly version followed later that month and took the 10 p.m. Saturday slot after The Love Boat, another Spelling production. Together, the two series became a steady ABC pairing, and Fantasy Island ended its first season ranked No. 17 in the Nielsen ratings.
Most episodes kept a familiar rhythm. A small group of guests would arrive, and the story would move between their separate fantasies. Some plots were emotional or romantic, while others went fully supernatural, with mermaids and even the Devil appearing. Roddy McDowall played the Devil both times.
After the peak
The island itself was assembled from several filming locations. The sweeping scenery in the opening came from Kauai, including the Na Pali coast and Wailua Falls. Roarke's home with its bell tower was the Queen Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California. The seaplane landed in the lagoon behind the cottage, while many interiors were shot on Warner Bros. soundstages in Burbank.
Part of the show's appeal was its parade of guest stars. Familiar names ranged from Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to Michelle Pfeiffer. Off screen, Montalban later said he imagined Roarke as a fallen angel, condemned to the island in a kind of purgatory for pride.
The cast changed in later years. Wendy Schaal joined in 1981 as Julie, Roarke's goddaughter. Before the 1983-84 season, Villechaize was dismissed after a salary dispute, and Christopher Hewett joined as Lawrence, a butler who rang the bell by pressing a button instead of climbing the tower. By then, ratings had been slipping. The seventh season finished at No. 49, and the final new episode aired on May 19, 1984. Finder of Lost Loves then took over the time slot.
The concept did not disappear for good. A 1998 revival with Malcolm McDowell as a darker Roarke lasted 13 episodes. A horror film version arrived in 2020, and Fox launched a sequel series in 2021 with Roselyn Sanchez as Elena Roarke, a descendant of the original host. That run lasted two seasons before its 2023 cancellation. The original cottage still stands at the arboretum.
