The Invaders

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33
ABC (ended 1968)

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dmarex

User Score: 211
8.2
out of 10
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163 votes
7

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The Invaders

Show Summary

"The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: the Earth. Their purpose: to make it "their" world. David Vincent has seen them, for him it began one lost night on a lonely country road, looking for a short cut that he never found. It began with a closed deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now, David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has "already" begun."

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Episode Guide

S 2 :  Ep 26 Aired 3/26/68
S 2 :  Ep 25 Aired 3/19/68
S 2 :  Ep 24 Aired 3/5/68
S 2 :  Ep 23 Aired 2/27/68
S 2 :  Ep 22 Aired 2/20/68
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Cast & Crew

Roy Thinnes

Roy Thinnes

David Vincent
Hank Simms

Hank Simms

Introductory Narrator (uncredited)
William Woodson

William Woodson

Narrator (uncredited)
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The Invaders Listings

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Fan Reviews (7)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • An Inspirational Series

    9.0
    By Ministry_Fox, Dec 29, 2011
    The Invaders left such a deep impression on me that my first novel mirrored many of its key features. Although more of a homily to the genre than genuine fan fiction, the protagonist is called David Vincent and the plot revolves around his fight against what he believes to be an alien takeover of his office and his city, but the story differs from the TV series in that reader cannot help but question Vincent's sanity in the novel, something which the viewer was never really called upon to do in the TV Series, which is the only reason I haven't given it a ten.

    In a dreadful act of self-promotion, I will now link to the novel: http://tinyurl.com/davidvincentmoreless

  • A weekly never miss from my childhood!

    9.0
    By jawsthecabbie, Mar 26, 2011
    David Vincent, looking for that turn on a lonely country road that he never found...and drove straight into a nightmare! Oh my God did I love this show back in the day...a paranoid masterpeice! Never mind that the aliens all looked, acted and dressed like government agents (it was after all a Quinn-Martin Production, and their other big T.V. hit back then was The F.B.I.) and that the aliens were so wimpy that all David Vincent had to do was give them one or two good head knocks and they'd fall over, die and burn up,I just couldn't get enough of the Invaders. I spent a lot of time as a kid wondering what I'd do if I were in David Vincent's shoes, and I always wondered where I could get one of those light-up discs that the aliens had in the palm of their hands that caused cerebreal hemmorage in human victims, I can think of a few teachers I had back in jr. high school that I would have liked to use it on...ha!moreless

  • When searching through the list of great television sci-fi series, The Invaders must be listed near the top, if not the very top.

    9.5
    By D-LinkUK, Jul 17, 2010
    This is a great example of storytelling the way it ought to be. Magnificent guest casts and spot on acting by Roy Thinness make this show a delight. As a vehicle to examine the human condition, no show has ever surpassed it. One might expect that of a Quinn Martin production, of course. We can see ourselves, we can spot familiar character types, and we can pretty much predict how we would react in the same situation. The key to this is the portrayal of David Vincent by Roy Thinness. He was a subtle actor in his day, when many were somewhat over the top--like William Shatner in Star Trek. Thinness' measured performance make the show even more spellbinding than the storyline might otherwise be with a lesser actor.



    There are copies of this great show out there, you just need to know where to look.moreless

  • Credit it for inspiring other, better shows, but not all that impressive by itself.

    5.0
    By jamoon2006, Sep 15, 2008
    Despite a good pedigree, Quinn Martin's "The Invaders" ranks as one of the producer's lesser efforts. In the end, this series may be better remembered for what it inspired instead of what it provided in terms of entertainment. Its strong paranoia vibe certainly helped to influence 90s shows like "The X-Files," and its out-there aliens among us plot definitely inspired sci-fi over the next decades.



    Roy Thinnes does a good job as ARCHITECT David Vincent (the way they emphasize his profession in the credits, you'd think it would come into play in the series). He's a nice contrast to other TV heroes of the era. Vincent is a hard-ass. He kills aliens without hesitation and isn't above slapping around humans who get in his way. The problem is that the character is largely a cypher. He's a plot device rather than a person. We never connect with Thinnes the way we do with other TV protagonists like David Janssen's Richard Kimble, or even the mostly anonymous players on "Mission: Impossible." The Kimble comparison is appropriate. Frequently on "The Invaders", a plot involves Vincent arriving in a new town, stumbling on to an alien plot and helping someone out along the way. It makes the series a hodgepodge, a little too much like QM's "The Fugitive." Maybe with more sci-fi writers, the series could have churned out better plots, but producer Alan Armer and his writers were dramatic TV writers thrown into a strange new genre. Often, their efforts weren't that impressive. Because of this sidetrack into domestic drama, the sci-fi/alien invasion trappings never really take off. Poor production values don't help either...in other shows and movies, you can look past the goofy sets and special effects if the story is solid. Unfortunately, we don't have that with "The Invaders."



    So Vincent roams, seemingly without direction (how DOES he find out about these alien plots?) and his extra-terrestrial foes are just as misguided. It's as if the Invaders have no concrete plan - they send small parties out to pull off small sabotage jobs here and there. It's not all bad - like other Quinn Martin shows, the guest actors are terrific. It's just too bad they weren't given better scripts to work with.moreless

  • The aliens are among us...

    10
    By DojinFan_2K, Apr 05, 2008
    The Invaders was a well-crafted Sci-Fi/Adventure series created by Quinn Martin that sadly only lasted 2 seasons on ABC.



    Roy Thinnes plays the role of David Vincent, an architect who witnessed the landing of a spaceship in a remote desert in the Southwestern U.S. & finds out that the aliens who arrived have plans to take over the Earth. Throughout the series Vincent tries to convince anyone & everyone about the evil humanoid aliens, but with little success. However, the aliens' human guise is far from perfect since they have an extra finger, no pulse or heartbeat & most of all, when an alien is weakening or dying, they give off a reddish glow. They even dissolve into vapor when they die. Later in the 1st season, Vincent finds an ally in Edgar Scoville, the head of an electronics company along with 7 others who also discovered the evil aliens' plot as well.



    I was very fortunate to have seen a couple of episodes on Chicago TV many years ago. I just hope that if i can't see this lost classic on TV, then maybe i can find it on DVD.moreless
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