Prisoners of Gravity is a rather difficult series to explain. It was first broadcast in 1989 as part of a collection of new television series aimed to connect TVOntario back to the audience and to help the broadcaster stand out from competing stations. These new programs also included Imprint, Full House (not the sitcom), TVO's Music Works, Hands Over Time and Saturday Night At the Movies Too. Daniel Richler, the arts programming chief for TVOntario at the time, co-created the series with Mark Askwith, with the program itself hosted by Rick Green.

What made Prisoners of Gravity different from the rest of the new programs was that it was the only one initially aimed at a younger (youth and young adult) audience. The show premiered on Monday, September 11 1989 at 7:30 pm, at the tail end of what was the children's/family programming block.

The early episodes of the show were lighter in content and substance, but as the series developed it was clear it wasn't your average kiddie fare. Mid-way through the second season it was suddenly pushed back to 10:00pm. The first-run episodes played later in the evening for the rest of its five year run, with a definite "break" in the feel and appearance of seasons two and three marking the change in the target audience.

Prisoners of Gravity, through its entire run, was a talk show at heart. The topics focused on science fiction, fantasy and comic books with some discussion of related subjects such as horror, mystery and video games. The bulk of the series was presented in a 'talking heads' interview format; the focus is usually on the dialogue, not action, and most of the time the host and interviewees are shown from the shoulders up.

What made Prisoners of Gravity different from your average talk show was it also incorporated a quirky fictional wraparound to explain the settings and the hosts. These aren't normal television episodes we're watching, but pirate broadcasts. Our main host, Commander Rick (Rick Green), was frightened by the state of the world and decided to flee Earth by attaching a rocket engine on to the roof of his car. His idea works, surprisingly enough, until he crashes into the side of a secret telecommunications satellite, Reality 1. Starting in season two, the cast expands slightly. Rick is joined on the satellite is the not-quite-faithful sidekick Nan-Cy, a sentient computer who either helps or hinders broadcasts depending on her mood. The two pirate broadcasters override the signal of the nature show "Second Nature" in order to air their show "Prisoners of Gravity, much to the annoyance of Second Nature's host Enrico Gruen (also Rick Green). This plot sounds more than a little silly, but works surprisingly well onscreen.

The series enjoyed a moderate success during its original five-year run. Rick Green even appeared in character at various events and conventions.

The series ended very abruptly in 1994. The cancellation is blamed on a lack of government funding as opposed to dropping ratings. Tighter budgeting resulted in less episodes being produced in the fifth season but the staff was not prepared for the end when it finally came. Rumour has it that several members of the production team where filming out in the field for upcoming season when the cancellation was announced. The final first-run episode, "Evolution", played on Thursday April 28, 1994 at 11:30pm. Allegedly, there was a segment later filmed for a funding drive that wrapped up the fictional side of the show. I haven't seen it, so I can't confirm that it exists.

There were several attempts to restart or create a sequel to the series in the years that followed. Sadly, none have been carried through. The original series lived on in reruns until 2005.

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