Space Precinct

Space Precinct is a British television series that was first broadcast by syndication in the United States between 1994 and 1995. In the UK, it was first shown on channel Sky One between March and August 1995, and later BBC Two from September 1995 to March 1996. Many US stations scheduled the show in late night time periods, which resulted in low ratings and contributed to its cancellation. The series was based on an unbroadcast 1986 pilot movie titled Space Police featuring Shane Rimmer.

The series was created by Gerry Anderson and was a combination of science fiction and police procedural.

Premise
The series features American actor Ted Shackelford as former NYPD detective Patrick Brogan, now a lieutenant with the Demeter City police force on the planet Altor in the star system Epsilon Eridani. Brogan and his partner Jack Haldane (played by Rob Youngblood) must adjust to living in another star system, and investigating crimes being committed by aliens as well as humans. Also featuring was Danish actress Simone Bendix as Officer Jane Castle, Haldane's love interest (Brogan was happily married with a wife, daughter and son who relocated to Demeter City with him). All other major characters were played by actors wearing complex make-up that also included elements of puppetry in order to depict the different alien races. Brogan's badge, number 2040, was used in the opening credits, resulting in the common misconception that the show is set in 2040.

Brogan family

 * Ted Shackelford as Lieutenant Patrick Brogan.
 * Nancy Paul as Sally Brogan.
 * Nick Klein as Matthew "Matt" Brogan.
 * Megan Olive as Elizabeth "Liz" Brogan.

Demeter City Police

 * Rob Youngblood as Officer Jack Haldane.
 * Simone Bendix as Officer Jane Castle.
 * Joseph Mydell as Officer Lionel Carson.
 * Gary Martin as the voice of Slomo - Station 88's robot computer.

Creons

 * Jerome Willis as Captain Rexton Podly
 * Lou Hirsch as Officer Silas Romek
 * Richard James as Officer Hubble Orrin
 * Kieron Jecchinis as the voice of Officer Hubble Orrin
 * Tom Watt as Officer Beezle (four episodes)
 * Gary Martin as the voice of Officer Beezle (four episodes)

Tarns

 * Mary Woodvine as Officer Aurelia Took
 * Colette Hiller as the voice of Officer Aurelia Took
 * David Quilter as Sergeant Thorald Fredo

Other characters
Appearing as various guest aliens: Rob Thirtle, Leigh Tinkler, Andy Dawson, Joanna Berns, Wayne Forester, Alexa Rosewood, Ken Whitfield, and Will Barton.

Episodes
The dates of broadcast shown are the US first syndication dates.

Production
The series was filmed between May 1994 and April 1995 at Pinewood Studios. The special effects were filmed at Shepperton Studios.

The series was one of the highest-budgeted shows Anderson produced, and was relatively popular in Europe. However, in a repeat of the situation that UFO encountered 25 years earlier, American broadcasters were uncertain what to make of the series that seemed to be intended for young viewers, yet featured adult-oriented storylines and was usually played straight despite the bizarre storylines and make-up. As a result, Space Precinct was often scheduled in late-night or early-morning time slots. The subsequent low ratings resulted in its cancellation after just one series.

Pilot
The idea for Space Precinct predated the series by nearly a decade. In 1986, Anderson and his then business partner Christopher Burr produced Space Police, a 53-minute pilot movie featuring Anderson regular Shane Rimmer as Lieutenant Chuck Brogan. The pilot, which is more comedic in nature than the somewhat serious series that followed, combined live action, full-size prosthetics, puppetry, and Supermacromation techniques. Production was based at Bray Film Studios and involved eight weeks of special effects shooting. The completed movie, subtitled "Star Laws", was screened at the 45th World Science Fiction Convention in 1987. In 1989, Anderson produced a condensed 24-minute version in collaboration with the Moving Picture Company.

Although it has never been shown on television, the pilot has been available in DVD format since 2002. It features many differences from the later series. Brogan is a much older character than that played by Shackleford, and is a bachelor. His partner — and the only other apparently human character in the pilot — is Sergeant Cathy Costello, who is revealed to be a gynoid capable of shifting between human appearance and a more robotic appearance for dangerous missions. The aliens featured in the pilot are catlike rather than the more exotic aliens in Space Precinct. The only character other than Brogan to transfer from the pilot to the series is the robot Slo-Mo.

Jim Henson was impressed by the pilot and offered to finance a series through his company Henson International Television (HIT), but negotiations between Anderson and Henson were terminated after a management buyout of HIT in 1989. No further progress was made on a sale until 1991, when Mentorn Films adopted the project and secured funding from American company Grove Television Enterprises. The BBC ordered a series of 13 episodes, but withdrew the commission after reduction of its drama programming budget. The title Space Police was retained until 1994, shortly before the series began filming, when the production companies learnt of the trademark on Lego's "Space Police" and renamed the series Space Precinct.

Home media
Space Precinct was released on DVD in the UK but, as of 2015, is out of print. As of 2023 ,It is available to watch on the BritBox streaming service in the UK. It was released on DVD in North America on 23 November 2010. As of July 2017 Space Precinct is available in the US on streaming service Amazon Prime. In November 2018, the complete series was re-released as a DVD box set in Region 2, by Network DVD. In February 2024 the series became available to stream on Peacock.