Burt Reynolds Starred In A ’80s Sci-Fi Series But Never Appeared On Camera

If you watched every episode of the now-forgotten ’80s sitcom “Out of This World,” you would never see the late Burt Reynolds even though he acted in almost every single one of the show’s 96 episodes. You would, however, hear him, because Reynolds voices the main character’s absent alien dad.

“Out of This World,” which premiered on September 19, 1987, starred Maureen Flannigan as Evie Ethel Garland, a teenager who discovers that she’s half alien. Her father, Troy, had to go back to his home planet of Antareus but he keeps in touch with his daughter through a sci-fi communication device called the Cube. Troy typically has fatherly advice for his daughter, both when it comes to navigating normal Earth teenage life and also the various powers her alien heritage grants her, including stopping time. It’s one of the weirdest sitcoms ever made.

Reynolds was one of the biggest movie stars of the ’70s, but he was in the midst of a serious career slump in the mid-’80s. He took the “Out of This World” voiceover role as a favor to the show’s producer Bob Booker, who was a friend. Reynolds’ name isn’t listed in the credits. In later seasons, Troy is credited as being played by “himself.”

Though viewers only ever heard Reynolds’ voice, Troy does technically appear in the show. The opening credits recap his courtship with Evie’s mother and Evie’s birth, but whenever Troy shows up his face is obscured by a plant, surgical mask, or alien helmet. It’s some other actor, not Reynolds, in this footage.

Troy makes the closest thing to a physical appearance in the last episode of Season 4, which aired on May 25, 1991. Titled “Evie’s Eighteen,” the episode has Troy return to Earth for his daughter’s birthday, though he appears as a silhouette filled with stars and he can only stay for four hours. The episode ends with Evie’s mom accidentally entering the transporter and getting sent to the planet Antareus while Troy remains on Earth.

This cliffhanger was never resolved. “Evie’s Eighteen” ended up being the series finale of “Out of This World.” Reynolds would follow up “Out of This World” with another sitcom, “Evening Shade,” which is hard to find on streaming services. Unlike the sci-fi series, “Evening Shade” was critically acclaimed and Reynolds actually appeared in the flesh, winning an Emmy for his performance.