Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (TV series)

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Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is a television series which aired in the US from 1993 to 1994. It is the brainchild of Mark Schultz, who originally created the series in comic book format under the title Xenozoic Tales in 1986. The television series came to be through the marketing of Marvel Comics, when (years later) the company had acquired the rights to the property and attempted a revival of the popularity it once held in comic format.

[edit] Plot

The series followed the exploits of survival-savvy garage mechanic Jack Tenrec (who has a passion for restoring classic car shells, mainly those of Cadillacs) and his often-reluctant companion, the foreign ambassador Hannah Dundee (who hires Jack as a liaison while she attempts to create clear communication between her land and the modern civilization) as they confront serious issues facing the futuristic environment that they (and the rest of humanity) have come to inhabit alongside many dinosaurs that were long thought to be extinct after nature spun wildly out of control and caused the cities to fall into ruins and dinosaurs have been revived to roam the Earth once more.

Jack, leading his crew (a band of ecological freedom fighters known as the Mechanics), squares off against opposition in the form of the Council of Governors, the tyrannical Wilhelmina Scharnhorst and her nefarious henchmen among others.

As well as the mechanics, there is also Hermes, a juvenile cutter (Allosaurus) Jack hand reared. Gentle with Jack and Hannah he can still be rather fierce when angered.

The show dealt with many strong ecologicial and political issues that were central to the plot development. One major focus was the question of how the dinosaurs managed to re-emerge after they were thought to be extinct.

In total, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs lasted for one full season (13 episodes) and was never considered for renewal.