
TV show · sci-fi & fantasy
Hard Time on Planet Earth
1989 · 1 season, 13 episodes · ended
Ray checks whether this show is for you and remembers where you stopped.
Start with RayWhere to watch Hard Time on Planet Earth
See which services have this show in the US, with what audio and at what price.
A free account is all it takes.I already have an account
Seasons and episodes Hard Time on Planet Earth
Season 1
1989 · 13 episodes
1. Stranger in a Strange Land
Jesse is banished from his planet for political crimes. He arrives on earth accompanied by an observer named Control. He quickly gets in trouble with the police and must flee to Los Angeles.
2. Something to Bank On
A hungry Jesse takes some food without paying for it and learns that he needs money. Jesse gets in trouble, however, when he takes and tries to return money that came out an automatic cash machine.
6. Battle of the Sexes
Jesse is working at a restaurant owned by Frank Russo, which Frank's daughter Connie wants to help run. But Frank refuses to take any of her advice because he feels women aren't as good at business as men. Frank's son Mike isn't interested in the business, as he's a musician. Connie discovers that the sons of an old friend of Frank's named Caretti, who he's done business with for many years, have been cheating them. When Connie threatens to tell their father about this, they threaten her, but Jesse defends her. Frank refuses to believe his friend's sons did what Connie says, and he fires Jesse. Meanwhile, Mike invited Jesse to a club to hear him play and also to meet women. Jesse met a woman named Danielle who later turned out to be from his homeworld, sent to find out where his followers were hiding in exile, and then to terminate him. They fought, Jesse won, and said that on Ondarius he would have killed her, but on Earth he'd learned the value of life. Eventually Frank and Caretti l
7. Death Do Us Part
While delivering sandwiches to a TV studio, Jesse is asked to fill in as bachelor #3 on The Dating Game, and is chosen by Jane to be her date. It turns out that after she had agreed to be on the show, she had met someone named Michael through a matchmaking magazine ad. But Jane still wanted to be Jesse's friend and help him meet the right woman for him. It turned out that Michael and a partner were behind a string of thefts from single women who'd answered their ads in the magazine, and Jane was their latest target. Jesse thwarted their initial burglary attempt, but when Michael found out a large trust fund of Jane's had just matured, he decided to marry and kill her. He also framed Jesse as the thief, to get rid of him, and was going to blame him for murdering Jane. But of course he failed.
8. The Hot Dog Man
Jesse becomes a professional wrestler and helps fight an crooked real estate developer.
10. Rodeo
Jesse befriends a former rodeo star and convinces him that his days of greatness aren't over yet.
11. Not In Our Stars
Jesse has a dream in which he's told his vice commander ordered the assassination of the Council's Grand Elder. So he wants to send this message home. He reads a book that was written by a professor at a nearby university, goes there, and gets involved in a project to transmit messages to other worlds. He designs a microchip that will enable faster-than-light communications, but the professor steals it, and ultimately Jesse is forced to destroy the chip, because humanity isn't prepared for extra-terrestrial contact.
12. The All American
Jesse met Bill Mitchner, a young man in high school who turned out to be an exiled former member of his world's ruling Council. All leaders of a failed coup attempt had been executed, except this one, whose name was erased from the histories, and he was exiled to Earth in the body of an infant 17 years ago. He now planned to rise to power on Earth, despite the rule against exiles drawing attention to themselves. He was also willing to hurt others in pursuit of his goal. Jesse helped him see the error of his ways, and Bill and his own Control unit were recalled to their homeworld.
13. Wally's Gang
The host of a children's television show tries to kill himself when the show is cancelled. Jesse saves him and gets a job on the show as the fix-it man.
Season summaries1 season, 13 episodes
Season 1
1989 · 13 episodes
Episodes run about 52 min. Last episode: June 21, 1989
Is it worth watching? Hard Time on Planet Earth
Ray’s take
Is this show for you? Ray answers after a short chat about what you like, and remembers what you’ve seen.
Reception
On other sites
6.3/1011 votes
What is it about? Hard Time on Planet Earth
Hard Time on Planet Earth is an American science fiction series that aired on CBS as a midseason replacement in 1989. Airing for 13 episodes, the series starred Martin Kove and was created by Jim and John Thomas. Scheduled opposite NBC's Unsolved Mysteries and ABC's Growing Pains on Wednesdays, Hard Time on Planet Earth ranked 65th out of 81 programs upon its premiere. Ratings for the series never improved and the series was canceled by CBS in May 1989. The last episode aired on June 21, 1989.
Genre: sci-fi & fantasy. Themes: alien.
Cast and crew Hard Time on Planet Earth
AllCreators
- Created byJim Thomas
- NetworkCBS
Full cast21 cast members across all seasons
Cast:
- Martin Kove · Jesse · 13 ep.
- Adam Arkin · Harry Newcomb · 1 ep.
- Christian Clemenson · 1 ep.
- Terry Kiser · 1 ep.
- Laura Malone · 1 ep.
- Michael Alldredge · Buck McGrew · 1 ep.
- Dick Durock · 1 ep.
- Eric Server · 1 ep.
- Michael Stoyanov · 1 ep.
- Jamie Rose · Laura Rowlands · 1 ep.
- Katherine Cannon · 1 ep.
- Caryn Richman · Janet Gleason · 1 ep.
- Leon Russom · 1 ep.
- Patricia Tallman · 1 ep.
- Trish Doolan · Railroad Loader · 1 ep.
- Tau Logo · Tao · 1 ep.
- Darren E. Burrows · Man · 1 ep.
- Chico Brooks · Toots · 1 ep.
- Grainger Hines · Travis Brady · 1 ep.
- Charles Dierkop · Fan #1 · 1 ep.
- Danny Mann · Control (voice) · 1 ep.
Crew:
- Roger Duchowny · Director
- Michael Piller · Producer
- Michael Piller · Writer
- Michael Lange · Director
- James A. Contner · Director
- Timothy Bond · Director
- Bill Corcoran · Director
- Robert Mandel · Director
- Al Waxman · Director
Shows like this Hard Time on Planet Earth
Details Hard Time on Planet Earth

- First episode
- March 1, 1989
- Last episode
- June 21, 1989
- Status
- ended
- Network
- CBS
- Original language
- English
- Studios
- Touchstone Television, Demos-Bard/Shanachie Productions
Frequently asked questions
How many seasons does Hard Time on Planet Earth have?
1 season, 13 episodes. The last episode aired June 21, 1989.
Who’s in Hard Time on Planet Earth?
Martin Kove, Adam Arkin, Christian Clemenson, Terry Kiser, Laura Malone, Michael Alldredge, Dick Durock, Eric Server, Michael Stoyanov, and Jamie Rose. Created by Jim Thomas.
Sources: TMDB (title data, images). As of November 13, 2026. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. · Ta strona po polsku




















