The series consisted of 26 30-minute episodes, and diverged somewhat from the original novel. Only one season was produced, due to the development of a Swiss Family Robinson series in 1975 by ABC in the United States. This situation precluded sales of the Canadian series to the lucrative American market.[2] Reruns, however, continued to be syndicated in Canada for many years, with stations often scheduling the program as part of their Saturday morning line-up.
Johan Robinson – referred to mostly as father, by sons Ernest and Franz and papa by daughter Marie. A strong father figure, the children respect him. He in turn, is understanding, yet firm on the decisions he makes. Each episode begins and ends with a narration from a journal he was keeping.
Elizabeth Robinson – Mother to her 3 children, strong, like her husband, it was her idea to build the treehouse. She is compassionate, yet can be tough when the situation calls for it.
Ernest Robinson – oldest child, at 17, he helps his father protect the family. Ernest at times longs to be independent, can be over confident at times, which some times gets him into trouble, but otherwise, is protective, and cares very much for his younger brother and sister.
Franz Robinson – at 13 years old, Franz, is very intelligent, and very inquisitive. He was separated from his family during the storm that caused them to be marooned on the island, and after a few days found his family. Franz, at times feels competitive with older brother Ernest, and often wishes his family would let him have more grown up responsibilities.
Marie Robinson – 8 year old Marie is the only character not to appear in the original story. In this version, the Robinsons have a young daughter. Marie is known for finding dangerous animals, like wild boars, lions, snakes. Marie is also known for her sense of humor, although, whether or not her jokes are funny, is debatable. Her brothers have been known to run away from her jokes, which was a running theme on the show.
The Swiss Family Robinson – The Complete Series was released on DVD by Morningstar Entertainment on 20 March 2007 in a 4-disc set. The DVDs are Region 1, NTSC format, digitally enhanced and colour-corrected. One special feature on the discs is a split-screen demonstration of the enhancement.[4]
The DVD cover features a compass and a logo but not the one used on the TV series. There are a few cast-specific photos on the back.
The series received a second DVD release in 2009 (released this time by Image Entertainment) as a 3-disc set.