Quark
Created by Buck Henry
On NBC
A bright, absurdist sci-fi sitcom that spoofs the genre conventions of its era through the mundane premise of space sanitation.
Quark is an American science fiction situation comedy starring Richard Benjamin broadcast on NBC. The pilot first aired on May 7, 1977, and the series followed as a mid-season replacement in February 1978. The series was cancelled in April 1978. Quark was created by Buck Henry, co-creator of the spy spoof Get Smart. The show was set on a United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol Cruiser, an interstellar garbage scow operating out of United Galaxies Space Station Perma One in the year 2226. Adam Quark, the main character, works to clean up trash in space by collecting "space baggies" with his trusted and highly unusual crew. In its short run, Quark satirized such science fiction as Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Flash Gordon. Three of the episodes were direct satires of Star Trek episodes. The series won one Emmy Award nomination, for costume designer Grady Hunt's work in the episode "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms, Part 2". The complete series was released on DVD on October 14, 2008.
Clusters
Genres
Questions people ask
Is Quark scary? No. Less frightening than 92% of series.
Is Quark sad? No. Less sad than 92% of series.
Is Quark easy watching? Yes. More comforting than 79% of series.
Is Quark violent? Barely. Less violent than 78% of series.
Does Quark leave you hopeful? Somewhat. More hopeful than 69% of series.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Like Quark
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as Quark
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like Quark, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like Quark, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like Quark, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
