The Weird Late-90s Gilligan's Island Reunion That Never Aired In The U.S.

In the United States, the last time any of the extant cast members of "Gilligan's Island" were united on screen, specifically to reprise their characters from the show, was for a 1992 episode of "Baywatch." The episode, titled "Now Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale," saw some of the Baywatch lifeguards finding a small island off the coast of California where Gilligan (Bob Denver) and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) had been stranded for a few years. They explained that they left their original island in a daring escape, only to become equally stranded on another island. Sadly, by the end of "Now Sit Right Back," it was revealed that Gilligan and Mary Ann weren't real, and that the events of the episode were all a dream.

By 1992, Alan Hale, Jr., Jim Backus, and Natalie Schafer had already passed away, and it seems that Russell Johnson and Tina Louise didn't want to, or simply couldn't, take part in "Baywatch," so it was just Gilligan and Mary Ann for their final appearance. The "Gilligan's Island" characters, of course, were so ubiquitous on television (via endless reruns) that they returned periodically on other shows. Case in point: In 1987, Johnson, Hale, Wells, and Denver appeared in character on an episode of "ALF." That, too, turned out to be a dream in-show.

However, it seems that there was one final "Gilligan's Island" reunion after "Baywatch," although it technically never aired in the United States. And this time, it wasn't a dream.

Indeed, Wells, Johnson, and Denver made their last in-character "Gilligan's Island" appearances in an episode of a 1997 sci-fi sitcom called "Meego." The show starred Bronson Pinchot as a 9,000-year-old alien who crash lands on Earth, only to be taken in by an average white suburban family. Said family is played by Ed Begley, Jr., Jonathan Lipnicki (whom /Film has interviewed in the past), and even the late Michelle Trachtenberg. Meego, it seems, was the last known television character to speak to Gilligan.

"Meego" is, of course, wholly obscure to most Americans, as it only aired for six episodes in the U.S. and was initially part of ABC's TGIF lineup. "Meego" was a gentle show for kids, not a more traditional sitcom for families, so it was certainly out-of-place in prime time. The series debuted on September 9, 1997, and it crashed and burned on October 27. Seven episodes went unaired. Luckily, "Meego" ended up finishing out its 13-episode season overseas, so the "Island" reunion was at least seen by someone.

Had "Meego" lasted one more episode on ABC, American audiences would have also been treated to the final on-screen appearance of Gilligan, Mary Ann, and the Professor. In the episode "Mommy 'n' Meego," Meego attempts to use his alien telephone to contact his mother on the planet Marmazon 4.0. While rotating through frequencies, he accidentally contacts Gilligan, who is still stranded on the Island after decades. Gilligan, speaking on his own coconut-based radio, pleas to be rescued. The Professor enters and seizes the radio to give Meego their coordinates ... only to have forgotten them. Mary Ann then enters and merely asks for some moisturizer, as her midriff has been bared since the 1960s. They start to fight over the radio receiver. Meego then cuts off contact, leaving the castaways distraught. "We're never gonna get off this island," Gilligan says.

Exeunt.

It's a cute bit that lasts no longer than a minute, but it's actually pretty funny. It's astonishing how committed Denver, Johnson, and Wells actually were to "Meego," delivering their lines with genuine verve. Even in certain canonical post-TV-series "Gilligan's Island" movies, several of the actors seem tired and uninterested, having run their course with the material. For "Meego," Denver, Johnson, and Wells bring a lot of energy and humor to their parts, proving why they are among the most famous, and important, TV performers of all time.