In the late '70s or early to ...
Question: In the late '70s or early to mid-'80s there was a television show called Merlin. The lead character was Merlin, played by Barnard Hughes. Who played the part of Arthur? Thank you.
Answer: Actually, the show was called Mr. Merlin and there wasn't an Arthur in sight. There was, however, a Zac (Clark Brandon), who, one could argue, filled the Arthur role (provided you forget all about Arthur wielding a legendary sword, being cuckolded by his best pal, sending his friends on a disastrous quest etc.).
Max Merlin (Blossom's Hughes) was the ancient magician, who by the early '80s had moved from grand castles and sorcery to a San Francisco garage and fixing cars. The fun began when he decided to teach Zac the wonders of sorcery, whereupon the new apprentice launched into the usual problems with spells gone awry and the troubles of keeping his powers a secret from mere mortals. Rounding out the cast were Jonathan Prince (again!) as Zac's buddy Leo and Elaine Joyce as Alexandra, who served as a go-between for Merlin and his magic bosses. The series premiered in October 1981 and magically vanished the following August.
