Back in the 80s, the commercial success of “Indiana Jones” spawned a spin-off series chronicling the adventurer’s exploits as a child and young man. Starring Sean Patrick Flanery (“The Boondock Saints“), “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” unfortunately didn’t do as well as the films starring Harrison Ford. It only ran for two seasons, but Flanery is still still wildly proud of it, and wouldn’t change the experience for the world.
Despite its lack of popularity, the series pushed hard for authenticity. The series filmed on location in more than 50 different countries.
“It was such an educational experience, not just in filmmaking, but in all forms of life: new cultures, traveling, being able to pick up on [anything] in a moment’s notice,” Flanery told IndieWire. “It’s the whole one key theory. I traveled around the world with one suitcase and sometimes went to cold climates, sometimes went to really hot climates.” He said filming the series felt like a “traveling circus times 10” due to all the travel. But the experience was “unforgettable.”
Flanery was fortunate enough to avoid the pressure of trying to completely emulate Ford’s performance as adult Indy. But he still wanted to try and do justice to such an iconic character. “The way the scripts were written, they didn’t force me to be a Harrison Ford, because they were all written by different writers. Although the name of the character was the same, I didn’t feel like I had to compete with what Harrison Ford had done, because that would have been devastating. I would have felt defeated before I started.”
Flanery feels the series had difficulty succeeding due to a lack of consistency in tone. Episodes ranged from spooky to pratfall-level comedy. It just didn’t connect with fans the same way as the films. But it gave Flanery one of the best experiences of his life, and he continues to take immense pride in the series.
All of the “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” are available to stream on Disney+ now.
