Updated: May 26, 2024

The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel Comics character The Hulk. The series aired on the CBS television network and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner, Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, and Jack Colvin as Jack McGee.

In the TV series, Dr. David Banner, a widowed physician and scientist, who is presumed dead, travels across America under assumed names, and finds himself in positions where he helps others in need despite his terrible secret: in times of extreme anger or stress, he transforms into a huge, savage, incredibly strong green creature, who has been named "The Hulk". In his travels, Banner earns money by working temporary jobs while searching for a way to either control or cure his condition. All the while, he is obsessively pursued by a tabloid newspaper reporter, Jack McGee, who is convinced that the Hulk is a deadly menace whose exposure would enhance his career.

The series two-hour pilot movie, which established the Hulks origins, aired on November 4, 1977. The series 80 episodes were originally broadcast by CBS over five seasons from 1978 to 1982. It was developed and produced by Kenneth Johnson, who also wrote or directed some episodes. The series ends with David Banner continuing to search for a cure.

In 1988, the filming rights were purchased from MCA / Universal by New World Television for a series of TV movies to conclude the series storyline. The broadcast rights were, in turn, transferred to rival NBC. New World ( which at one point owned Marvel ) produced three television films: The Incredible Hulk Returns ( directed by Nicholas J. Corea ), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk ( both directed by Bill Bixby ). Since its debut, The Incredible Hulk series has garnered a worldwide fan base.