The beginning of the futurist show, Ark II, began with this ominous introduction each week:

Who started it is a moot point now. Greedy, arrogant leaders pushed a few buttons and changed the world forever. Nuclear war and ecological plundering has torn asunder all that had been created, and now I, Jonah, along with Ruth, a brilliant scientist, and Samuel, our trusty assistant, must restore civilization to this barren planet called Earth. Accompanying us on this journey will be Adam, a chimp I trained myself. Some in the old world would scoff at me- "Hey, Jonah, nice monkey!" they would say, or "Jonah, which one's the ape?"

They would imply that Adam was somehow inferior to humans- yet when I look and see what humans have done to our beloved planet, I wonder. I wonder what those doubters would say, if only they hadn't been turned to ash by the mighty blast. I wonder what they would say if they saw Adam, precious Adam, flourishing in a world of their creation. Who's laughing now, Phillip- WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? ? ? ? ?

I digress. The year is 2476. We roam the Earth (or what is left of it) in our white Land Rover, Ark II. It provides adequate shelter from the harsh elements, but more importantly it houses our lab, which has allowed us to make great strides toward our goal of bringing back life as we knew it. I also have a jet rocket, for additional transportation. Our typical day involves some science, some adventure, and providing all of those people we come into contact with some helpful information about the environment.

Our mission: "To bring the hope of a new future to mankind." We will do this mostly on Saturdays, but from 9/11/77 to 11/13/77, we will be doing it on Sundays instead. Oh, and from 9/16/78 to 8/25/79, our adventures will be repeats only.

Jonah, Out.

In a take off on the biblical tale of Noah’s ark, this short-lived series chronicled the life of three young scientists in the future. Ark II was a land rover that traveled a world ravaged by pollution in the year 2476.  During the course of the series, the group, accompanied by a friendly and wise chimp, would pool their collective skills and knowledge as they did their best to rebuild a civilization long-since decimated by man.