The Six Million Dollar Man is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors.
After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is rebuilt with superhuman strength, speed, and vision due to bionic implants and is employed as a secret agent by a fictional U.S. government office titled OSI.
The series was based on Martin Caidin's 1972 novel Cyborg, which was the working title of the series during pre-production.
Following three television pilot movies, which all aired in 1973, The Six Million Dollar Man television series aired on the ABC network as a regular episodic series for five seasons from 1974 to 1978. Steve Austin became a pop culture icon of the 1970s.
A spin-off television series, The Bionic Woman, featuring the lead female character Jaime Sommers, ran from 1976 to 1978.
Three television movies featuring both bionic characters were also produced from 1987 to 1994.
In the opening sequence, a narrator (series producer Harve Bennett) identifies the protagonist:
"Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive."
Richard Anderson, in character as Oscar Goldman, then intones off-camera:
"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better...stronger...faster."
During the operation, when he is having his bionics fitted, a list of items and numbers is displayed and lists his power plant as "atomic".