Hergé's Adventures of Tintin

Most stories in the television series varied widely from the original books, often changing whole plots.[1]

In Black Island, Captain Haddock plays a leading role, while he was absent in the original comic book. Professor Calculus makes a cameo. Puschov accuses Tintin of robbing him, but in an airport. Tintin and Haddock hide in post office bags to get to Sussex, but Haddock gets in the wrong bag, and they are separated. Tintin later finds Haddock in England examining the plane. Dr. Müller is older and white-haired, and has a goatee. Ranko doesn't break his arm in this version, and even aids Tintin, Haddock and Snowy. This is the only story in the entire series that also exists in a black-and-white form, in animation mode.[2]

In The Crab with the Golden Claws, Tintin sees Herbert Dawes being drowned and decides to investigate. In this version, Tintin and Haddock already know each other, whilst in the original book, it is their first meeting. Haddock is drugged with narcotics, rather than whiskey. Instead of opium, diamonds are smuggled in the tins. The main characters have slightly different exploits in the desert. They are attacked by a desert raider named Ahmed the Terrible, and later by the pilot of the seaplane. The ending has also been re-written.

In Star of Mystery (The Shooting Star), Professor Phostle is replaced with Professor Calculus. In line with this change, the phostlite is renamed "calculite". Professor Philippulus is Calculus' assistant, and he predicts the end of the world, but his predictions are wrong. Calculus accompanies Tintin on the meteorite, and the Peary captain and a crewman chase Tintin and Calculus on the meteorite, but are chased off by the giant spider. Captain Chester has been removed from the storyline, and Thomson and Thompson accompany them on the voyage, whereas in the book they only appeared in one panel.

In The Secret of the Unicorn, Barnaby and Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine are completely missing from the storyline. Marlinspike Hall has been renamed "Hudson Manor". Max Bird escapes in his car, but in this version, he is pursued by Tintin, Haddock, and Thomson and Thompson. They fight him on a pumpkin farmer's truck and pursue him with help from a pilot. Aristides Silk (the pickpocket) has been renamed "Herbert Knill".

In Red Rackham's Treasure, they already know Calculus, who is not hard of hearing. Max Bird follows them, and attacks Tintin underwater and is nearly killed by an octopus. Haddock is the one who meets a shark underwater instead of Tintin. There are natives on the desert island, who bear a strong resemblance to the Arumbayas from The Broken Ear. Thomson and Thompson are saved from losing their heads when Haddock pretends he is the Idol of Sir Francis Haddock speaking, similar to The Broken Ear. The group is captured by natives, but escape when a volcanic eruption sinks the Island (similar to Flight 714 to Sydney). Max Bird meets them at the Marlinspike Hall after they find the treasure, but they overpower him.

In Objective Moon (Destination Moon & Explorers on the Moon), the trip to the moon was all about rescuing Snowy, who was trapped in the (now white) test rocket. Captain Haddock's whiskey is replaced with coffee, and when he is pulled into orbit, he is not drunk, but his feet are hurting, so he takes his metal boots off. The tank is replaced with a hovering car called "the moon mobile". Professor Calculus, Haddock, and Thomson and Thompson explore the dark side of the moon in it but get trapped by a cave-in caused by a meteor shower. Snowy rescues them by giving them dynamite. Colonel Jorgen and Frank Wolff survive, and at the end, the rocket crashes in the mountains.

The Calculus Case (The Calculus Affair) was the most altered series, the changes amounting to a completely different story altogether. Jolyon Wagg was entirely removed, and Calculus' ultrasound weapon is called "Silly the Silent" (or "No-Sound Nellie" in the US English version). Thomson and Thompson's roles have been expanded, and Haddock is captured with Calculus in "Darkol Prison". Alfredo Topolino and Colonel Sponsz have been renamed "Professor Bretzel" and "Colonel Brutel".

More generally, Tintin's home is located in New York, Captain Haddock does not have a penchant for whiskey (and prefers drinking coffee instead), Professor Calculus does not have hearing problems, Thomson and Thompson are brothers and their moustaches are identical, and Snowy has a red collar.

The first episode, Objective Moon, makes reference to other earlier stories through Tintin reminiscing. It mentions Tintin in the Congo, The Crab with the Golden Claws and The Red Sea Sharks.

• The series was produced by Raymond Leblanc, who launched Belvision as well as Tintin magazine.[1]
• The first two seasons were in black and white, with minimal animation, and they were released in both French and English. These episodes were adapted from The Broken Ear and King Ottokar's Sceptre. They starred Gerald Campion as Tintin and Peter Hawkins as the additional characters.
• This series aired in syndication in the United States from 1963 to 1971 and was broadcast in the UK from 1962 by the BBC.
• The series was directed by Ray Goossens and written by comic artist Greg, who later became the editor of Tintin magazine.
• A limited edition DVD box set was released in the UK in 2006 featuring The Calculus Case (renamed to The Calculus Affair), Prisoners of the Sun, and Mystery at Shark Lake, all as feature-length films.

Season 1: Objective Moon (22 episodes)

1. Espionage
2. Space Pirates
3. The Big Departure
4. Attention… Meteor!
5. Drifting
6. Man in Orbit
7. Lunar Landing
8. Explorers on the Moon
9. Mystery on the Moon
10. Lost
11. Sabotage
12. Moon Sickness
13. Trapped
14. Operation Rescue
15. Buried
16. Explosion
17. Prisoners
18. Destination Earth
19. Dramatic turn of Events
20. More Control
21. Freefall
22. Crash Landing

Season 2: The Crab with the Golden Claws (17 episodes)

1. Suspicions
2. Mystery at Sea
3. Mutiny on the Karaboudjan
4. Escape
5. Adrift at Sea
6. Attack from the Air
7. Crack-Up
8. Thirst
9. Raiders in the Desert
10. Prisoners
11. Desert Dilemma
12. Duel in the Desert
13. Mystery in Morocco
14. Blind Alley
15. Mystery Underground
16. Return of the Karaboudjan
17. Homeward Bound

Season 3: The Secret of the Unicorn (10 episodes)

1. Model Mystery
2. Pirate Attack
3. Battle of Red Rackham
4. Kidnap
5. Trapped
6. Ambushed
7. Battle of Hudson Manor
8. The Crash
9. Captured
10. Duel on the Highway

Season 4: Red Rackham's Treasure (17 episodes)

1. Red Rackham's Treasure
2. Killer Shark
3. Jail Break
4. Stowaway
5. Shipwreck
6. Jungle Jitters
7. Head Hunters
8. Gunfire
9. Operation Rescue
10. Shark Bait
11. Duel in the Deep
12. Demon of the Deep
13. The Eagle's Cross
14. Savage Surprise
15. Vanishing Island
16. Red Rackham's Riddle
17. Treasure Chest

Season 5: The Star of Mystery (11 episodes)

1. Star of Mystery
2. Star in the Night
3. Doomsday
4. Bombs Away
5. Man Overboard
6. Torpedoed
7. Time Bomb
8. Crash Landing
9. Web of the Spider
10. Marauding Monster
11. Operation Rescue

Season 6: Black Island (12 episodes)

1. Forced Landing
2. Miscarriage of Justice
3. Escape
4. Intrigue
5. Mad Men
6. Trapped
7. Murderous Müller
8. Inferno
9. The Ghost of Black Island
10. Fright in the Night
11. The Beast of Black Island
12. The Battle of Black Island

Season 7: The Calculus Case (13 episodes)

1. Frightening Lightning
2. Z Rays
3. Kidnapped
4. Midnight Fright
5. Steel Shark
6. Tracked
7. Operation Opera
8. Bordurian Bullets
9. Dead End
10. Doomed
11. The Big Blast
12. Surprise in the Skies
13. Tank Attack

• List of French animated television series
• List of French television series

• Guide to screen adaptions of "Tintin" at Tintinologist.org
• Les aventures de Tintin (1957– ) on imdb