Lucan

1 9 7 7 (USA)
12 x 60 minute episodes

In 1957, a boy (Todd Olsen) is abandoned by his parents and left to die in the forests of northern Minnesota. The infant survives and is raised by a pack of wolves in the wilderness until he is found at the age of 10 by kindly Dr Don Hoagland (John Randolph).

The boy is sent to the University Research Center in California to begin his journey from the forest to civilization with Dr Hoagland.

Progress is slow, but in 1969, he learns to eat at the table with utensils and in September 1970, while having difficulty placing geometric shapes in their appropriate places on a board, Don tells him, “You can, you can.”

When the boy does do it, he says, “Lu can, lu can” – and so Lucan becomes his name.

At age 20, Lucan (now played by Kevin Brophy) leaves the university and takes to the road, seeking his real identity and family, taking what jobs he can and helping people along the way.

The university hires a bounty hunter named Prentiss (Don Gordon) to capture him and Lucan uses the skills he learned from the wolf pack to evade his pursuer.

The ABC drama series began life as a successful TV movie and ran from 26 December 1977 until 4 December 1978.

Unfortunately, the series ended before Lucan could find his parents.