The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-78)

In March 1973, Cyborg was loosely adapted as a made-for-TV movie titled The Six Million Dollar Man. When re-edited for the later series, it was re-titled "The Moon and the Desert, Parts I and II". Absent were some of the standard features of the later series: the electronic sound effects, the slow-motion running, and the character of Oscar Goldman. Instead, another character named Oliver Spencer was Austin's supervisor, of an organization here called the Office of Strategic Operations, or "OSO". The lead scientist involved in implanting Austin's bionic hardware, Rudy Wells, was played by three actors during the series. Austin did not use the enhanced capabilities of his bionic eye during the first TV movie.

Its success led to two more made-for-TV movies in October and November 1973 as part of ABC's rotating Movie of the Week series. The first was titled The Six Million Dollar Man: "Wine, Women and War", and the second was titled The Six Million Dollar Man: "The Solid Gold Kidnapping". The first bore strong resemblances to Caidin's second Cyborg novel, Operation Nuke; the second, however, was an original story. Both were produced by Glen A Larson, notably introduced a James Bond flavour to the series and reinstated Austin's status from the novels as an Air Force colonel.

In the opening sequences of the second an third TV movies, a narrator (series producer Harve Bennett) identifies the protagonist, followed by Richard Anderson, in character as Oscar Goldman. A shortened version of the introduction was used during the series.

The opening and closing credits of those films used a theme song written by Glen A Larson, and sung by Dusty Springfield, backed by Ron "Escalade" Piscina. However, when the weekly series began, the song was replaced by an instrumental theme by Oliver Nelson.