I thought the show was OK but except for Joe himself I thought there was too much reliance on recycled Scarlet marionettes and the concept was shaky. I think the theme tune is probably the main reason this show is so well regarded. I'm surprised no one's done a remake of this though, given the success of the Spy Kids movies (which are just as preposterous, really).
Know what you mean, Mono - after I saw the French film Betty Blue, alot of things just didn't mean the same anymore. I guess you could call it my moment of clarity.
Nevertheless I got into this one big time when they repeated it in the late 70s and 80s. I would sit there watching and wish that I could be brainwashed/reprogrammed like Joe 90 and go to school and do all that useless crap they required, without having to think, and therefore have more brain-time to do things like listen to records/watch films/buy records/eat CurlyWurlys/watch TV/think alternately of Sally James and Debbie Harry/listen to John Peel/eat Tunnocks Tea Cakes etc.
Never "got" this one, love all the Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray thing, but this? ..... nah.
Maybe it was a case of me just getting older or the idea of the kid being a special agent just didn't sound right.
I don't know, but this show was a swing and a miss for me.