DISCOVER--the television series of Stephen J. Cannell
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stephen J. Cannell was the single most influential figure in populist action/adventure television. His fusion of the B-movie plots and values of 1940s pulps, westerns and cliffhanger serials to the post-Watergate cynicism of 1970s cinema refreshed popular culture, from the smart, wry humour of The Rockford Files to the comic-book exploits of The A-Team. Although he was so heavily copied that his innovations eventually became cliches themselves, his shows directly inspired such movie franchises as the Die Hard and Lethal Weapon series. Today, there is nothing quite like them on television, yet during the 1980s, every adventure show either was a Cannell show, or was copying his style.
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- CreatorsStephen J. CannellRoy HugginsStarsJames GarnerNoah Beery Jr.Joe SantosThe cases of an easy-going ex-convict turned private investigator.As the 1970s began, and several creative spirits began to reinvent certain film and TV genres that had stagnated or become outdated and redundant, western and detective cliches in particular were either swept away or parodied. The Rockford Files did a little of both for the private eye genre, starting out under the guidance of TV veteran and former pulp novelist Roy Huggins as a fairly straightforward contemporary detective series, set--as was the '70s style--in the sunlight. By the third season, writers such as Cannell, Juanita Bartlett, and David Chase (The Sopranos) had, with the willing collaboration of lead actor James Garner, while retaining the enjoyably convoluted plots, moved the series into the realm of satire and character comedy, zinging numerous well-deserving aspects of the 1970s in the process. 120 episodes, incorporating the pilot, and including several two-part stories and extra-length episodes.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsRobert BlakeTom EwellEdward GroverThe cases of maverick undercover New York City detective Tony Baretta.81 episodes, no pilot.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellRoy HugginsStarsWayne RogersElaine JoyceClifton JamesWeekly adventures of hard-boiled '30s detective Jake Axminster.Pilot and ten episodes; pilot sometimes incorporated into the series as a three-parter (!).
- StarsRobert ConradSimon OaklandDana ElcarThe dramatized World War II adventures of U.S. Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and his U.S. Marine Attack Squadron 214, (The Black Sheep Squadron).Pilot and 34 episodes. Also known as Black Sheep Squadron, and briefly before that, Baa Baa Black Sheep. Pilot sometimes marketed as The Flying Misfits.
- CreatorsSteven BochcoStephen J. CannellStarsDennis DuganRobert HoganBarbara BossonA private detective in his early twenties uses his youthful looks to an advantage in his work.Five episodes and a pilot. Dennis Dugan's youthful investigator (first introduced as an irritant in The Rockford Files) was far too annoying to hold down this series about a nerdy amateur with Chandler and Spillane fantasies.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsRobert ConradLarry ManettiRed WestEx-boxer Duke Ramsey becomes a Chicago private investigator.Four episodes and a pilot. Encouraged by the moderate success of Black Sheep Squadron, Cannell and Conrad re-teamed for this rather dull and old-fashioned detective show. A major snooze.
- CreatorRichard LevinsonStarsDennis WeaverPat HingleRobert WeaverSgt. Daniel Stone has been moonlighting as a writer and after he becomes a success with lots of fans, it leads to resentment on the force. Former friend Chief Paulson is among those unhappy, not so rookie Buck Rogers.Nine episodes and a pilot. After spending almost the entire 1970s in the Cannell-ish cowboy cop show McCloud, it was way too soon for Dennis Weaver to present himself to the public in a new cop series... especially one that wasn't anywhere near as good.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsBen VereenJeff GoldblumRichard RomanusA con-man and an accountant-wanna-be private eye team up to fight crime.Twelve episodes and a pilot. One of Cannell's personal favourites, this Rockfordian p.i. series was just a little too quirky to catch on with a large audience.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsWilliam KattConnie SelleccaRobert CulpA teacher is asked to be a superhero using a special alien suit with powers he can barely understand or control.Pilot, 42 episodes, and a dismal reboot pilot. Cannell did for American television what Stan Lee did for American comics, and so his send-up of super-hero comics was always going to be interesting, at the very least. While the production values were poor, the cast was superb, and former Rockford writers ensured the scripts and satirical elements were up to scratch.
- CreatorJuanita BartlettStarsPerry KingNoah Beery Jr.Ray VitteThe sovereign state of Glendorra has a problem. It seems that through an old agreement with France, unless there's a monarch, the country would revert to France. And the king has no heirs. So, they found four Americans who are descendants of one of the former rulers. So they are sent out on a "Quest" to show if they have the qualities necessary to be a ruler. It won't be easy cause they go forth with no idea what to do, and their information is given to them through poems which they find hard to transcribe.Five episodes and a pilot. Almost immediately cancelled as soon as it went on the air, this was a brave attempt to do something different but still belongs in the WTF were they thinking column. At least it connected Cannell with Perry King for Riptide.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsGeorge PeppardMr. TDwight SchultzFour ex-Army Special Forces soldiers become heroes for hire, after being branded as war criminals for a crime they didn't commit. After breaking out of Prison, they end up helping the downtrodden while on the run from the Military Police.93 episodes and a pilot (with a different actor playing Face).
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellPatrick HasburghStarsBrian KeithDaniel Hugh KellyJoe SantosA retired judge and his last defendant follow up on cases that were dismissed due to technicalities.65 episodes and a pilot. Ridiculous rubbish about a vigilante judge who forces a parolee to help him bring malcontents who have exploited the legal system to justice. The likeable cast made it work, and as the series wore on, the writers spent more time avoiding the premise than using it...
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsChad EverettJim VarneyMimi RogersWyatt Earp III is a bouncer for a small carnival which travels from town to town. He also works as a bounty hunter to keep his family's law enforcement legacy alive.Twelve episodes and a pilot. Cannell's attempt to do another A-Team. Never quite worked.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsPerry KingJoe PennyThom BrayThe cases of a private investigations agency run by two Vietnam War veterans and their computer geek friend from high school, armed with toughness, their own helicopter, and the third's technical ability.Pilot and 55 episodes.
- CreatorFrank LupoStarsFred DryerStepfanie KramerCharles HallahanRick Hunter is a renegade cop who bends the rules and takes justice into his own hands. Partnered with the equally stunning and rebellious Sgt. McCall, he sets out to crack down on L.A.'s slimiest criminals.150 episodes and a pilot; several multi-part stories.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellStarsNick MancusoJames HandyBarbara Williams"Ray", a man of mystery, gets people out of trouble, asking for favors in return.Pilot and 23 episodes.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsJonathan PerpichErnie HudsonWings HauserA police precinct comprised of eccentric officers, including an Elvis impersonator, a transgender woman, and a naive Indian cop, navigates unusual cases while clashing with superiors who want them disbanded.Pilot and seven episodes.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellPatrick HasburghStarsJohnny DeppDustin NguyenPeter DeLuiseThe cases of an undercover police unit composed of young-looking officers specializing in youth crime.Pilot and 101 episodes.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsJonathan BanksJim ByrnesKen WahlVincent Terranova is an agent with the Organized Crime Bureau infiltrating dangerous criminal organizations, struggling to remain true to himself while becoming close to the criminal leaders he is sworn to bring down.Pilot, 72 episodes including double-length reboot, and later TV movie.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellLawrence HertzogStarsDale RobertsonShawn WeatherlyJimmy DeanBillionaire J.J. Starbuck realizes his mistakes after loss. He senses lies, solves murders impacting his life. With manager Charlie and niece Jill, he aids those in need, crossing paths with con man Tenspeed Turner who joins them.Pilot and fifteen episodes.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellMichael DalyDinah PrinceStarsMario Van PeeblesTerry DonahoeBob WielandA slick, street-smart private eye and top disguise artist solves various crimes with a little help from his friends and also takes care of his dad, a bar owner.Pilot and fourteen episodes.
- CreatorsDavid J. BurkeStephen J. CannellStephen KronishStarsDavid SoulJennifer HetrickJoe MaruzzoA special team of FBI forensics experts investigates serial murderers and other unsolved violent crimes.Seven episodes.
- StarsWilliam KattJordan BakerDick O'NeillThomas Bell's father is a congressman but poor health forces him to resign, so Thomas decides to run for his father's vacated position and wins. Now he looks at things in black and white but unfortunately runs into a lot of grey and is sometimes forced into compromising his convictions to get what he needs.Pilot and twelve episodes.
- CreatorsEric BlakeneyStephen J. CannellStarsRichard GriecoMarcia StrassmanCarmen ArgenzianoA rebellious young cop becomes an insurance investigator for a multinational corporation.22 episodes.
- CreatorsStephen J. CannellRandall WallaceStarsMiguel FerrerEileen DavidsonJay JohnsonJack Bowman is a cop from New Orleans who doesn't exactly play by the rules. When he is sent to California on a brief assignment, he is wrongfully blamed for something he didn't do. To get out of the jam he's in, he recruits cops who are on psychiatric leave, Bullet Tingreedes, a female cop who's addicted to danger, Stanley Jones, a cop who walks around with a ventriloquist dummy and who has a short fuse when people make fun of his stature, and Toby Baker, a kleptomaniac. After sorting things out, the Chief of Police decides to form a unit with Bowman and them. And a psychiatrist, Priscilla Mather keeps an eye on them.Pilot and six episodes.
