Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions : A History of All Series and Pilots

the Face Of 1980s Television Was Shaped By A Man Who Stayed Behind The Scenes. Stephen Cannell's Reluctant White Knights—put-upon Private Eye James Rockford, World War Ii Fly-boys The Black Sheep Squadron, Hapless Superhero Ralph Hinckley, Fugitive Mercenaries The A-team, And Maverick Cop Hunter—traversed The Television Landscape From The 1970s To The 1990s. Cannell Changed The Face Of The Action-adventure Genre, Updating The Crime-show Format With A Hybrid Of Rebellious Morality, Juvenile Wit, Intelligent Sarcasm, And Radical Conservatism. This Book Discusses In Detail The Programs Of The Writer-producer And Lists Every Episode Of His Award-winning Productions From The Early 1970s To The Early '90s. The Book Features Publicity Photos And Descriptions Of Unsold Pilots. For twenty years, Stephen J. Cannell was in the hero business. Or perhaps, the anti-hero business. Whatever the case, his heroes were on the side of the slightly tarnished angels. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cannell was the single most influential figure in populist action/adventure television. His series range from the smart, wry humor of The Rockford Files to the comic-book exploits of The A-Team. Inbetween, he has created, co-created, and overseen such productions as the pacifist but macho war series Black Sheep Squadron, super-hero spoof The Greatest American Hero, the beach boy bromance Riptide, the outrageous vigilante show Hardcastle and McCormick, and the Eastwood-inspired anti-cop show Hunter. In the late '80s, he produced the critically acclaimed 21, Jump Street, and the quietly horrific, grim, dark mob show Wiseguy. In the 1970s, his marriage of B-western plots and values to the post-Watergate cynicism of 1970s cinema refreshed popular culture, drawing from themes explored and avenues opened by Robert Altman and Clint Eastwood, perhaps the two most influential film-makers of the period. His knowing, self-parodic approach to a tired and weary action/adventure genre permeated all of American television throughout the 1980s, and much cinema thereafter. On the surface, Cannell's heroes are traditional conservative icons of Hollywood myth, cops, judges, vigilantes, military men, tough guys--but they are also renegades and rebels, individual malcontents at odds with the injustices of the world. And despite producing shows featuring handsome but flawed male heroes (or perhaps because of it), his shows were phenomenally popular with the female audience as well as the intended men, displaying a satisfying progressive attitude towards women both in front of, and behind the camera. This book discusses in detail the programs of this writer-producer (and sometimes director and actor), and lists every episode of his 1970s and 1980s series, with storylines and writer, director, and cast credits for 22 shows. With extensive quotes and research, it discusses Cannel's methods of working, his critics, his recurring themes and obsessions, and his successes and failures, and includes publicity materials, information on unsold pilots, and a four-page bibliography and ten pages of sources and quotations to support the author's observations and opinions. Every statement is backed up by cross-referencing numerous examples not only of specific episodes of Cannell shows, but other producers' series as well. There is a 38 page index. Shows The Rockford Files; Baretta; City of Angels; Black Sheep Squadron; Richie Brockelman; The Duke; Stone; Tenspeed and Brownshoe; The Greatest American Hero; The Quest; The A-Team; Hardcastle and McCormick; Rousters; Riptide; Hunter; Stingray; The Last Precinct; 21, Jump Street; Wiseguy; J.J. Starbuck; Sonny Spoon; Unsub; unsold pilots; The Wrap-Up; sources of quotations; bibliography; index (all featured series include episode listings).Customer review for Stephen J. Cannell Productions on Goodreads"Way better than the other Cannell book. This one is incredibly detailed. The author spent many years compiling information and had some really great trivia. More information than most would ever need..."Customer review for Stephen J. Cannell Productions on Amazon.com"An excellent book with many insights into the creation and production of the prolific Cannell library of TV shows... a comprehensive look at the philosophy and methodology of the man and the company. Lots of useful analysis.""Outstanding" (e-mail to publishers, Cannell Entertainment)For full reviews, and comments on reviews, click on 'See all reviews', Amazon.com Acknowledgments......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 The Rockford Files......Page 52 Baretta......Page 80 City of Angels......Page 91 Black Sheep Squadron......Page 95 Richie Brockelman, Private Eye......Page 105 The Duke......Page 108 Stone......Page 110 Unsold Pilots (1)......Page 115 Tenspeed and Brownshoe......Page 118 The Greatest American Hero......Page 122 The Quest......Page 136 The A-Team......Page 140 Hardcastle and McCormick......Page 165 Rousters......Page 179 Riptide......Page 184 Unsold Pilots (2)......Page 199 Hunter......Page 201 Stingray......Page 230 The Last Precinct......Page 240 21 Jump Street......Page 245 Wiseguy......Page 267 J.J. Starbuck......Page 304 Sonny Spoon......Page 314 Unsub......Page 322 Unsold Pilots (3)......Page 326 The Wrap-Up......Page 327 Sources of Quotations......Page 344 Bibliography......Page 354 Index......Page 358 "Stephen Cannell's reluctant white knights--James Rockford, Black Sheep Squadron, Ralph Hinckley, A-Team, and Hunter--traversed the television landscape from the 1970s to the 1990s. This book discusses the programs and lists every episode of his award-winning productions from the early 1970s to the early '90s. The book features photos and descriptions of unsold pilots"--Provided by publisher.