How did the great TV series of the past end, WILL contain spoliers ( I hope )

[DuncanWardle]

Just watched another episode of the A-TEAM on UK GOLD and was wandering how all those great series I watched as a child such as Knight Rider, Street Hawk, Air Wolf and Miami Vice actually came to an end.

So anybody care to remind me ?

Thanks !!

Also did the pilot of the A-Team ever show the crime they did not commit ? did anybody ever die ? what celebrities ever showed up ?

I guess what I want is a quick low down on all these programs without having to wade over countless web pages

[Doc Jim]

Hmm.. the pilot of the A-Team talked about the 'crime' - something to do with robbing a bank when the war finished.. or something.

In Airwolf, he finally found his brother! :)

[Nick dVl]

I think the second-last series of the A-Team (the one with Robert Vaughn) had them captured and put on trial. They showed clips from the bank robbery.

The last A-Team episode I saw was one where Dirk Benedict got shot in a restaurant by some hitmen. Or something. No-one died in the end (gee, what a surprise...)

[DuncanWardle]

Anymore ?

There must be some experts on 80s TV

[Ferret Boy]

I dont know Duncan, but maybe you can help me... I was watching Batman: Return of the Joker, and they kept going on about Robin becoming Nightwing. Im taking an educated that it is Nightwing in your signiture, so what did he do? Where did he "fight crime" and stuff? And more to the point, was he really camp, or actually quite good? Thanks for any info :)

[Hamburger3]

http://www.guydowman.com/Images/broadcast.shtml

[Hamburger3]

WHAT DOES THE "A" IN THE "A-TEAM" STAND FOR, ANYWAY?
A couple of different people have supposed answers for this. From Adam
Marti:
"The A, or rather A-Team is a military term used to denote the first team in a
miltary squad. The long version of it is Alpha Team. The second is Bravo
Team. An instance of it's use in a simple squad ambush the A-team would be
the assault element and the B-team would be the support element, covering the
objective as the A-team assaults it."
From Michele Lellouche:
"According to the Special Forces histories I read, an A-Team was usually
twelve guys, and the Team's uniforms were correct in the first season..."

This agrees with another account I have read on the designation "A-Team", in
that they were generally large units which would be lead by someone with a
higher rank than colonel. Accordingly, it might actually be true that our
A-Team was actually what was referred to as a "greek letter Team," - The
Alpha Team, perhaps - which were in fact the small, special forces units used
during 'Nam. But "Alpha Team" just doesn't sound as cool for TV as "A-Team,"
does it? :-)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT ARE THE MAKES AND MODELS OF THE A-TEAM VAN AND FACE'S CORVETTE?
From Christopher Bender:
"The A-Team van, as mentioned in the credits, is made by GMC truck. That
model is simply called a "G-Series" van. They come in G-15 (half ton), G-25
(3/4 ton), and G-35 (one ton) configurations. Typically for a passenger use
van, such as B.A.'s, a G-15 is used. Since that body style was introduced
around 1974, and is still available today, it is difficult to judge the year
of the vehicle. I would suspect that the first van (Keep in mind that they
destroyed many vans during all of the stunts) was a new van when the show
first came on, so that would make it a 1983."

"Face's 'Vette is clearly a 1984. This is evidenced by it's color and wheel
style, and by the time at which it showed up in the series [first in the
episode "The Taxicab Wars," which aired on 11/01/83. Remember that car models
are dated a year ahead of when they are released - NP]. 1984 was the first
year for the current 'Vette body style. There was no 'Vette in 1983, and the
1982's and earlier were much different in appearance."

Also, Michele Lellouche informs us: "Face's vette was always rented from an
LA agency that had a sideline in movie cars (it was a regular rental agency--I
can't find the article where I had the name of it). The vette was white and
Cannell Productions applied the stripe every time it was used, so the red
stripe was not a permanent paint job."

License plates on BA's van: 2L83000 2E14859
License plate on Face's vette: IHJG851

(Note: These are just the licence plate numbers I've identified so far. There
were no doubt other numbers, and sometimes I think I spotted different #'s on
front and back plates of the van in the same episode!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT TYPE OF GUNS DID THE A-TEAM USE?
From Justin T. Huang:
"The A-Team used Ruger AC556s regularly...Hannibal carried a '7 shot 9mm
pistol' which is beyond me...most of the 9mm pistols I own or know about have
many more than 7 rounds. The AC556 is the fully automatic version of the
Ruger Mini-14, which is available in your local gunstore for about $500 these
days, pre-ban. The 30 round magazines (from Ruger factory) are going for
almost $80 now...they did use M16A1s occasionally."

Also, as Michele Lellouche points out, Face had a chromed .45 (see
"The Taxicab Wars" again).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT DID THE BACK OF MURDOCK'S JACKET SAY?
Da Nang 1970.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DID ANYONE EVER GET KILLED ON "THE A-TEAM"?
As far as actual, on-screen deaths, there was only one, in "The Sound of
Thunder," when General Fulbright was shot and killed (in the same episode the
bunker where the Cong general who shot Fulbright was in was blown up, so we
can assume he bit the dust as well). Several episodes referred to deaths of
characters off-screen either during or usually before the start of the episode
(such as, for instance, Ray Brenner's death in "A Nice Place to Visit.")
Also, one of the Mafia bad guys in the episode "The Rabbit That Ate Las Vegas"
was seen to fall from a high rise window, presumably to his death, although it
wasn't clear if he had been killed before the fall of as a result of it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR THE FIRST FOUR SEASONS, I THOUGHT THE TEAM WAS A SPECIAL FORCES
UNIT. WHY WERE THEY WEARING AIR CAVALRY UNIFORMS IN THE TRIAL
EPISODES?
Put it down to a dumb mistake by the continuity patrol at Cannell Productions.
It wouldn't be a first in the show's history...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE GUEST-STARRED ON "THE A-TEAM"?
Here is a partial list:
Tia Carrere in "The Sound of Thunder"
Dennis Franz in "Chopping Spree" and "Beverly Hills Assault"
Boy George in "Cowboy George"
Issac Hayes in "The Heart of Rock N' Roll"
Hulk Hogan in "Body Slam" and "The Trouble with Harry"
Bo Hopkins in "Pure-Dee Poison"
Ernie Hudson in "The Taxicab Wars"
Rick James in "The Heart of Rock N' Roll"
Yaphet Kotto in "The Out-of-Towners"
Stephanie Kramer in "Fire"
David McCallum in "The Say Uncle Affair"
Joe Namath in "Quarterback Sneak"
William "The Refrigerator" Perry in "The Trouble with Harry"
Mitch Pileggi in "The Road to Hope"
Markie Post in "The Only Church in Town" and "Hot Styles"
Della Reese in "Lease with an Option to Die"
Andrew Robinson in "The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing" and "The White Ballot"
Dean Stockwell in "A Small and Deadly War"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIDN'T A CYLON MAKE AN APPEARANCE ON "THE A-TEAM" ONCE?
Yes, in the episode "Steel." There was a scene at the Universal Studios movie
lot in Hollywood where a Cylon walks along in front of Face, who looks at him
with a "haven't I seen you before?" expression. (In case you don't know,
Cylons were the "bad guys" on "Battlestar Galactica," which Dirk Benedict had
been a main character on.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW DID "THE A-TEAM" END?
While "Without Reservations" was the last episode that aired, it appears that
"The Gray Team" was probably meant to be the final episode, based on the
closing dialogue (and the fact that Murdock wears a t-shirt saying "Fini" in
"The Gray Team" and one saying "Almost Fini" in "Without Reservations." The
Team speculate on the fact that they may be nearing the end of their
"contract" with Stockwell and wonder what they will end up doing if they ever
get their pardons. They decide they will likely end up doing the same thing
they've been doing for the past fifteen years, helping people and beating up
bad guys.


WHO WERE THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHOW 'BEHIND THE SCENES'?
The production crew changed somewhat from season to season. Below are listed
the "main players" behind the show starting with the first season, and what
changes were made for each of the following four seasons.

------------------------------
1ST SEASON PRODUCTION CREDITS:
------------------------------
Stephen J. Cannell:
Executive Producer. The man who started the show going.

He started as a story editor at the age of 26 (for the TV show "Adam 12," and
throughout the 1970s worked mostly as a staff producer at Universal. He would
become co-creator of "The Rockford Files," and was involved in several
successful shows such as "Black Sheep Squadron" and "Greatest American Hero"
before "The A-Team" was about. After "The A-Team," he had a number of other
hits in the mid and late 80s including "Riptide," "Hardcastle and McCormick,"
"Stingray," and "Wiseguy." Some of SJC's most recent projects have included a
novel entitled "The Plan" (now out in soft cover) and the TV show "Profit" on
FOX. He has also occasionally done some acting, including having a recurring
role as "Dutch Dixon" on another one of his shows, "Renegade." Currently, he
is now supposedly working on an A-Team feature film (more info in Section V.)
and has just released his second novel, called "The Final Victim."

Frank Lupo: Co-Executive Producer, long-time and frequent collaborator
with SJC on other programs including "Riptide" and "Wiseguy," creator of shows
including "Hunter" and "Werewolf." Was a writer for Glen Larson on programs
including "Battlestar Galactica" and "Magnum PI."

Jo Swerling, Jr.: Supervising Producer. Has been involved in the
production of many Cannell projects since the late 70s.

John Ashley: Producer. Was executive producer of Lupo's "Werewolf,"
also "Something is Out There."

Patrick Hasburgh: Producer. Started w/SJC as a story editor on
"Greatest American Hero," would later become an executive producer and
co-creator on "21 Jump Street" and "Hardcastle," creator of "Sunset Beat" and
"Glory Days." Executive producer of "Seaquest DSV."

Gary Winter: Associate Producer. Worked as Associate Producer on
"Battlestar Galactica" before joining the Cannell group.

Bradley B. Six: Director of Photography.. Would go on to work on series
including "Heart of the City," "Mike Hammer," and "The Bronx Zoo."

Craig R. Baxley: Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator. Director of
the feature films "Action Jackson" and "Come in Peace."

Mike Post & Pete Carpenter: Music. Mike's credits are extensive in
the TV scoring industry and has had a long-time history of working on Cannell
projects. A list of his credits include: "Profit" (1996), "NYPD Blue"
(1993), "Law & Order" (1990), "Quantum Leap" (1989), "Wiseguy" (1987),
"Hardcastle and McCormick" (1983), "Hill Street Blues" (1981)TV Series,
"Magnum P.I." (1980) and "The Rockford Files." (1974).

------------------------------
2ND SEASON PRODUCTION CHANGES:
------------------------------
John Ashley: becomes sole producer.

Richard Christian Matheson & Thomas Szollosi: Story Editors. Thomas's
writing credits include "The Incredible Hulk" and "Three O'clock High."
Richard was also involved in those two projects, as well as "Full Eclipse" and
the feature movie "Loose Cannons."

------------------------------
3RD SEASON PRODUCTION CHANGES:
------------------------------
Matthew N. Herman: Executive in Charge of Production.

Allan Cassidy & Gary Winter: Associate Producers.

Mark Jones: Story Editor. Would go on to work for Glen Larson and
produce the last season of "Knight Rider."

------------------------------
4TH SEASON PRODUCTION CHANGES:
------------------------------
Gary Winter: Executive in Charge of Post Production.

Steven Beers & Rob S. Bowman: Associate Producers. Rob now works on
"The X-Files."

Bill Nuss: Story Editor. Started working with Cannell first on
"Riptide," went on to become Executive Producer on "21 Jump Street,"
"Booker," and recently "Renegade." Is now executive producer of "Pacific
Blue."

Frank Lupo: Executive Producer.

John Ashley: Co-Executive Producer.

------------------------------
5TH SEASON PRODUCTION CHANGES:
------------------------------
Tom Blomquist: Producer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I NEED SOME BIO INFORMATION ON DIRK/DWIGHT/GEORGE/T/ETC.
Okay, here goes some brief bios:

DIRK BENEDICT
Birthday: March 1, 1945. Height: 5'11"
Born DIRK NIEWOEHNER in Helena, Montana, grew up in White Sulphur Springs,
Montana. Father was a lawyer; spent much of his childhood outdoors, was a
good athlete and a straight-A student (although apparently he had problems
with arthritis (!) which caused problems including hair loss and skin
disorders). Went to Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington to major in
music, later changing his major to theater. Continued his schooling at a
professional acting school at Meadowbrook Theater, north of Detroit, for 2
years. Played in regional theater, appeared on Broadway in "Butterflies are
Free," where he met Gloria Swanson. His first movie was "Georgia, Georgia,"
co-starring Diana Sands, and he made his first TV appearance as a guest star
on "Hawaii Five-O." His first TV series was "Chopper One," which aired in
1974, then he got the part of Lieutenant Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica" in
1978. In 1983 came "The A-Team." Dirk lists his interests as including
organic foods (he became a vegetarian in 1971, due to health problems), Far
Eastern religion, and 'balancing professional fulfillment with quiet,
nature-oriented contentment.' It was in 1975 that he was diagnosed with a
prostate tumor and went on a strict macrobiotic diet.

In 1986 he married his live-in girlfriend, actress Toni Hudson. They had
two sons together, George and Roland. They were recently (in 1995?) divorced,
and Toni has remarried. Dirk lives in Montana with his two sons.

GEORGE PEPPARD
Birthday: October 1, 1929. Height: 6'0'
Born in Detroit, Michigan, son of a building contractor and an opera singer.
Attended Dearborn High School, left school to serve in Marine Corps, was a
Sergeant. Held jobs including disc jockey, bank clerk, taxi-driver, and
motor-cycle mechanic before getting a degree in civil engineering. He went to
Perdue University and graduated Carnegie Mellon, also earning a degree in Fine
Arts. He then went to the Actors' Studio, going into stage work in New York.
His first acting was on the radio, and he made his stage debut in 1949 in the
Pittsburg Playhouse. Married for the 1st time in 1954 to Helen Davies, had
two children - Bradford and Julie. They were divorced in 1965. He then
married Elizabeth Ashley in 1966, whom he met on the set of "The
Carpetbaggers." They were divorced and remarried, finally getting divorced in
1972 after having one child, Christian. In that same year he appeared in the
pilot for the TV show "Banacek," which continued for 16 episodes.

In 1976, he married again to Sherry Boucher, an actress who was 20 years
younger than himself. In 1978 he attempted an unusual movie, entitled "Five
Days from Home," which he produced, directed, and starred in after mortgaging
his home to finance it. The film wasn't a success, so he went back to more
run-of-the-mill movies afterwards. Things did not go well for a while
following this: he missed an opportunity to have the starring role in a show
that would become "Dynasty" (he was supposed to have John Forsythe's role); he
divorced from Sherry in 1979; he had been drinking heavily for almost 30 years
by then. He finally started to turn around his lifestyle by taking up
hunting, jogging, and other sporting activities, moving to a smaller home and
giving up much of the Hollywood lifestyle he was used to. Financial
troubles continued, however, and he ended up working in touring theater
companies, including a production of "The Sound of Music." Then came the
offer of Hannibal Smith in "The A-Team," because Cannell wanted Peppard (even
though the studio didn't, given his troublesome reputation.) Around the same
time he met actress and painter Alexis Adams, who later became his last wife.

DWIGHT SCHULTZ
Birthday: November 24, 1947. Height: 6'2"
Full name is actually WILLIAM Dwight Schultz; he was born in Baltimore
Maryland, an only child of Irish-German parents (father was a postman, his
mother a telephone operator.) Attended grade school at the Shrine of the
Little Flower, then Calvert Hall High School, and then went to Townson State
University in Baltimore for a BA degree in Theatre Arts. Then was with the
Baltimore Theater Ensemble for 2 years. Worked primarily in theater before
"The A-Team." Had the lead role in "The Water Engine" for Joseph Papp's
Public Theater, which was such a hit the production moved to the Plymouth
Theater, which was Dwight's Broadway debut. Won the Drama-Logue Award for his
role opposite Charleton Heston in a revival of "The Crucifer of Blood," and
starred in other plays including Tom Stoppard's "Night and Day" (with Maggie
Smith). Has held odd-jobs including working for the New York bureau of pest
control, being a waiter and door-to-door salesman. In 1982 also had a major
role in the horror movie, "Alone in the Dark." (Which is actually a much
better movie than you might think, and has only this year been re-released on
video). Guest starred in "CHiPS" and "Hill Street Blues" before "The A-Team,"
and also appeared in the TV-movie "The Thin Ice," which co-starred Kate
Jackson. It's been said that it was Kate's influence that helped him get the
role of Murdock on "The A-Team."

Dwight is married to actress Wendy Fulton (wedding was in 1983), and has a
daughter (named Eva?). His interests include UFOs, jazz and hi-fi stereo
equipment.

MR. T
Birthday: May 21, 1952. Height: 5'11"
Born in the southside, ghetto area of Chicago as LAURENCE TUREAUD, T is the
second to youngest of twelve children (he has 4 sisters and 7 brothers).
Raised primarily by his mother in the housing projects, and encouraged to
build his body as much for survival as anything else. He attended Dunbar
Vocational High School, was a college football star, was awarded a scholarship
to Prairie View A & M University in Texas but was thrown out after a year.
Finished schooling in small colleges in Chicago, then became a military
policeman in the US Army. Was a body guard for about nine years, working for
such celebrities as Muhammed Ali, Michael Jackson, Dianna Ross, and Le Var
Burton, also working as a bouncer on the side.

Changed his name to Laurence Tero in 1970, and later to Mr. T so people would
HAVE to call him "Mister." Worked as a schoolteacher (gym) in 1975. Was
"spotted" by Sylvester Stallone in 1982 at the World's Toughest Bouncer
contest, who built up his role in "Rocky III" after meeting T. He has a
daughter, the result of a teenage love-affair with Phyllis Clark, and resides
in Illinois.

MELINDA CULEA
Birthday:?. Height: 5'8"
Born in Indiana Head Park, Illinois, has three brothers. Spent much of her
childhood skateboarding and being a bit of a tomboy, although she was a
cheerleader in High School. After leaving school she worked in her father's
sewing-machine business, and married at age 19, moving to a town outside of
Chicago. Tried numerous jobs before giving modeling a try, moving to New York
and leaving her husband. After breaking into commercials, she moved to
California to try the TV/movie business. Did several guest spots and unsold
pilots before landing "The A-Team." Hobbies and interests include mysticism,
quilt making and paper mache.

MARLA HEASLEY
Birthday: ?/?/62. Height: ?
From Hollywood; was supposedly selected from hundreds of actresses in an open
casting call for the role of "Tawnia" in "The A-Team. She was dating Wayne
Newton for a while around the same time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WASN'T THERE ANOTHER ACTOR WHO PLAYED FACE IN THE FIRST EPISODE?
WHAT
HAPPENED TO HIM?
Yes, Tim Dunigan played Face in the pilot episode. However, he was not SJC's
first choice for the role (Dirk Benedict was). The Network was not keen on
Benedict at the start, but after Dunigan's unimpressive performance (and the
fact that he looked much too young for the part), they agreed to go with
Benedict.

On an interesting side note, Dwight Schultz stated during his talk at Shore
Leave 17, July 1995, that he was almost axed halfway through the filming of
the pilot episode. The Network was "not happy" with what he was doing with
the role, and wanted Murdock written out of the show after the first batch of
episodes. However, audience testing after the pilot forced them to change
their minds, because Murdock received very positive feedback. So they ended
up "rewriting" him back into those early episodes (or letting Schultz ad-lib a
great deal in them because the script had given him very little to do.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT HAPPENED TO MELINDA CULEA (AMY) AND THEN MARLA HEASLEY
(TAWNIA)? WHY DID THEY GET DUMPED FROM THE SHOW?
The stories vary quite a bit on this, especially in regards to Melinda. It
seems quite definite that she did not get along well with Peppard right from
the start (he did not like her, for whatever reason.) There appeared to be no
other obvious animosity between her and the rest of the cast members, however
(in fact she was quoted early on saying "Dwight and I have become really
close...he's not macho at all.") However, it appears that somewhere along the
line she fell out of favor with the rest of the guys, and claims all four of
them ganged up on her and worked on the producers to dump her. The studio
claimed that Melinda was never meant to be a full- time cast member to begin
with. Tawnia (who, incidentally, was named after SJC's daughter) was
introduced to add a more "feminine" female character to the show, supposedly.
The fact that she lasted on the show for such a short time period (and the
general ill-opinion of her by the fans) proved that this move was probably a
bad one, so she was quickly married away and written out of the show by the
3rd season.

It has been theorized by some critics that until some of SJC's later
productions, he never was comfortable writing for female characters in his
shows. (Some people would claim that he still can't write good female
characters today). They argue that this is why eventually the idea of a
female side-kick for the Team was dropped by the 3rd season, although there
were definite plans to bring Tia Carrere on as a regular for the 5th season,
after "The Sound of Thunder." This idea never played through because of Tia's
problems getting out of a contract with another show she had been working on,
"Hospial." Also, with the radical changes that occurred in the show's format,
it seems the idea was dropped completely (we never learn what happened to
Tia's character - named, obviously, Tia - who was supposed to be General
Fulbright's Amer-asian daughter, who the Team brought back from Vietnam in
"Thunder.")
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIDN'T MR. T AND PEPPARD HAVE A BIG FALLING OUT ON THE SHOW?
Apparently there was a fair amount of strife on the set during the filming of
the episode "Judgment Day," the 4th season premiere. The stories as to what
happened are various but the basic goes as follows:

"While filming [Judgment Day]...aboard a cruise ship, Mr.
T, in the words of one source at the scene, became 'a little
screwy.' It seems that the air conditioning was aggravating
him, and he was already aggravated over a personal family
loss. He walked off the set (not on the water - he was
actually flown), then telephoned Cannell with a list of
demands. Cannell then, in his word, 'fired' T, who in turn
rescinded his demands and went back to the show. There
were other, less spectacular incidents - all, Cannell said,
'stuff that was going on that needed to get cleaned out and it
did.'" (From "Kicked Around, The A-Team Seeks Neilsen
Revenge," TV GUIDE, November 29, 1986.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHY DID THE SHOW CHANGE SO MUCH DURING THE 5TH SEASON?
A desperate attempt to boost the ratings. The changes were supposedly the
result of extensive "Market studies" conducted on the show, what people wanted
to see and what they thought about each of the characters. As can only be
expected, they appeared to get everything wrong. Most "real fans" did not
like the change in tone of the series (from comedic to mostly serious), the
new characters that were added (Eddie Velez was supposed to be a hot new "sex
symbol," but many people couldn't stand his character.) Many people didn't
like the character of Stockwell either, and found it difficult to believe the
Team would work for him at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHY WAS THE SHOW CANCELED?
Very low ratings, plain and simple answer. It was almost not renewed for a
5th season in the first place, and then only conditionally for half a season.
The change in premise lost them many of the loyal fans they had left, reaching
only a high of 39th place for the episode "The Theory of Revolution," and a
low of 62 for "The Spy Who Mugged Me."


http://www.xs4all.nl/~jmm/a-team/

[DuncanWardle]

Brilliant, never think I saw any of those episodes towards the end, are they on vid / dvd ?

Can anyone match that with other shows ?

[Dr_Fruitbat]

Miami Vice - last episode was freefall (number 111)

For the final show-down, Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs head to a mythical Latin American country called Costa Morada. Their objective is to bring back General Manuel Borbon, a brutal dictator who they hope will testify against major members of South America’s most powerful drug cartel. While they are in Costa Morada, a revolution breaks out, which nearly topless the much-hated Borbon. In order to smuggle Borbon out of the country, Crockett and Tubbs must dodge both the revolutionaries and the drug lords who want to keep him in power so they can continue to use Costa Morada as a main artery for their cocaine-selling empire. When the two detectives return to Miami, they realize that they have been betrayed and together they make a last stand.


' Yeah I have them all on VHS ' :eek:

[DuncanWardle]

I was always under the impression that Crocket turned bad at the end ?

What about the other 80s classics ?

Am I correct in remembering that Magnum came to England towards the end of the series and ended up getting killed ?

[Aardvark]

Sapphire & Steel - our two heroes ended up permanently (?) trapped in some other dimension or something. Fairly downbeat I think.

Blake's Seven - they all got shot. (Or did Avon escape? Can't remember...) Fairly downbeat again.

The Fugitive - Kimble never tracked down the one-armed man (unlike the film).

Quantum Leap - Sam didn't make the leap home. This was stated in a caption at the end of the last episode.


Er, why am I remembering all the depressing endings?

[DuncanWardle]

Originally posted by Ferret Boy
I dont know Duncan, but maybe you can help me... I was watching Batman: Return of the Joker, and they kept going on about Robin becoming Nightwing. Im taking an educated that it is Nightwing in your signiture, so what did he do? Where did he "fight crime" and stuff? And more to the point, was he really camp, or actually quite good? Thanks for any info :)

Dick Grayson, the 1st Robin, did indeed become Nightwing.

Dick outgrew the Robin persona and left Batman's side. He joined the Titans ( or The Teen Titans or even The New Teen Titans ) which was a group of late teens early 20s super heroes much in the same style as the JLA ( or I suppose for Marvel fans The Avengers )

The Nightwing character has grown over many years. When Bruce Wayne was injured at the hands of Bane, the Batman role was passed to Jean Paul Valle ( think thats correct, cant be bothered to get up and go look ) who was at the time a confused guy with the assumed identity of Azrael.

This annoyed Dick Grayson a fair bit ( who assumed he would have the Batman role ) and the troubled times that Bruce and Dick had got no better. However the AzraelBatman was far from succesful and was very short on any form of mercy. Dick Grayson did then become Batman for a short while before Bruce Wayne returned to the role.

Dick / Nightwing operate out of a town just down river from Gotham City called Bludhaven. Here they have both had new adventures and had new characters introduced. Dick actually joined the Bludhaven Police department.

Dick Grayson has now resolved most of the personal issues he had with Bruce ( the Earthquake which destroyed Gotham City helped ) and also tutors Robin number three, Tim Drake.

Robin number Two in case you were wandering was beaten to death with a crowbar by THE JOKER

[Dr_Fruitbat]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
I was always under the impression that Crocket turned bad at the end ?



Naw, there was about 5 episodes where Crocket had a bang
on the head and lived life as a drug dealer, but then he got
his memory back and went back to being plod.

(begining of season 4 I think)

[DuncanWardle]

Oh was that it, guess it was on too late at night for me ?

But I still think Magnum got killed.

Also just to make while me having the post in this forum, are these things available on DVD or at least coming ?

I would like a DVD which featured

THE PILOT EPISODE
2 x BEST EPISODES
and THE FINAL TWO EPISODES

of all these programs

[SShaw]

Didnt magnum end when he found out that Higgens was Robin Masters (don't remember seeing any beyond that).

Scott

[Mark Orme]

I've seen a VHS tape with a TV movie of Airwolf on, and it had his brother (StJohn) flying Airwolf. Probably didn't link in with the series at all, but I'm sure that the actor was cheaper than Jan Michael Vincent.

[Woz]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle


Dick Grayson, the 1st Robin, did indeed become Nightwing.

Dick outgrew the Robin persona and left Batman's side. He joined the Titans ( or The Teen Titans or even The New Teen Titans ) which was a group of late teens early 20s super heroes much in the same style as the JLA ( or I suppose for Marvel fans The Avengers )

The Nightwing character has grown over many years. When Bruce Wayne was injured at the hands of Bane, the Batman role was passed to Jean Paul Valle ( think thats correct, cant be bothered to get up and go look ) who was at the time a confused guy with the assumed identity of Azrael.

This annoyed Dick Grayson a fair bit ( who assumed he would have the Batman role ) and the troubled times that Bruce and Dick had got no better. However the AzraelBatman was far from succesful and was very short on any form of mercy. Dick Grayson did then become Batman for a short while before Bruce Wayne returned to the role.

Dick / Nightwing operate out of a town just down river from Gotham City called Bludhaven. Here they have both had new adventures and had new characters introduced. Dick actually joined the Bludhaven Police department.

Dick Grayson has now resolved most of the personal issues he had with Bruce ( the Earthquake which destroyed Gotham City helped ) and also tutors Robin number three, Tim Drake.

Robin number Two in case you were wandering was beaten to death with a crowbar by THE JOKER



Ooh, that's odd. How does this all tie in with Millar's Dark Night Returns? Or did that not actually get properly integrated into the story arc of Batman?

[DuncanWardle]

Seeing as Dark Knight Returns is send at the very ( almost ) end of Batmans caeer then in can tie in as well as you want.

In case you are wandering this December sees the sequal to DKR hit comic shops

I never went alonng with Higgins being Robin Masters as this was kinda too obvious, I always wandered if Robin Masters may turn out to be a lady :D

So what happened at the end then ??

[hookbeak]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle

Robin number Two in case you were wandering was beaten to death with a crowbar by THE JOKER

I thought Jason Todd (Robin 2) got blown up by the Joker with a bomb (along with his long lost mother) - he did in the graphic novel of "A death in the family" anyway...

As for tying in with "Dark Knight Returns", there's not really anything to tie in - Jason (above) gets namechecked - i can't remember if Dick/Nightwing does though - although in Miller's story superheroes don't exist legally unless they are goverment sanctioned (ie Superman) - so if Nightwing IS still around then he's either a Government Operative or "underground"

[Deaks]

OK, done a bit of research on Magnum as I seem to remember him dying too though I only saw part of the episode. It would appear that the last episode of the seventh season had him in a coma after a shooting, during which time his spirit roamed the island and helped his ex-wife. There was an eighth and final season where Selleck replaced Bellasario (sp?) as producer so I'm assuming he recovered from the coma.

Also, there is an ongoing effort by fans to get a new series going, or a film so that would seem to indicate that Mangum survived.

Incidentally:

He was shot a total of nine times over the years:

season 1 = shot twice, the premiere and "Skin Deep"
season 2 = shot once, "Memories Are Forever"
season 3 = shot once, "Forty Years From Sand Island"
season 4 = shot once, "Luther Gillis: File #521"
season 5 = shot once, "Fragments"
season 6 = shot once, "Way of the Stalking Horse"
season 7 = shot twice, both in "Limbo"
season 8 = never was shot

Deaks.

[Deaks]

Originally posted by SShaw
Didnt magnum end when he found out that Higgens was Robin Masters (don't remember seeing any beyond that).

Scott

All the fan sites indicate that RM's indentity was never revealed.

Deaks.

[DuncanWardle]

I missed the thing about the bomb, sorry about that, but he was beaten with a crowbar first, which is nothing more than the sniffling little git deserved.

I saw part of the magnum epsiode when is the US ten years ago which I seem to remember was set in London. I only seem to think he was killed as I think it was on all the TV Guides over there at the time.

Also what about Knight Rider ? Seem to remember they both got killed / destroyed, was KITTS voice the same guy who played Higgns ?

[Squirtle]

Originally posted by Deaks
. It would appear that the last episode of the seventh season had him in a coma after a shooting, during which time his spirit roamed the island and helped his ex-wife.

Are you taking the ****??? :nuts:

[Deaks]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
Also what about Knight Rider ? Seem to remember they both got killed / destroyed, was KITTS voice the same guy who played Higgns ?

No way! Both survived to the end of the series, though Kitt had been dismantled and fitted in a pickup truck by the TV movie Knight Rider 2000.

As for the voice of Kitt, it wasn't Higgins actor John Hillerman it was William Daniels, these days head of the US Actors Union.

Deaks.

[Deaks]

Originally posted by Squirtle


Are you taking the ****??? :nuts:

No!

Deaks.

[DeadKenny]

Originally posted by Deaks
No way! Both survived to the end of the series, though Kitt had been dismantled and fitted in a pickup truck by the TV movie Knight Rider 2000.

As for the voice of Kitt, it wasn't Higgins actor John Hillerman it was William Daniels, these days head of the US Actors Union.

Deaks.

I think Devon gets killed in Knight Rider 2000. Wasn't there some sort of 'super-Kitt' replacement in it that was evil or something (or was that another episode?), or was it kitt that was rebuilt into a super-car? I think they returned him to normal at the end (kitt, not Devon ;)).

And then there was "Team Knight Rider"... the less said about that the better, but didn't feature Kitt or Michael Knight but a team of people with various talking cars. I caught a bit of it somewhere on Sky a while back, maybe Bravo, but it was complete pants.

IMDB lists Knight Rider 2010 also but never seen it. Again, doesn't feature any original cast.

[Ridcully]

Have been waiting for Knight Rider 2010 to come on telly but never seen it.:o

Well anything with Hudson Leick (Calisto from Xena) has to be looked at:clap: :D

[Mr P]

Go here to see what DVD / VHS are avaiable or coming.


http://www.universal-playback.com/

[Davester]

Enjoying this thread :)

Anyone want to explain the quantum leap ending in more detail - Please :)

[tpr007]

Originally posted by Ridcully
Have been waiting for Knight Rider 2010 to come on telly but never seen it.:o

Well anything with Hudson Leick (Calisto from Xena) has to be looked at:clap: :D
Knight Rider 2010 has nothing to do with Knight Rider, and is a terrible C movie with little to no redeeming features apart from being laughably pants!

Think it was on sky about 5 years ago!

[JohnMac]

http://www.episodeguides.com is worth a look.

[DuncanWardle]

thought Quantum leap ended when Sam met the reason he was leaping around ( this being GOD ) towards the end of QL I am sure that there was an anti-leaper ( a woman ) who was following Sam trying to make things go bad again and she was a tool of the devil.

Im not sure but I think this all started in the Halloween / Stephen King episode.

Anyway I think Sam was given the choice of carrying on with the leaping or going home, SAM NEVER RETURNED HOME :(

Great ending, great series, BUT WHAT ABOUT MAGNUM :D

[wide_inside]

ooh... Schoolboy error. You've all forgotten Manimal (the bloke who could turn into any animal he wanted, but always cose a panther, an eagle or a bear), and AutoMan (with the guy out of a computer programme, had a little thing called "cursor" that drew cars and helicopters for him to ride in, but they could only go in right angles due to the programming).
I'd given you guys more credit, but you haven't even got to StreetHawk yet!


wide;)

[CLH]

wide_inside, been waiting for someone to mention Manimal. I've tried for years to see if family, friends etc remeber it but no-one does!!

Streethawk was v.cool (not so cool now mind, the George Clooney ep was quite funny!).

As far as Magnum is concerned, he did go into a coma and wander round the island. It was a fairly surreal episode as far as I recall.

[Deaks]

I remember both Manimal and Automan, I think one of the sat channels may be showing Manimal at the moment? The best bit of Street Hawk though was in the pilot, where the lead character is gonna do the jump over some cars in a junkyard near the beginning. He goes up the ramp on a Harley, it changes to a trials bike for the jump, then back to a Harley again as he comes down the ramp the other side!

Some I'd love to see again, but hope they're as good as I remember:

Tales of the Gold Monkey
Black Sheep Squadren
The Gemini Man
Blue Thunder
Hooperman

And before ANY of these see the light of day, they're gonna release a box set of Cleopatra 2525 next year! Where's the sense in that?!

Deaks.

[Squirtle]

I think Street Hawk was axed for being too violent.

[DuncanWardle]

Manamal was memorable for me for the same reason you mentioned, that being he only ever changed into a bloomin panther :D

One program I did really enjoy but can not remember much about it now was one which used, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO as its theme tune. It had a male and female lead who were private detective type things. I believe the leading man was actually killed in an accident whilst making an episode. Any ideas what this was ?

Also what about great british TV programs ?

How did THE SWEENEY, THE PROFESSIONALS and MINDER eventually come to an end ?

Also does anybody remember the great PARADISE CLUB from BBC ONE a few years back, what a great program. Also what was the ITV LESLIE GRANTHAM program were he was some kinda rouge police agent or something, that was great !

And Finally...... and not related at all to this thread so far but what was / is the TV program from BBC TWO which is currently being used to advertise the TV Licence ? Its dead funny and would very much like to see them all on video

[Alanok]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
One program I did really enjoy but can not remember much about it now was one which used, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO as its theme tune. It had a male and female lead who were private detective type things. I believe the leading man was actually killed in an accident whilst making an episode. Any ideas what this was ?

I think I remember this. Wasn't the fella a photographer and the title of the program had something to do with photography? And yes I seem to remember the leading man was killed somewhat like what happened to Brandon Lee while filming The Crow.

I liked The Paradise Club too. Great set of characters especially Leslie Grantham's priest brother trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

Great thread this, had all but forgotten about Streethawk, Manimal and Automan. Didn't Automan's car used to be a Lamborghini Countach?

[Creamstick]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
One program I did really enjoy but can not remember much about it now was one which used, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO as its theme tune. It had a male and female lead who were private detective type things. I believe the leading man was actually killed in an accident whilst making an episode. Any ideas what this was ?

Cover Up?

Anyone remember 'Bring 'em Back Alive' and 'The Scarecrow and Mrs King' with Bruce Boxleitner?

Also - 'Hardcastle and McCormick' or 'The Master'?

[Creamstick]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
Also does anybody remember the great PARADISE CLUB from BBC ONE a few years back, what a great program. Also what was the ITV LESLIE GRANTHAM program were he was some kinda rouge police agent or something, that was great !

Didn't Bruce Dickinson play a cabaret singer at the club? Good show!

[DuncanWardle]

Originally posted by Alanok


I think I remember this. Wasn't the fella a photographer and the title of the program had something to do with photography? And yes I seem to remember the leading man was killed somewhat like what happened to Brandon Lee while filming The Crow.

I liked The Paradise Club too. Great set of characters especially Leslie Grantham's priest brother trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

Great thread this, had all but forgotten about Streethawk, Manimal and Automan. Didn't Automan's car used to be a Lamborghini Countach?

Yeah he was a photographer ( I think ) and now I think maybe the girl was a model ! but im not sure if it was called cover up or not.

Paradise Club is definatly something I would like to see again ( any vids available ? ) but would also like to see the other program Dirty Den was in

[tbibic]

Proves to be a difficult thing finding out exactly what happened at the end of Quantum Leap - but I know the ep is called Mirror Image and this is the transcript of the last few moments:

> From near ending part.....
>
> Sam-- Al's uncle.
>
> Bartender Al-- I always found coincidence amusing.
>
> Sam-- And you still want me to believe, that I'm leaping me.
>
> Bartender Al-- Sam, if you became a priest...
>
> Sam-- I been a priest.
>
> Bartender Al-- So you have. If the priesthood would have become your
> choosen life, even though the church might move you from parish to
> parish, don't you have to take Respoundiblty for the life you lead?
>
> Sam-- Yes, but even preists can quit.
>
> Bartender Al-- That's true. But they can also take sabbaticals,
> Especialally before embarking on a difficult new assignment.
>
> Sam-- you mean to tell me the leaps are gonna get tougher?
>
> Bartender Al-- where would you like to go sam?
>
> Sam-- Home..... (long rest) I'd like to go home. but I can't can I, I
> got a wrong to put right for Al, and you knew that didn't you?
>
> Bartender Al-- God bless Sam.
>
> SAM LEAPING
>
> Sam-- Beth
>
> Beth-- Who are you? How--How did you get in here?
>
> Sam-- I'm not gonna harm you, I'm here to help you. help you, and help
> Al.
>
> Beth-- Al? your a friend of Al's?
>
> Sam-- Yeah, I'm a friend of Al's. Do you think we could sit down?
>
> Sam-- I'm gonna tell you a story, a story with a happy ending. But only
> if you beleive me.
>
> Beth-- And if I don't?
>
> Sam-- You will. I swear you will.
>
> Sam-- But Instead of starting with once upond a time, let's start with a
> happy ending.
>
> Sam-- Al's alive, and he's comming home.
>
> Beth-- Oh...
>
> Picture of Al Leaps into Leaps into Black.
>
> In the followings screens it saids....
>
> Beth never Remarried.
>
> She and Al have four Daughers, and will celebrate their 39th wedding
> anniversary in June.
>
> Dr. Sam Becket Never Returned Home.
>
> The End

[Alanok]

Cover Up seems to ring a bell with me although abit unsure like yourself. I don't seem to remember a girl, can only remember the guy:eek: He was definitely a model photographer as you would get lengthy montages of bikini clad models posing in front of the lens. And the song was by Bonnie Tyler:nuts:

Creamstick, any chance you can jog my memory on 'The Scarecrow and Mrs King' and 'Hardcastle and McCormick'?

Also does anybody remember 'Chips' and 'TJ Hooker' starring William Shatner?

[CLH]

Hardcastle and McCormick had the theme tune "Drive" is about all I can remember.

Oh and let's throw Crazy Like a Fox into the equation.

(tbibic - OMG, poor Sam Becket)

[DuncanWardle]

Thats the Quantum Leap ending I remember, think there was even a tear in my eye :)

[saigon]

I seem to remember doing some research online about Manimal a few months ago and found out they only made something like 7 episodes of the thing...then stopped.

Airwolf didn't finished with the cello playing wife beater finding his long lost brother....The series continued with Dick Van Dyke's son in the lead role of Stringfellow's brother....as for what happened to Stringfellow himself, I have no idea.....I just know the series dropped him after the whole wife beating thing became public......the newer airwolfs (show recently on bravo) were not good

Knight Rider 2000 or whatever the movie was called did indeed see the death of devon....it also saw KITT mistaking Scotty from star Trek for someone ripping off an ATM machine (when KITT was in the truck) KITT was eventually put in the new "super Car" at the end fo the movie by Micheal....the new car wasn't exactly evil...it just wasn't very nice

Streekhawk - looked great when I were a lad....saw it recently and it did not look like the superbike I remember it being....It looked like a 50cc chicken chaser.....NASTY

Skipping on a little bit.....don't forget the classic Alien nation (currently showing in the afternoon on Sci Fi) but it was prime time viewing in the buffy slot when I first got sky

Legend of the Golden Monkey was great...don't remember it too well though...I know in the Pilot movie....he found a brass monkey (or some other semi-precious metal) and assumed that that was the golden monkey of legend.....the camera then cut to a load of monkeys inside a hut (in the shape of a monkeys head) made entirely of gold

[Deaks]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
One program I did really enjoy but can not remember much about it now was one which used, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO as its theme tune. It had a male and female lead who were private detective type things. I believe the leading man was actually killed in an accident whilst making an episode. Any ideas what this was ?

What I remember of the incident (I watched the show at the time) was that he (Jon-Erik Hexum) decided to play Russian Roulette with a prop gun filled with blanks. Only trouble was, the force of the blank going off sent a bone fragment through his brain!!

Deaks.

ps. This is backed-up by his entry on imdb

pps. Don't forget that www.imdb.com also has great details on tv series.

[Creamstick]

Hardcastle & McCormick (http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/coyote/)

Scarecrow and Mrs. King (http://comp.uark.edu/~tsnyder/SAMK.html)

Cover Up (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0086690)

Bring 'em Back Alive (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0083391)

My favourite : Banacek (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0068044)

[J.O.N]

What actually happened was during a break in filming Jon-Erik was playing around with a gun that was filled with blanks. He held it to his head and said to someone as a joke "I wonder what it'll be like to kill yourself like this". He pulled the trigger, not realising that at point blank range it will have the same effect as a real bullet. A terrible, horrific accident.

He played a male model in the show that helped out the female character (who was a journalist). I also seem to remember that while it was Holding for a Hero as the theme tune it wasn't Bonnie Tyler singing it (that got released a year after the accident).

They tried to keep the show going by having another actor play a similiar character, but the second actor was absolute rubbish and of course the show got cancelled.

I remember all this very clearly since it absolutely traumatised me as a kid. I loved the show, and Jon-Erik Huxem was my hero - totally what I wanted to be when I grew up. When the accident happened I cried for days and days....

J.O.N.

[Mr Flibble]

I used to watch Alien Nation all the time too - a great series (I've never seen the film though)

What about 'The Fall Guy' - another show I always watched.

[Alanok]

Originally posted by Mr Flibble
What about 'The Fall Guy' - another show I always watched.

Ahhhh Lee Majors.

Also what about Dukes of Hazard.

So thats what happened to the guy in Cover Up. I remember now because I remember watching Lethal Weapon when Mel Gibson puts a gun to his head and I always associated that scene with Cover Up. The memories keep flooding back...keep em coming people.

[tbibic]

What about the Ulysees 3000 cartoon? Did they ever get home?

Did they ever find the Lost Cities of Gold?

AND

Did the Sliders ever make it home???

[wide_inside]

Of course ulysees made it home, it was all taken from watsisface, the Illead, or the Odysee, one of them. Get home, string your bow, and shoot through the head of ten axes of something. Then you can shag your missus again. Paraphrased and summarised slightly, but basically that's your puppy.

wide

[Boink!]

Originally posted by saigon
Legend of the Golden Monkey was great...don't remember it too well though...I know in the Pilot movie....he found a brass monkey (or some other semi-precious metal) and assumed that that was the golden monkey of legend.....the camera then cut to a load of monkeys inside a hut (in the shape of a monkeys head) made entirely of gold

Wasn't this the "Indiana Jones" type series. IIRC it had a charismatic lead [& don't all US series?] who had a Jack Russell Terrier as a pet. He would [the bloke not the pooch] get into card games and put the dog's jewelled false eye in as a bet. The dog would go round with an eye-patch until he got it back.
I'd forgotten this series and how "good" it was.

Ah, the mammeries.... ;)

Boink!

[Roberto]

Originally posted by tbibic
What about the Ulysees 3000 cartoon? Did they ever get home? Yes

Did they ever find the Lost Cities of Gold? Yes, about 2 episodes before the end, one major charater died and the three kids continued there search of the other 7 cities - sequal in the making

Did the Sliders ever make it home??? Don't know, lost interest after the third season - i think there still making it actually

[DuncanWardle]

So jow did Magnum end ? :D

[wide_inside]

I'm sure that guy had better hair when Bruce Wayne was paying for him to go to tony&guy's.

wide

[Ridcully]

Paradise Club.

Two series that I know of. Have the first on video but didn't like the second and stopped watching it. Second series had Leslie Grantham trying to be all goodie goodie against the odds type thing which was nowhere near as good as the original series with bad Leslie and good Don Henderson.

I do remeber the two poice women. First was Kitty Aldridge who went on to do 'Slipstream' with Mark Hamil. Looks like that one killed both their careers. The other was Caroline Bliss, who I thought was seriously hot at the time. LAst I saw of her was playing Miss Moneypenny in the Timothy Dalton Bonds

Sliders

Don't know about the end but they did make it home at the start of S2 but didn't realise it and kept going

Eagerly awating the release of Robin of Sherwood so I can watch all the episodes I missed.

[wide_inside]

But only the ones with the original fella in, when Jason Connery took over it all went a bit pants. And what was the deal with bloke who had his head stuck up a dear?

wide

[tbibic]

Aha - found the Magnum Ending:

Thomas is staying at his mother's in Tidewater while he attends an Annapolis reunion. While there, he meets his grandfather Thomas Sullivan Magnum II. They arrange to meet for dinner and to talk, but his grandfather leaves town. Thomas attends the reunion and meets one classmate who quit the navy and another who stayed in. The career officer offers to get him reinstated if he wants. Thomas refuses. Higgins contacts him to inform him that Linda Lee Ellison has been injured. Thomas returns to Hawaii where Rick is preparing for his wedding to Cleo. Thomas begins seeing Linda again. He asks Lieutenant Commander Poole if Lily survived the car bomb that killed Michelle. She confirms that Lily died. Thomas continues surveillance on Linda to find her stalker. He finds one, but not the right one. He resigns from the estate and asks Higgins if he is Robin Masters. Higgins says he is, but refuses to explain further. Thomas' grandfather arrives at the estate, trying to make up for their missed meeting. Lt. Cdr. Poole calls to meet Thomas. She reveals that Lily escaped the explosion and apologizes for lying to him. Thomas returns to the estate to introduce her to his grandfather, but he has left again. Thomas leaves the estate to run an errand before the wedding and is confronted by Linda's stalker. At the wedding, Thomas appears in his dress white naval uniform. He has rejoined the navy. Higgins whispers that he really is not Robin. Rick has trouble saying "I do."

[DuncanWardle]

And theres me thinking he got shot by a sniper whilst visiting London :)

I think my ending would have been better

[tpr007]

arise from the grave (- an interesting thread indeed :D)

[Ravenger]

What about Sledge Hammer? The Psycho Dirty Harry spoof who went to bed with his gun, wearing sunglasses. :lol:

Only caught a couple of episodes, one of which I believe was the last one, where he defeats some terrorists, and finds they've primed their stolen atom bomb to explode.

Police Chief: "Hammer you can't defuse an atom bomb by unscrewing the top!"

Hammer: "Trust me. I know what I'm doing"

*** BOOM ***

Long shot of a destroyed city. A lone voice wails in the distance... "Hammerrrrrrrrrrr!!!"

:lol: :D

[*Tiffany*]

Okay... I just went through the whole thread (excellent BTW), and two other people mentioned the conclusion for Sliders, but no one knows :(

Anyone know how it ended?

[punking]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle

Also what about great british TV programs ?

How did THE SWEENEY, THE PROFESSIONALS and MINDER eventually come to an end ?


The Sweeney last episode is called Jack or Knave and finishes with Reagan and George are on their way to the Old Bailey as Reagan is collecting a judy's commendation. They are called back to the yard where he is charged with "that in 1968 he attempted to pervert the course of justice and accepted bribes". He is placed in a cell. The desk sergeant tells George that around that time Jack was friendly with a typist from CID, one Gloria Bartley. George visits her and asks her to write a statement of what happened that particular night eight years earlier. Jack is released on bail and later told he is to be reinstated but after the way he's been treated he says he's had enough and is resigning. He throws in his warrent card and leaves.

As far as I know The Professionals last episode didn't tie anything up or play like a final episode.

[punking]

Originally posted by Dr_Fruitbat
Miami Vice - last episode was freefall (number 111)

For the final show-down, Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs head to a mythical Latin American country called Costa Morada. Their objective is to bring back General Manuel Borbon, a brutal dictator who they hope will testify against major members of South America’s most powerful drug cartel. While they are in Costa Morada, a revolution breaks out, which nearly topless the much-hated Borbon. In order to smuggle Borbon out of the country, Crockett and Tubbs must dodge both the revolutionaries and the drug lords who want to keep him in power so they can continue to use Costa Morada as a main artery for their cocaine-selling empire. When the two detectives return to Miami, they realize that they have been betrayed and together they make a last stand.

Then they quit, and Crockett has to give up all his flash clothes and his boat (with Elvis). Tubbs loses all his expensive clothes and apartment because they didn't own them, County Dade Law Enforcement did. The episode finishes with Crockett and Tubbs stood around the Ferrari. Tubbs wonders why he still has it and Crockett reveals that he stole it. They climb in and drive off. Crockett asks Tubbs
'Have you ever considered a career in southern law enforcement?' Tubbs laughs. (This is a line that ends the pilot episode).

This episode had Ian McShane playing a Columbian whose name sounds like General Bourbon. Every time I see the bisuits with that name I think of him.

I heard a rumour that there was a spin off pilot with Crockett but I've never seen it.

[punking]

Originally posted by DuncanWardle
I was always under the impression that Crocket turned bad at the end ?

During the final series which had some really lame episodes. Crockett was 'undercover' on a boat when it was blown up. He was hit on the noggin and when he came around he believed he was his undercover alias. He became part of a cartel. Eventually Tubbs managed to bring him back, and Crockett faced charges for his actions. This story arc ran for a number of episodes and I though these were some of the best episodes in the whole series. In fact I think Miami Vice started to get better again towards the end.

Col.

[evilsly]

now whole season box sets of miami vice would be very nice indeed.

[punking]

Originally posted by evilsly
now whole season box sets of miami vice would be very nice indeed.

I saw some news about this the other day. The TVonDVD website reported that Universal were having a meeting regarding Miami Vice last week. They are considering season boxset releases, but the biggest obstacle is the large amount of varied music used throughout the series. It costs a lot to licence.

Col.

[Kryten]

Originally posted by *Tiffany*
Okay... I just went through the whole thread (excellent BTW), and two other people mentioned the conclusion for Sliders, but no one knows :(

Anyone know how it ended?
Not really sure. According to TV Tome (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-438/epid-29853/) it didn't seem to have a conclusive ending as such. Not sure if that site was mentioned earlier in the thread, not read it all yet.

[*Tiffany*]

Originally posted by Kryten
Not really sure. According to TV Tome (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-438/epid-29853/) it didn't seem to have a conclusive ending as such. Not sure if that site was mentioned earlier in the thread, not read it all yet.
Thank you Kryten!

They list the final quote from the final episode and it answers the question (kinda/sorta) :D

[Davester]

thank you for te QL transcript. Lovely ending IMO

[John Crichton]

What about series like "Spenser for Hire" and "Misfits of Science". I always loved Spenser for Hire - it was one of the few TV-series with really good characters (compared to other detective/cop-shows of the time). Misfits of Science was also definitely great, although AFAIK they canceled it after one season.

[andrewcalderuk]

Anybody remember "Simon and Simon"?

I think it was produced by the people who did "Magnum" cos they turned up in one of the episodes.

[kingmob]

What about "Hunter"? I do recall being in love with his sidekick for a while :norty:

[AndyIngram]

I seem to remember crazy like a fox was quite good.

What about monkey. I remember they swapped pigsy and the new guy was no where near as good. Anyone know why pigsy was changed?


Tripitakaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[Willow]

Someone mentioned 'The Master' earlier in the thread (fantastic reading, by the way :thumbs: ) This rings a lot of bells. Was this the show with Lee Van Cleef and a sidekick doing whatever they were doing, ninja style? Vague memories of enjoying that series.

And one of my faves ... Alien Nation. Got them all on tape, eagerly awaiting a DVD release. That series never ended as such. They began the first TV movie where the series left off (with a couple of minor changes)

And I would *so* buy Miami Vice on DVD :thumbs:

[John Crichton]

Originally posted by Willow
And I would *so* buy Miami Vice on DVD :thumbs:

Alas, no Miami Vice DVD's because Universal seem to have some problems with royalties and the copyrights for all the songs used in the series.

[EgonSpengler]

I heard a rumour that there was a spin off pilot with Crockett but I've never seen it. [/B]

I'm a bit young for Miami Vice, but was Crockett played by Don Johnson? If so, the 'spin off' might be Nash Bridges, which is like Miami Vice but set in San Franscisco. In fact, it's on ITV tonite i think. Great no-brainer TV :D

[pebbleinapond]

Originally posted by EgonSpengler
I'm a bit young for Miami Vice, but was Crockett played by Don Johnson? If so, the 'spin off' might be Nash Bridges, which is like Miami Vice but set in San Franscisco. In fact, it's on ITV tonite i think. Great no-brainer TV :D

I like Nash Bridges aswell.

Its worth watching just for Cheech Marin :notworthy :notworthy

[Willow]

Nash Bridges is fantastic! I have the first series on tape but they stopped it for a long time then restarted without any warning. I've missed a load.

[pebbleinapond]

Looked on Digi Guide and tonites ep of Nash Bridges is Episode 12 of Season 4. Any one know how many seasons of Nash Bridges there are and has it finished now or are they still making them.

[EgonSpengler]

i think there are about 6 series' of it. I'd love to see it from the beginning, i've been watching it on and off [as ITV likes to show it that way] for about 3 years now. Cheech is indeed a god, he's in that new film with Bob Dylan, which looks like it could be so bad it's good. And Nash himself is a dude, 'bubba' has become a petname for my girlfriend. :nuts: poor girl.

[punking]

Nash Bridges did run for six seasons. It finished in May 2001, and although 'technically' it wasn't a spin off from Miami Vice, it did have Phillip Michael Thomas (Tubbs in Miami Vice) in a couple of episodes. These episodes had a lot of Miami Vice references and clips of the old music.

Col.

[anield]

Does anyone know of any TV series which went for a "gag" ending? Of course, we've just had 'Crossroads' being all a dream for Jane Asher; but are there any others? I've a feeling that 'LA Law' did, though I can't be 100%