The Fall Guy

Created by Glen A. Larson, master of action shows including Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica, and B.J. And The Bear, The Fall Guy was the story of a Hollywood stuntman who moonlighted as a bounty hunter. The show lasted for five seasons (1981 to 1986) and could be viewed on ABC network affiliates.

Lee Majors played the title role as stuntman Colt Seavers. Seavers was ably assisted by two fellow stunt-persons cum bounty hunters named Howie Munson (Douglas Barr) and Jody Banks (Heather Thomas). Oh the adolescent fantasies conjured by Thomas' character, who provided plenty of cheesecake to add another element of pure visceral enjoyment to the show. Seavers would receive his assignments from a bail-bondswoman named Terri Shannon, played by Markie Post of Night Court fame.

This formulation was almost genius in it's ability to combine action elements. Each episode would start with some flashy stunt, attributed to the main character's day job, and then quickly proceed to the crime drama of bounty hunting. The lucky viewer hence had access to lots of gratuitous action, as well as typically brawling fight scenes later in the show. The stuntman gimmick also created an opportunity for guest spots, which were filled by an inredible variety of stars, including Richard Burton, Buddy Hackett, and Elvira. In addition, the producers would often work in musical acts like The Temptations, Charlie Daniels, and Sha Na Na. Thomas, and to some extent Post, could always be counted on to appear in a bikini, and some female guest character always seemed to hold romantic potential for Seavers during the course of the episode.

This was mid-80's bubblegum fare. Not particularly intelligent, but refreshingly free of aspirations to art, The Fall Guy was a solid hour of entertainment acessible to a wide audience.