The Fall Guy
| The Fall Guy | |
|---|---|
The Fall Guy opening title
| |
| Genre | Action/adventure |
| Created by | Glen A. Larson |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Gail Jensen Glen A. Larson David Somerville |
| Opening theme | "Unknown Stuntman" performed by Lee Majors |
| Composers |
Stu Phillips Ron Ramin Frank DeVol Tom Worrall Morton Stevens Dennis McCarthy Ken Heller (uncredited) William Broughton (uncredited) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 113 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Glen A. Larson |
| Producers | Robert Janes Larry Brody Paul Mason Lee Majors |
| Cinematography | Ben Colman Michael Hofstein |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 4, 1981 – May 2, 1986 |
The Fall Guy is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.
Plot
Lee Majors plays Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training, Howie Munson (Barr), who studied in Nashville—whom Colt frequently calls "Kid", and occasionally by fellow stuntwoman, Jody Banks (Thomas).
Cast
- Lee Majors as Colt Seavers
- Douglas Barr as Howie "Kid" Munson
- Heather Thomas as Jody Banks
- Jo Ann Pflug as Samantha "Big Jack" Jack (1981–82)
- Markie Post as Terri Shannon / Michaels (1982–1985)
Production
Seavers's truck was a Rounded-Line 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside with the Sierra Grande equipment package. A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used. During the show's initial series, the stunts took their toll on the modified production trucks, supplied at low cost to the production by General Motors, so several different years, makes (Chevy/GMC), and models were used during the show's initial run. As a result, some inconsistencies appear in the episodes.
From the second season, General Motors supplied three specially adapted trucks for the stunt sequences, with the engine moved to a mid-chassis position immediately under the cab seat. This meant that these trucks flew further and pitched less in the air, allowing them to be reused for multiple takes and shows.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 23 | November 4, 1981 | May 5, 1982 | |
| 2 | 23 | October 27, 1982 | May 4, 1983 | |
| 3 | 22 | September 21, 1983 | May 2, 1984 | |
| 4 | 23 | September 19, 1984 | April 10, 1985 | |
| 5 | 22 | September 26, 1985 | May 2, 1986 | |
Home media
On June 5, 2007, 20th Century Fox released the first season of The Fall Guy on DVD in Region 1. As with a number of other TV shows of the era released on DVD, the six-disc set contains extensive music substitutions due to copyright reasons (as well as completely editing out the sequences with actor/singer Paul Williams, in the pilot). Due to poor sales, whether the remaining seasons will be released is unknown.
Season one was released on DVD in Region 2 in Germany and the UK. Season two has also been released in Region 2, in Germany on November 28, 2008, and in the UK on February 16, 2009.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 (UK) | Region 2 (Germany) | ||
| The Complete First Season | 23 | June 5, 2007 | June 25, 2007 | January 14, 2008 |
| The Complete Second Season | 23 | N/A | February 16, 2009 | November 28, 2008 |
Reception
These are the Nielsen ratings.
| Season | Rank | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1) 1981–1982 | #27 | 19.0 |
| 2) 1982–1983 | #14 | 19.4 |
| 3) 1983–1984 | #16 | 19.9 |
| 4) 1984–1985 | #22 | 17.1 |
| 5) 1985–1986 | #80 | 7.8 |
Adaptations
A board game adaptation based on the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company in 1981. A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for Look-In magazine. A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984.
Film
In July 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that a film based on the series was in development. DreamWorks had teamed up with producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald on the project, and Martin Campbell was in talks to direct the film. DreamWorks, through Disney's Touchstone Pictures distribution label, was to release the film in North America, Latin America, Russia, Australia, and Asia, while Mister Smith Entertainment would have handled sales in the remaining territories. In September 2013, Dwayne Johnson was in negotiations to play the title role and McG was in talks to direct.
In September 2020, Universal Pictures planned a different film loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch. In August 2022, Emily Blunt was cast. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on May 3, 2024.