Wiseguy

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Wiseguy
Wiseguy title screen.jpg
Wiseguy title, season one
Genre Crime drama
Created by Stephen J. Cannell
Frank Lupo
Starring Ken Wahl
Steven Bauer
Jonathan Banks
Jim Byrnes
Composer(s) Mike Post
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 75
Production
Executive producer(s) David J. Burke
Producer(s) Stephen J. Cannell
Brent-Karl Clackson
Rod Holcomb
Alfonse Ruggiero
Running time 60 mins. (approx)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Original run September 16, 1987 – December 8, 1990

Wiseguy is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987 to December 8, 1990 for a total of four seasons. Starring Ken Wahl, the series was produced by Stephen J. Cannell and was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia to avoid the higher studio costs associated with filming in Los Angeles. Steven Bauer assumed the series lead during the fourth and final season when Wahl's character disappeared.

The show placed #74 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list.[1]

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The series followed Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova, an undercover agent of the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a fictional division of the FBI. The show differed from previous crime dramas in its use of story arcs and in its focus on both the mechanics of being undercover and the consequences of the protagonist's actions.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Vincent Terranova

Vincent Michael "Vinnie" Terranova (Ken Wahl) is an undercover agent who is 30 years old when the series begins. His job is to infiltrate criminal organizations, gather evidence, and then destroy the organization and bring the guilty parties to justice. At the beginning of the show, he is estranged from his family because of an eighteen-month prison sentence (meant to establish his "wiseguy" credentials with the criminal underworld) and continued ties to criminals. His Italian-born mother, Carlotta (Elsa Raven) calls him "Vincenzo" but his legal name is Vincent. Vinnie was often seen wearing Fordham University sweatshirts and hats so by inference he is a Fordham graduate.
Note: there was a real-life wise guy named Vincenzo Terranova, often anglicized as "Vincent", brother of Ciro Terranova and fellow leader of the Morello crime family; he was killed in 1922.

[edit] Frank McPike

Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks) is Vinnie's superior officer, who assigns Vinnie to cases, supplies him with important information and coordinates back-up support. Since McPike is a known law enforcement official and Vinnie is deep undercover, McPike will often have Vinnie arrested on a trumped-up charge so that he can talk to Vinnie without revealing his identity. Like many characters in law-enforcement dramas, Frank has a troubled marriage. He separates from his wife after diverting some money recovered from a gangster to pay for a liver transplant for her. Later, she is taken hostage in their home, and Frank personally shoots the criminal to free her. At the end, they are still not reconciled.

[edit] Daniel "Lifeguard" Burroughs

Lifeguard (Jim Byrnes), whom Vinnie communicates with almost exclusively by telephone, is Vinnie's other contact person. Vinnie (ideally) calls him every morning with the latest updates on the case, and Lifeguard provides him with quick updates. He also, under the name of Mike Terranova, provides Vinnie with an emergency contact number (555-4958, a play on Vince's agent number), without revealing Vinnie's true identity. (The cover location is "Sailor Hardware"; the codephrase "Uncle Mike" indicates an emergency request for assistance). Like McPike, Daniel is divorced as a result of his work. His ex-wife stays in close contact, apparently because Daniel has resources she wants. Daniel endures this with resentment. Eventually he forms a relationship with OCB's west coast Lifeguard operator when Vinnie's investigations take him to Washington State.

[edit] Recurring characters

[edit] Storylines

[edit] Sonny Steelgrave storyline

Vinnie was launched into the first arc upon his release from prison. Sonny Steelgrave (Ray Sharkey) was the leader of the Atlantic City Mafia; his brother Dave assassinated Vinnie's training agent, who had been investigating the Steelgrave organization. Vinnie infiltrated Steelgrave's "family," and worked his way up to be Sonny Steelgrave's right-hand man after Dave Steelgrave's death and the apparent defection of one of Steelgrave's captains. When Vinnie finally tried to bring him to justice, Steelgrave committed suicide rather than face the death penalty. Vinnie was ultimately able to exorcize the guilt he felt over his betrayal of Sonny during a brief stay at a sanitarium.

# Episode Season
1 Pilot (1) 1
2 Pilot (2) 1
3 New Blood 1
4 The Loose Cannon 1
5 The Birthday Surprise 1
6 One on One 1
7 Prodigal Son 1
8 A Deal's a Deal 1
9 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1
10 No One Gets Out of Here Alive 1

Arc Cast

Arc Guest Stars

[edit] Mel Profitt storyline

Vinnie, using his reputation developed as a result of infiltrating the Steelgrave crime family, made contact with a hitman/assassin named Roger Loccoco (William Russ). However, Vinnie soon discovered a much bigger target: Roger's boss, the (mentally unstable) multi-billionaire international criminal mastermind and arms dealer Mel Profitt (Kevin Spacey), and his sister Susan (Joan Severance). Mel had an addiction to prescription medication (often administered to him by Susan) which further contributed to his unstable emotional state. He was also a believer in Malthusian economics. After much international intrigue involving Mel, Susan and Loccoco (who turned out to be a CIA agent, under even deeper cover than Vinnie), the entire organization was destroyed. Susan killed Mel (after he begged her to), and had a torrid affair with Vinnie, but subsequently went insane and was committed. The arc alluded to an incestuous relationship between Mel and Susan. Roger was seemingly killed in an explosion, but he briefly appeared to Vinnie afterwards. Disgusted with his own lies and deceptions ("I've turned friendship and loyalty into a sick joke"), Vinnie attempted to quit the OCB, but McPike talked him into taking a six-month sabbatical instead.

Stephen J. Cannell, producer of Wiseguy, stated that the character Jim Profit from the short-lived Fox series Profit (which Cannell also produced) was named after and partially based on the Mel Profitt character.

Note- In 1997 TV Guide ranked the episode Blood Dance number 14 on its '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.[2]

# Episode Season
11 Last Rites For Lucci 1
12 Independent Operator 1
13 Fascination for the Flame 1
14 Smokey Mountain Requiem 1
15 Player to be Named Now 1
16 The Merchant of Death 1
17 Not For Nothing 1
18 Squeeze 1
19 Blood Dance 1
20 Phantom Pain 1
21 Dirty Little Wars 1
22 Date With an Angel 1

Arc Cast

[edit] White Supremacy storyline

At the beginning of the second season, Vinnie had no intention of rejoining the OCB, and was trying figure out what to do with his life. When his brother Pete (Gerald Anthony) is killed by a white supremacist, however, Vinnie returned to the OCB, on the condition that he could go after his brother's killer. He quickly fell in with a supremacist group, headed by the opportunistic used car salesman and con man "Dr." Knox Pooley (Fred Thompson), and his "true believer" follower Calvin Hollis (Paul Guilfoyle). While Pooley's organization, the "Pilgrims of Promise," is both racist and anti-Semitic, the character himself is portrayed as hypocritical and amoral. Vinnie quickly brought down the organization, but the slippery Pooley escaped prosecution and was last seen in Florida, selling condominium timeshares to Jewish retirees. The story suggested Pooley was nothing but a swindler and Hollis the dangerous one.

# Episode Season
23 Going Home 2
24 School of Hard Knox 2
25 Revenge of the Mud People 2
26 Last of the True Believers 2

Arc Cast

[edit] Garment Trade storyline

David Sternberg (Ron Silver) and his father Eli (Jerry Lewis) ran a clothing business, and were being squeezed by the fearsome gangster Rick Pinzolo (Stanley Tucci). David goes to the OCB for help, thus Vinnie is recruited to act as security for the Sternbergs. After a small-time loanshark attacked and injured Vinnie, he was temporarily replaced by retired agent John Henry Raglin (Anthony Denison). (Note: in reality, star Ken Wahl had broken his ankle in an on-set accident, and was written out while he recovered.) Raglin brought down (and killed) Pinzolo, but not in time to save Eli's business or David's life. Joan Chen appeared in one episode of this arc, as a rebellious Chinese sweatshop worker with whom the married Raglin briefly has an affair. After Raglin breaks Pinzolo's jaw, the character has his jaw wired shut, requiring Tucci to talk through clenched teeth afterward.

# Episode Season
28 7th Avenue Freeze Out 2
29 Next of Kin 2
30 All or Nothing 2
31 Where's the Money 2
32 Postcard From Morocco 2

Arc Cast

[edit] Dead Dog Records storyline

Upon his recovery, Vinnie's next assignment took him into the music business, where he dealt with music impresario Isaac Twine (Paul Winfield) and his wife Amber (Patti D'Arbanville). He was set up as a new executive in a front company, "Dead Dog Records", which was originally created by the Drug Enforcement Agency, who offered it to the OCB when their investigation ended. Vinnie then attempted to infiltrate the music industry in search of corruption. The principal villain of this arc is English record mogul Winston Newquay (pronounced Noo-kway in the show, rather than Nyoo-key in the English fashion). Newquay, played by Tim Curry, ruthlessly cheats the artists under his control, funneling their money into his own companies while hiding his activities with accounting tricks.

Debbie Harry, Deidre Hall and Glenn Frey also appear during this story arc. In 1993, Chicago rock band The Lilacs put out a record called Penelope on a label called Dead Dog Records in homage to the show.

# Episode Season
35 Dead Dog Lives 2
36 And it Comes Out Here 2
37 The Rip-Off Stick 2
38 High Dollar Bop 2
39 Hip Hop on the Gravy Train 2
40 The One that Got Away 2
41 Living and Dying in 4/4 Time 2

Arc Cast

[edit] Mafia Wars storyline

At the beginning of the third season, Vinnie had not been assigned any recent cases, but, in usual Wiseguy fashion, a case found him. Vinnie's stepfather, Don Rudy Aiuppo (George O. Petrie) was shot and wounded, leaving Vinnie the temporary head of the local Mafia commission. Vinnie investigated the other members, including Albert Cericco (Robert Davi). Eventually, Vinnie brought down most of the commission, only to find Aiuppo had been manipulating him to exact revenge on some rivals. An enraged Vinnie angrily told Aiuppo that, stepfather or not, he wanted nothing more to do with him. Aiuppo in turn tried to drive a wedge between Vinnie and his mother by implying that he had learned of Vinnie's undercover role from her. In reality, he had bugged a payphone outside his hospital room, thinking that the various Mafiosi visiting him would be using it just after taking their leave. Vinnie had used it to contact Uncle Mike.

# Episode Season
43 The Four-Letter Word (1) 2
44 Le Lacrime de Amore (2) 2
45 A Rightful Place 3
46 Battle of the Barge 3
47 Sins of the Father 3
48 Heir to the Throne 3

Arc Cast

[edit] Washington, D.C. storyline

Vinnie was summoned to the Justice Department and put in charge of an investigation of Japanese Yen counterfeiting, unaware that the whole thing was a setup by certain unscrupulous government figures who sought payback for damaging fallout from the Mel Profitt case. Based on the real-life Operation Bernhard, the conspirators aim to undermine the Japanese economy by printing large amounts of counterfeit Yen, smuggling them into Japan on cargo aircraft, and then announcing it all in order to devalue the currency. After the revelation, a convenient scapegoat is supposed to take the blame, in this case, Vinnie. When the plan is foiled en route, Vinnie nevertheless becomes the focus of an investigation, and is only saved when a third party "connects the dots" for the investigating committee.

# Episode Season
53 Day One 3
54 Day Four 3
55 Day Seven 3
56 Day Nine 3

Arc Cast

[edit] Lynchboro/Seattle storyline

Vinnie was made a deputy of a small town in Washington State, where local strongman Mark Volchek (Steve Ryan) was essentially treating the town like his own personal dictatorship. The arc took an unexpected turn when recent murders were determined to be the work of a serial killer based on the then real life unsolved Green River Killer cases. As a large federal task force was on its way to Lynchboro, Volchek, fearful of the disruption and attention, was determined to identify the killer through his knowledge of the town and residents. Through a rapid process of elimination based on the existing profile, Volcheck was able to narrow the suspects and flush out the killer. Vinnie had been set on adding Volchek to his list of victories when he witnessed the electrocution suicide of the killer which brought back flashbacks of Sonny Steelgrave. Unable to cope with the memories, Vinnie fled, but not before contacting Roger Lococco (William Russ), who took his place, and working with McPike, brought Volchek to his senses and freed the town. (This story-arc was, in mood and setting, eerily prescient of the early episodes of the show "Twin Peaks," which debuted a few weeks after the sequence was aired.)

After the Volchek investigation had ended McPike went looking for Vinnie, who had taken a job with a Seattle company that was illegally dumping medical waste. Embroiled in the company manager's desperate attempts at covering up, Vinnie fled in repulsion from hired assassins as well as from his own burgeoning violent impulse, to find respite in a city church. Just as McPike found him in hiding there, a would-be assassin's bullet missed Vinnie and critically wounded McPike, propelling Vinnie on a final pursuit of justice.

# Episode Season
60 A One Horse Town 3
61 His Master's Voice 3
62 Hello Buckwheat 3
63 Let Them Eat Cake 3
64 Meltdown 3

Arc Cast

[edit] Guzman/New York DA storyline

When the fourth season started, McPike had (apparently) fully recovered from his gunshot wound—so much so that while he sat shirtless in one scene, the absence of scar tissue on his chest was evident. Vinnie had been investigating the Miami Mafia, and suddenly went missing. His apartment was empty, but showed signs of a struggle. McPike went down to Miami, hooked up with disbarred U.S. Attorney Michael Santana (Steven Bauer, the new series lead replacing Wahl), and soon discovered that Vinnie had been murdered by a death squad. (In real life, there had been a major dispute between star Ken Wahl and the producers, and he was no longer with the show.) Soon, McPike and Santana were infiltrating the organization of Cuban-American crime lord Armando Guzman (Maximilian Schell), and with the help of U.S. Attorney Hillary Stein (Cecil Hoffman), destroyed his organization as well.

With the Guzman investigation closed, McPike convinced Santana to become an official OCB agent, but just as he was entering the job, the entire OCB organization was eliminated due to federal budget cuts. McPike, Santana and Lifeguard were immediately hired by the New York District Attorney's office, and began to investigate the New York drug underworld, as well as its death grip on a particular inner city high school run by the hardline and humanitarian educator Jesse Hains (Billy Dee Williams). However, their investigation was cut short by Wiseguy's declining ratings and cancellation by CBS.

# Episode Season
67 Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (1) 4
68 Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (2) 4
69 Black Gold 4
70 The Gift 4
71 La Mina 4
72 Witness Protection for the Archangel Lucifer 4

Arc Cast

[edit] Non-arc episodes

There were also several stand-alone episodes between the arcs, most of which dealt with the personal lives of the main characters. For instance, after the "Dead Dog Records" arc, Vinnie has a liaison with Amber Twine, who was widowed when her husband suffered a heart attack during the main story. He attempts to live in her world of late nights with musicians but finds he has no interest in it, and she has no interest in his world. This sequence featured a cameo by blues harp player Kim Wilson and his band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Other episodes recount:

-Vinnie's time in a mental hospital (having gone in for general treatment) - he is set up by Daryl Elias, who can work computers and has a score to settle. Sonny Steelgrave is brought back via Vinnie's memory and Vinnie resolves his guilt issues.

-Mama Terranova falls for Rudy Aiuppo, her old flame who she gave up when he turned to a life of crime. Aiuppo switches places with his recently reconciled (and dead-ringer) brother who heads back to Italy, while Aiupo fades back into the old neighborhood and marries Mama Terranova.

-Vinnie discovers his late father's old diary and sees his very honest father faced the same temptations from criminals that Vinnie faces.

-Steelgrave's cohort (and accountant for Pat Patrice) Sid Royce is arrested, but discovers Terranova is a federal agent. Royce is given immunity, turns states evidence, and he and his wife enter witness relocation... where the Harvard educated, sophisticated Royce becomes a Foot Locker-type shoe salesman named "Elvis Prim" in Bettendorf, Iowa, far from the bright lights of New York. His wife leaves him for a cowboy. Royce goes off the grid and tracks down McPike just as McPike and his separated wife are on the verge of reconciliation. McPike ends up killing Royce in a hostage situation.

[edit] TV movie

In 1996, a reunion Wiseguy movie starring Ken Wahl aired on ABC. In the movie, Vinnie (who was still alive; as far as this movie was concerned, the fourth season had never happened) had spent several years on wiretapping duty, as punishment for being Aiuppo's dupe during Season 3's Mafia angle, and (presumably) abandoning his duty during the Volchek investigation. Vinnie is ordered to infiltrate the organization of criminal boss Paul Callendar (Ted Levine). The movie had many of the same themes as the TV show, including Vinnie's constant conflict in betraying the people he had grown to care about. While the movie was a critical success, its mediocre ratings (it aired against NBC megahits Friends and Seinfeld) and Ken Wahl's recurrent back and neck problems seem to preclude another Wiseguy revival. The movie was rerun on Sleuth in 2008.

On October 25, 2011, NBC announced a pilot commitment for a updated series written by Alex Cary.

[edit] Awards

Year Award Category Recipient
1989 Casting Society of America Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Episodic Vicki Huff
1990 Edgar Award Best Television Episode David J. Burke and Alfonse Ruggiero
(For episode "White Noise")
1990 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama Ken Wahl
1988 Viewers for Quality Television Awards Founder's Award Ray Sharkey

[edit] DVD releases

In May 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that they had acquired the rights to release Wiseguy on DVD in Region 1.[3] They subsequently released the complete first season on August 25, 2009.[4] On March 9, 2010, Mill Creek released Wiseguy: The Collector's Edition, a 13-disc set featuring episodes from all 4 seasons. Unfortunately due to rights issues with the music contained in the show, the 'Dead Dog Records' arc from season 2 is not included.[5]

Beyond Home Entertainment has released all 4 seasons on DVD in Region 4. Unfortunately due to rights issues with the music contained in the show, the 'Dead Dog Records' arc episodes are not contained on the season 2 release.

DVD Name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 4
Season 1 22 August 25, 2009 December 1, 2008[6]
Season 2 22 N/A March 4, 2009[7]
Season 3 22 N/A July 8, 2009[8]
Season 4 9 N/A September 9, 2009[9]

The first season became available on iTunes on April 28, 2008.

[edit] Trivia

  • The first airing of the season one finale "No One Gets out of Here Alive" features The Rascals' "Good Lovin'" and The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin," but the latter song was subsequently replaced by various songs or an overdub of score music in later re-airings. The song was present, though, when the episode aired in CBS Late Night in 1989.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The New Classics: TV". Entertainment Weekly. June 18, 2007. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207339,00.html. Retrieved February 21, 2012. 
  2. ^ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. pp. 184. ISBN 0-7624-3007-9. 
  3. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wiseguy-Mill-Creek-Picks-Up-Cannell-Shows/11957
  4. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wiseguy-Season-1/12127
  5. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wiseguy-Collectors-Edition/13129
  6. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/802790
  7. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/804119
  8. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/806380
  9. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/807682

[edit] External links

Television series produced or created by Stephen J. Cannell
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