The Fall Guy
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 stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.
| 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 |
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), 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.[1][2] A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used.[3] 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.
Intros
The series introductions were composed mainly by scenes from this TV series, and from risky stunt scenes of various films predating 1981. The theme song, "Unknown Stuntman", was sung by Lee Majors and later released as a single.[4]
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. 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. all with edits.
| 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[5] | 19.9[5] |
| 4) 1984–1985 | #22[6] | 17.1[6] |
| 5) 1985–1986 | #80[7] | 7.8[7] |
Legacy
A board game adaptation based on the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company[8] in 1981.
A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for Look-In magazine.[9]
A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984.[10]
In September 2020, Universal Pictures announced the film The Fall Guy, loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch.[11] It was released on May 3, 2024.[12][13] Lee Majors and Heather Thomas appear as police officers in the mid-credit scene.[14]
See also
- 1981 in American television
References
- "Fall Guy GMC". 73-87.com. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- "1982 GMC K-2500 Wideside". www.imcdb.org. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- "1980 GMC K-25 Wideside". www.imcdb.org. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- "Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt Risk It All in 'The Fall Guy' — An Exclusive First Look". Vanity Fair. November 1, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1983-84 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
- The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1984-85 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
- The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1985-86 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
- "The Fall Guy". BoardGameGeek.
- "Jim Baikie". lambiek.net.
- "Fall Guy". spectrumcomputing.co.uk. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- Borys Kit (September 23, 2020). "Ryan Gosling, David Leitch Tackling "The Fall Guy"-Style Stuntman Movie for Universal". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Bagchi, Soham (May 11, 2023). "'The Fall Guy': Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know About the Ryan Gosling Movie". Collider.
- Galuppo, Mia (January 10, 2024). "Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy,' '3 Body Problem' Headed to SXSW". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- "Lee Majors to star alongside Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy movie". Yahoo! Life. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
External links
