- Deadly Games
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Deadly Games Genre Science fiction Created by Paul Bernbaum
S.S. Schweitzer
Anthony SpinnerDirected by Jim Charleston
Christopher Hibler
Christian I. Nyby II
Leonard NimoyStarring James Calvert
Christopher Lloyd
Cynthia Gibb
Stephen T. KayComposer(s) Dennis McCarthy Country of origin United States
Language(s) English No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 13 Production Producer(s) William S. Kerr Editor(s) Bill Butler
Terry KelleyLocation(s) California Cinematography Billy Dickson Running time 60 min. Production company(s) Viacom Productions Distributor Paramount Television Broadcast Original channel UPN Original run September 5, 1995 – July 17, 1997 Deadly Games was an American sci fi show that appeared on UPN as part of its 1995 season. The basic plot of the show is about video game characters that come to life, re-enacting their deadly plans in the real world.
Contents
Story
The first episode introduces the protagonist, Dr. Gus Lloyd, an engineer and video game designer who has created a game in his spare time to exert his indignant feelings about people in his life who have all made his life hell on Earth (his father, his ex-wife's mother, his ex-wife's divorce lawyer, his former employer, a high school football-Quarterback bully, his old camp counselor, etc.); the villains of the game are modeled after all these people. The master villain is Jackal, who is a combination of the devil and Gus' father. The hero is "The Cold-Steel Kid," who is naturally modeled after Gus himself, and the helpless ingenue The Kid is always trying to rescue — "The Girl" — is based on Lauren Ashborne, Gus' ex-wife. In an accident involving an experimental laboratory project, Jackal and the villains step out of the game and into the real world.
Each week, one of the villains tries to carry out an evil plot according to the rules of the video game, and Gus, Lauren, and Gus' friend Peter Rucker try to defeat and destroy said villain. Almost indestructible and superhumanly strong, each villain is programmed with specific weapons and weaknesses based on that villain's "theme"; e.g., "Killshot's" Achilles' Heel was being sprayed with water, The Boss' weak link was red ink, The Evil Shirley's was to have a house fall on her, The Motivational Speaker killed people with a device that ejected audiocassettes that bound and crushed them with audiotape, and he could only be destroyed by eating his own words. Jackal is present in every episode, commanding the other villains and vexing the heroes.
Cast of characters
Regular characters
The following characters appear in every episode:
- Gus Lloyd/"The Cold-Steel Kid" (James Calvert)
- Lauren Ashborne/"The Girl" (Cynthia Gibb)
- Jordan Kenneth Lloyd/Sebastian Jackal (Christopher Lloyd)
- Peter Rucker (Stephen T. Kay)
One-time villains
Each of the following characters appears in only one episode:
- "Killshot" Tom Rothman (Tom Rathman)
- "Evil Shirley," Shirley Ashborne (Shirley Jones)
- "The Orthodontist," Dr. Kramer (Christopher Neame)
- "The Dental Hygienist," Sharon (Dr. Kramer's assistant) (Marjorie Monaghan)
- "The Boss," Mr. Metcalf (LeVar Burton)
- "The Divorce Lawyer," Courtney Lake (Victoria Rowell)
- "The Garbage Man," Roy Hopkins (Mike Starr)
- "The Motivational Speaker," Nathan Abrams (Dwight Schultz)
- "The Practical Joker," Danny Schlecht (Brent Spiner)
- "The Camp Counselor," Chuck Manley (Anthony Michael Hall)
- "The Car Mechanic," Ross Logan (Mark Pellegrino)
- "The Ex-Girlfriend" (Beth Toussaint)
Episode titles
№ Title Directed by: Written by: Original air date 1 "Killshot" Leonard Nimoy Paul Bernbaum,
Anthony Spinner5 September 1995 Mild-mannered scientist Gus Lloyd has a hobby that allows him to blow off steam: He designs video games, and bases his bad guys on people who bug him. But a freak accident occurs, unleashing the sublimely sinister Sebastian Jackal and his minions on the real world. 2 "One Mean Mother" Jim Charleston Paul Bernbaum 12 September 1995 Jackal enlists the aid of "Evil Shirley," who's patterned after Lauren's mother, to help plant a bomb on a cruise ship that Lauren's real mom and her fiancé are on. 3 "The Boss" Christopher Hibler Lee Goldberg,
William Rabkin19 September 1995 Jackal and the evil video version of Gus's first boss plan to blow up a gasoline truck — with Lauren's ex-fiancé behind the wheel. 4 "The End of the Jackal" Burt Brinckerhoff Paul Bernbaum 26 September 1995 Jackal's real-life model is revealed as the super villain sets his sights on the destruction of "the family," with a park and a maternity ward primary targets. Meanwhile, Peter believes he's found a way to put the supervillain back into the game for good, but his actions may have cost Gus and Lauren their lives in the real world as well. 5 "The Camp Counselor: Part 1" Jim Charleston Jack Bernstein 3 October 1995 Just when Gus though it was safe, Jackal exercises his power from within the computer, sending the "Perfect Woman" (Kathy Ireland) into the real world, followed by Gus's sadistic childhood camp counselor, who plans to blow up a Marine base with a rocket. 6 "The Camp Counselor: Part 2" Jim Charleston Jack Bernstein 10 October 1995 Gus rescues Lauren from her imprisonment in the computer, but in the process releases Jackal and the other bad guys — including the evil camp counselor Chuck, who embarks on a mission to blow up a Marine base commander. 7 "The Practical Joker" Adam Nimoy Paul Bernbaum 17 October 1995 Practical joker Danny Schlecht enters a new character into the game who (a) plants a bomb in Gus's VCR, (b) drugs Lauren and Peter and puts them in a compromising position, and (c) meets Jackal — who's not sure how to treat this new villain. 8 "The Car Mechanic" Christopher Hibler Lee Goldberg,
William Rabkin7 November 1995 In the midst of a wicked heat wave, Jackal throws a monkey wrench into Gus's life in the form of car mechanic Ross Logan, who aims to derail a train; meanwhile, Detective Dorn (Sam McMurray) gets closer to the truth about the game. 9 "The Divorce Lawyer" Christian I. Nyby II Kate Boutilier 14 November 1995 Gus is shocked to learn the latest villain is Lauren's divorce lawyer, currently charged with 10,000 volts and aiming to electrify the Supreme Court Justices' chairs, unless Gus and Lauren can ground the amped-up attorney first. 10 "The Motivational Speaker" Christian I. Nyby II Jed Seidel 21 November 1995 A slick, motor-mouthed motivational speaker spells trouble when he drives a wedge between Gus and Peter, then embarks on a nefarious plan to poison the New Year's Eve ball at Times Square. 11 "The Trash Man" Neema Barnette Craig Tepper 2 January 1996 When Gus is awakened by the sound of garbage can lids banging together, he realizes that another level of the game has begun. Meet The Trash Man, a filthy adversary armed with radioactive sludge who is out to destroy the sites of all of Gus and Lauren's most magical moments. Armed in turn with the cleaning products they know will slow the villain down, Gus, Lauren and Peter go on a chase that takes them through a museum to a Las Vegas motel and, ultimately, the Hollywood Bowl. 12 "Dr. Kramer" Bruce Bilson Paul Bernbaum 9 January 1996 Dr. Kramer, The Orthodontist, plans to pump laughing gas into the comedy club. At the same time, Lauren's comedian friend is attempting to make a comeback. Dr Kramer is defeated early on and Sharon, The oral Hygienist, continues to carry on the task. 13 "The Ex-Girlfriend" Max Tash Paul Bernbaum 17 July 1997 Belinda, the leather-clad Ex-Girlfriend, wants to revenge herself on all men. She can only be defeated by a golden ball. External links
Categories:- 1990s American television series
- 1995 television series debuts
- 1995 television series endings
- American science fiction television series
- UPN network shows
- Television series by CBS Paramount Television
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