Hunter (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = Hunter


caption =
format = Drama
runtime = 1 hour
creator = Frank Lupo
executive_producer = Stephen J. Cannell (1984-1985)
Roy Huggins (1985-1988)
George Geiger (1988-1989)
Fred Dryer (1989-1991)
starring = Fred Dryer
Stepfanie Kramer
Charles Hallahan
John Amos
Bruce Davison
Darlanne Fluegel
Lauren Lane
Arthur Rosenburg
John Shearin
Garrett Morris
James Whitmore Jr.
Ruby Ramos
Perry Cook
Richard Beauchamp
Courtney Barilla
country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = September 18, 1984
last_aired = April 26, 1991
num_seasons = 7
num_episodes = 153
imdb_id = 0086734

"Hunter" is a police drama television series starring Fred Dryer which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective (badge# 089) with the Los Angeles Police Department. Stepfanie Kramer co-starred in the first six of the series' seven seasons as Hunter's female partner Sgt. Dee Dee McCall.

Created by Frank Lupo, the show in its early episodes played as television's answer to Dirty Harryfact|date=September 2007. Even after the show's violence was toned down during the second season in hopes of boosting ratings, Hunter and McCall still managed to resolve many cases the good old-fashioned way, by shooting the perpetrators dead.

The show's executive producer during the first season was noted producer Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.

how history

eason 1 (1984-1985)

Initially placed in a Friday-night slot against the then-popular "Dallas" (also a Lorimar production), the show struggled to find an audience and drew criticism for its often graphic depiction of violence. In the first season, the producers sought to create a hook by giving the main character a catchphrase, "Works for me", which was sometimes used two or three times an episode and was even tacked on to the end of Mike Post and Pete Carpenter's opening theme music. Several early episodes featured montages set to popular songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Mid-way through the first season, with ratings showing no sign of improvement, Cannell gave network chief Brandon Tartikoff a private screening of a two-part episode ("The Snow Queen") that had yet to air and asked him to give the show time to find its feet. Tartikoff liked what he saw and put the show on hiatus until a better time slot could be found. Two months later, Hunter returned to the screens on Saturday nights and viewership slowly started to rise. The first season ended in joint 79th place in the Nielsen Ratings.

eason 2 (1985-1986)

For its second season, Cannell brought in his mentor, Roy Huggins, best known for his work on "Maverick" and "The Rockford Files", to refine the show. As the new executive producer, Huggins toned down the violence, softened the main character's fractious relationship with his superiors, dropped a backstory concerning Hunter's family ties to the mob, and played up the chemistry between Hunter and McCall. Huggins also moved the show's setting out of the back streets and into the more desirable areas of Los Angeles. Emboldened, Dryer and Kramer frequently toyed with the scripts by ad-libbing, and the Hunter character broke the fourth wall for the first time with an aside to viewers at the end of the two-parter "The Beautiful And The Dead". Viewers responded to the changes, and the show's second season ended in 38th place in the Nielsen Ratings. "Hunter" continued this progress to become a mainstay of NBC's Saturday night schedule.

eason 3 (1986-1987)

Just before work on the third season began, Dryer threatened to walk out unless his salary, reportedly US$21,000 per episode, was raised and creative changes were made. Cannell hit back with a US$20 million breach-of-contract suit. A compromise was reached, with Dryer reportedly landing a new deal worth US$50,000 per episode. The third season, again helmed by Huggins, saw the arrivals of Charles Hallahan as Captain Charlie Devane and Garrett Morris as police informant and street hustler Arnold "Sporty" James. When Hunter went missing, Dee Dee teamed with Columbo-like Detective Kitty O'Hearn (Shelley Taylor Morgan) (Shades episode #22). This was the show's first season in the top 30, coming in at 25th.

eason 4 (1987-1988)

Huggins retired at the end of the fourth season, which placed 18th in the Nielsen Ratings. A three-part storyline, "City of Passion," teamed Hunter and Dee Dee with Detective Kitty O'Hearn (Shelley Taylor Morgan) and her new partner, Sgt. Brad Navarro, played by Erik Estrada. Together they solved the rape case of "Stinky".

eason 5 (1988-1989)

For the fifth season, George Geiger took on the role of executive producer, having worked in the same capacity on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" and as co-executive producer on "Miami Vice". In the first four seasons, Hunter and McCall typically worked on cases together, allowing the producers to showcase the chemistry between the actors. But the fifth season increasingly had them working apart, ostensibly to lessen the workload of Dryer and Kramer and to allow richer, more complex stories. The fifth season placed 17th in the Nielsen ratings.

eason 6 (1989-1990)

By the sixth season, Dryer's growing influence had won him the role of executive producer. The sixth season featured an episode ("Unfinished Business") in which it was revealed that Hunter and McCall had once slept together, which suddenly cropped up to cause a rift in their working relationship. At the end of the sixth season, which placed in the top 25 of the Nielsen Ratings, Kramer left the series to pursue a career in music. In the season's final episode, McCall was shown marrying an old flame and moving out of Los Angeles.

eason 7 (1990-1991)

For the seventh and final season, the producers moved the lead character (and Capt. Devane) from divisional homicide to the elite "Metro" unit based at Parker Center, and NBC shifted the show to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. A new female co-star, Darlanne Fluegel as Officer Joanne Molenski, was brought in, only to leave halfway through the season when her character was murdered by a female serial killer. Her replacement for the second half of the season was Lauren Lane as Sgt. Chris Novak. Hunter's signature unmarked vehicle, a moss green '76-'78 era Dodge Monaco/Plymouth Fury, was also finally replaced (after an accident with Molenski's cruiser in the season's first episode) by a silver '90 Ford LTD. For the first time (barring the sixth season finale) Hunter also made sporadic appearances in uniform.

Revivals

A revival NBC TV movie, "", saw Dryer and Hallahan reprise their roles. (Hunter had also been promoted to lieutenant.) Airing on NBC on March 6, 1995, the movie took the O.J. Simpson case as its inspiration. Kramer, pregnant at the time, did not appear as McCall. The TV-movie co-starred Barry Bostwick and John C. McGinley.

In November 2002, 11 years after the original series ended, the TV movie "" made its premiere to strong ratings. Kramer also returned to her role of McCall, but the show's setting switched from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Given the success of the revival, Cannell, Dryer and NBC attempted to bring back Hunter as a regular series. In the weeks following the airing in April 2003 of another TV movie, " ", the network broadcast three new one-hour episodes of "Hunter". Another two episodes were filmed but never shown in the U.S, likely because the ratings demographics for the one-hour episodes skewed toward older viewers. Dryer subsequently cited creative difficulties and budget constraints.

Firearms

In the first season and for several subsequent seasons, the pistol that Hunter carries is a Heckler and Koch P9S 9mm with a muzzle compensator attached. It is also the pistol in the title introduction. McCall used a stainless Beretta 90 in the first season. The Walther PPK that McCall uses is most likely a Walther PPK/S. The Desert Eagle that he uses in the occasional episode was a gift from his Mafia father for graduatingfact|date=September 2007.

During the first two seasons, he used a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum and she used a Walther PPK in .32 ACP.

During the second season for a couple of episodes Rick Hunter used a Smith & Wesson 629 in .44 Magnum (2 1/2" bbl).

During one episode of the second season Rick Hunter used a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle in stainless steel with an extended barrel.

During seasons 3 and 4, Rick used Smith & Wesson 629 in .44 Magnum (2 1/2" bbl).

During one episode of the fifth season Dee McCall used a .38 Special S&W Model 60 in this time in stainless steel.

During seasons 5 through 7, Rick used a 9mm Beretta 92F/FS, while during seasons 5 through 6 Dee Dee used a .44 Magnum, Smith & Wesson Model 629 in this time in stainless steel.

Cars

In the pilot, Detective Rick Hunter drove a 1978 Dodge Monaco and a 1970 Ford LTD. During the first season, Detective Rick Hunter drove a 1972 Chevrolet Impala, 1971 Chevrolet Nova, 1974 Plymouth Satellite, and a 1978 Chevrolet Impala. During the seasons two through six and one episode during the seventh season, Detective Rick Hunter drove a 1978 Dodge Monaco. This car blew up in the third season & was replaced with an identical one. During the seventh season, Detective Rick Hunter drove a light blue 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria. During the first two seasons, Detective Dee McCall drove a garnet red and bright silver 1984 Dodge Daytona until it caught fire. During seasons three through five, Detective Dee McCall drove a garnet red 1986 Dodge Daytona. During the sixth season, Detective Dee McCall drove a white 1990 Dodge Dynasty.

Episode guide

Season 1 (1984-1985)

Season 2 (1985-6)

# Case X
# Night of the Dragons
# The Biggest Man in Town
# Rich Girl
# Killer in the Halloween Mask
# Rape & Revenge: Part 1
# Rape & Revenge: Part 2
# Million Dollar Misunderstanding
# The Big Fall
# Waiting for Mr. Wrong
# Think Blue
# Blow-Up
# War Zone
# Burned
# Scrap Metal
# Fagin 1986
# 62 Hours of Terror
# Death Machine
# The Set Up
# The Beautiful & the Dead: Part 1
# The Beautiful & the Dead: Part 2
# The Return of Typhoon Thompson
# Saturday Night Special

Season 3 (1986-7)

# Overnight Sensation
# Change Partners and Dance
# Crime of Passion
# The Castro Connection
# High Noon in L.A.
# From San Francisco with Love
# True Confessions
# Love, Hate, and Sporty James
# The Contract
# The Cradle Will Rock
# Bad Company
# Down and Under
# Straight to the Heart
# Requiem for Sergeant McCall
# Double Exposure
# The Girl Next Door
# Any Second Now
# A Child Is Born
# Crossfire
# Hot Pursuit: Part 1
# Hot Pursuit: Part 2
# Shades

Season 4 (1987-8)

# Not Just Another John Doe
# Playing God
# The Jade Woman
# Flashpoint
# Night on Bald Mountain
# City of Passion: Part 1
# City of Passion: Part 2
# City of Passion: Part 3
# Turning Point
# Hot Prowl
# Allegra
# Renegade
# The Black Dahlia
# Naked Justice: Part 1
# Naked Justice: Part 2
# Girl on the Beach
# The Bogota Million
# Death Signs
# Boomerang
# The Fourth Man
# Murder He Wrote
# Silver Bullet

Season 5 (1988-9)

# Heir of Neglect
# The Baby Game
# Dead on Target: Part 1
# Dead on Target: Part 2
# Presumed Guilty
# No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
# Honorable Profession
# Payback
# Partners
# The Pit
# City Under Siege: Part 1
# City Under Siege: Part 2
# City Under Siege: Part 3
# Me, Myself & Die
# Informant
# Blood Line
# Shoot to Kill
# Code 3
# Ring of Honor
# Teen Dreams
# Last Run
# Return of White Cloud

Season 6 (1989-90)

# On Air
# Shallalagh
# Investment in Death
# A Girl Named Hunter
# The Legion: Part 1
# The Legion: Part 2
# Yesterday's Child
# Shield of Honor
# The Fifth Victim
# Brotherly Love
# The Nightmare
# Broken Dreams
# Son and Heir
# Unacceptable Loss
# Unfinished Business
# Lullaby
# Final Confession
# Blind Ambition
# Sudden Withdrawal
# Second Sight
# Street Wise: Part 1
# Street Wise: Part 2

Season 7 (1990-1)

# Deadly Encounters: Part 1
# Deadly Encounters: Part 2
# Where Echoes End
# Kill Zone
# The Incident
# A Snitch'll Break Your Heart
# Oh, the Shark Bites!
# The Usual Suspects
# This Is My Gun
# La Familia
# Acapulco Holiday
# Fatal Obsession: Part 1
# Fatal Obsession: Part 2
# Under Suspicion
# The Reporter
# Room Service
# Shadows of the Past
# The Grab
# All That Glitters
# Cries of Silence
# Ex Marks the Spot
# Little Man with a Big Reputation

Cast and crew

*Fred Dryer ... Det. Sgt. Rick Hunter
*Stepfanie Kramer ... Det. Sgt. Dee Dee McCall (1984-1990)
*Darlanne Fluegel ... Off. Joanne Molenski (1990)
*Lauren Lane ... Police Sgt. Chris Novak (1991)
*Michael Cavanaugh ... Capt. Lester Cain #1 (1984)
*Arthur Rosenberg ... Capt. Lester Cain #2 (1984)
*John Amos ... Capt. Dolan (1984-1985)
*Bruce Davison ... Capt. Wyler (1985-1986)
*Charles Hallahan ... Capt. Charles Devane (1986-1991)
*John Shearin ... Lt. Ambrose Finn (1985-1988)
*James Whitmore Jr. ... Sgt. Bernie Terwilliger (1984-1986)
*Garrett Morris ... Sporty James (1986-1990)

DVD releases

Anchor Bay Entertainment released the first three seasons of "Hunter" on Region 1 DVD. The company's Associate Brand Manager said on 9 January 2008, that the company had no plans to release the remaining four seasons.

International airings

*In Australia, the show was shown on the regional station GTS/BKN.
*In Barbados, the show was shown on CBC TV 8.
*In Brazil, the show was shown on Rede Globo, dubbed in Portuguese.
*In China, the show was dubbed in Standard Mandarin and aired on STV. "Hunter" was one of the first US series to air regularly in China. Although Dryer is still widely recognised in China, his efforts to set a "Hunter" movie there in the late 1990s did not bear fruit. [http://www.shtong.gov.cn/node2/node2245/node4510/node11098/node11142/node63818/userobject1ai12617.html] The Hunter TV series is a favorite of the disgraced former Beijing Mayor Chen Xitong who had quoted the name, character and events of the TV series in various speeches he delievered.
*In Colombia the series were presented as "El Cazador" (Spanish for (the) Hunter). It was broadcasted by JES productions in Cadena Uno every saturday nigth at 9:45 PM, from 1987 to 1991. The final season never was aired in Colombia.
*In Costa Rica, the show was shown on Teletica Canal 7 as "El Cazador".
*In Czech Republic, the show was shown on TV Prima.
*In France, the show was shown on TF1.
*In Germany, the show was shown on Sat.1.
*In Hong Kong, ATV broadcast the show.
*In Indonesia, the show was shown on TVRI.
*In the Philippines, the show was aired on RPN-9.
*In Sweden, the show was shown on TV4.
*In Turkey, the show was shown on Star TV and Kanal D.
*In the United Kingdom, the first two seasons aired regionally on terrestrial broadcaster ITV, the remainder on satellite channel Sky One.

External links

*imdb title|id=0086734|title=Hunter
*Tv.com show|id=729|title=Hunter
* [http://www.wonderfulworldofhunter.com/ The Wonderful World of Hunter]
* [http://www.geocities.com/gisele56 Fred Dryer Fanpage]
* [http://www.geocities.com/the_real_sz/hunter/hunter.htm Fanpage with english and german episodelist]