"The Fall Guy" (1981) TV series 1981-1986

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

4 November 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Plot:

The adventures of a film stunt performer who moonlights as a bounty hunter when movie work is slow.

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Stunt | Cousin | Stuntman | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lee Majors	...	Colt Seavers (112 episodes, 1981-1986)
Douglas Barr	...	Howie Munson (112 episodes, 1981-1986)
Heather Thomas	...	Jody Banks (112 episodes, 1981-1986)
Markie Post	...	Terri Michaels (61 episodes, 1982-1985)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The theme song, "The Unknown Stuntman", was credited to Lee Majors in the pilot episode but was credited to Majors' character Colt Seavers in subsequent episodes.

Quotes:

Colt Seavers: This is the story of one of America's great unsung heroes. I mean you've seen him but you never knew who he was. You've cheered for him and cried for him and women have wanted to die for him. But did he ever get any credit or the girl? No! He's what we call the "Stuntman" and the reason I'm talking so fondly about him is...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of the Unknown Stuntman

He's the unknown stuntman, that makes Eastwood look so Fine

Lee Majors could have been a burned out 70s star during the 80s much like Burt Reynolds and John Travolta, but the former Six Million Dollar Man resurrected his career yet again with "The Fall Guy". Majors played Colt Seavers, a working class Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. You gotta love a TV show that was brave enough to have it's star walk around with a name like "Colt". The Fall Guy was full of manly macho bravado, right from the iconic opening lyrics, where Colt gets into full country cowboy mode and laments his status as a Hollywood stuntman. Even though that song is clearly grounded in the late 1970s, with it's references to women such as Sally Field, Cheryl Tiegs, Bo and of course Farrah, it continues to play effortlessly well across the decade. You understand the plight of Colt Seavers. He does all the dirty work for guys like Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford (more 70s stars), but he never gets the girl. It always felt right that Lee Majors would sing about celebrities from the 1970s anyway, even in an 80s TV show. Nobody questioned it, it was like oh wait it's Lee Majors singing, well of course he would be singing about Farrah, Bo and Clint Eastwood in 1984.

This isn't the best written TV show, but for a Glen Larson show it sure is. The concept of Hollywood mixing in with bad guys is a hit out of the park. The creators can always give the audience that extra double wink with what they're doing, after all Colt Seavers is a Hollywood stuntman. It's mind bogglingly enticing to wonder what Stephen J. Cannell (a far better writer who was an 80s TV tycoon that specialized in action-humor) could have done with this show. I'll admit nostalgia plays a huge part in my fondness for The Fall Guy. I can actually remember when this show first aired back in the early 80s. I was 6 years old, and this series was sure bet for Wednesday nights. It even had it's own set of Colt Seavers action figures and toy pick truck modeled after the one Lee Major's used on the show, so you knew this show marketed itself at children as well as adults.

There's something so magical about '80s TV, that even silly TV shows like The Fall Guy can