It’s time for a new episode of Remember That Show? – the podcast where my buddy Adam and I discuss possibly forgotten TV shows from the 80s and 90s. This time around, we’re discussing the 80s action comedy The Fall Guy. Ya see, when Adam first approached me about this podcast concept, this was one of the shows at the top of my list to cover. It’s one of my favorite shows of the era, and I even tried my hand at pitching a modern reboot a few years back. Adam, however, had never watched it, and we were trying to chase the zeitgeist with the Ryan Gosling-starring box office adaptation hitting theaters. Well, we didn’t line things up fast enough, and the movie had a disappointing opening (Is Ryan Gosling not a Leading Man anymore?). Still, “The Show Must Go On”, so we followed through and delivered the show we were gonna do regardless of the movie’s success.
If you’re like Adam, and unfamiliar with The Fall Guy, it was a one-hour action comedy, created by Glen A. Larson, that ran on ABC from 1981-1986. Starring former Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, it followed Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers, who worked as a bounty hunter to pick up extra cash. The cast was rounded out by Douglas Barr (The Wizard/Designing Women) as Colt’s cousin and sidekick Howie Munson, Heather Thomas (Zapped!) as stuntwoman Jodie Banks, and a pre-Night Court Markie Post gave Colt his assignments, as Terri Shannon. Every week, Colt had to chase down a criminal (which seemed to be played a lot of the time by Terry Kiser), which resulted in barroom brawls and elaborate car chases. Colt drove a 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside, which firmly entrenched the show in my favorite genre of 80s television: The Cars Jumping Over Shit genre. While I didn’t watch it during its original network run, the show was a syndication staple for me growing up. Looking back on it, I sort of see its blend of comedy an action as the blueprint for many of the syndicated action shows that would follow, such as V.I.P., Cleopatra 2525, and She Spies.
If any of this sounds intriguing to you, then you can find the episode here, or wherever you find your podcasts!
