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Hunter (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Hunter is a police drama television series starring Fred Dryer
as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer
as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC
from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season (1990) to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. The seventh season saw Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department
.
Created by Frank Lupo
, the show in its early episodes played as television's answer to Dirty Harry. 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 by shooting the perpetrators dead.
The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell
, whose company produced the series. (This was one of the few series made by his company that he did not either create or co-create.)
, 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 catch phrase, "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, in a style not unlike the way Miami Vice
used music.
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 finished in 65th place.
, 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".
Probably the most memorable aspect to the second season was the 2-part episode "Rape and Revenge." The story dealt with a psychopathic foreign diplomat who meets McCall and wants to have a relationship with her. When she says no, he goes crazy and then attacks and rapes her in her home. This two-parter was considered very controversial for its realistic and shocking depiction of a violent rape scene, which was not common in TV shows at the time. Because of the controversial plot and acting, "Rape and Revenge" is one of the most remembered and popular episodes of the series.
Another important aspect to the second season was towards the end of the season (in the episode "The Return of Typhoon Thompson") viewers were first introduced to Hunter and McCall's favorite street informant—the eccentric but humorous Arnold "Sporty" James, played by Garrett Morris
.
Viewers also responded to Huggins' 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.
In syndication the Season 2 intro was replaced by the season 1 intro. The season 2 intro had
Rick Hunter
entering a women's locker room in one scene, and him and McCall
pointing their guns at each other with the bathroom light on in another scene.
as Captain Charlie Devane—who remained Rick Hunter
and McCall's captain for the rest of the show, eventually becoming one of the main stars, and even being included in the opening credits of the show; something none of the previous captains in the series had achieved before. In the episode "Shades" (which was the season finale...but aired later in the summer—July 1987) when Hunter went missing, Dee Dee teamed with a somewhat ditzy Columbo-like Detective Kitty O'Hearn (Shelley Taylor Morgan
)--who also showed up later during fourth seasons 3-part "City of Passion."
Another remembered episode for 3rd season was "Requiem For Sergeant McCall"—which was a contradiction to a storyline from the beginning of the show. When the show first started in 1984 supposedly McCall's husband (Steven McCall) was killed five years before, in 1979, by a "punk" kid during a routine stop. At that time both Steven and Dee Dee were newly married and starting out as rookie uniform cops. But in 1987, for 3rd season, they created this episode ("Requiem") where now, supposedly still just 5 years before (which now would be around 1982 instead of 1979), Steven was an actual homicide detective (while Dee Dee was still just a rookie) and he was working on a big murder case that ended up getting him killed. In this episode Steven's killer is getting paroled and McCall is doing anything she can to get him back in prison—plus trying to solve the original murder case that her husband died trying to solve five years earlier. This was the show's first season in the top 30, coming in at 25th.
For the third season there was also a strange tie-in with an older detective show -- Hart To Hart
, with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers (1979–1984). In Hunter’s third season opening theme song, during the montage of pics there is a scene out front of a Los Angeles mansion with a Mercedes station wagon, a Rolls Royce, and a Porsche out front. This was a scene-clip from an old episode of Hart To Hart (the Mercedes Station Wagon was actually one of the Hart's cars) that, for some unknown reason, was thrown in for the starting of Hunter. It's even more strange, considering Hart To Hart was an ABC show, while Hunter was an NBC show.
) and her new partner, Sgt. Brad Navarro, played by Erik Estrada
. Together they captured the serial rapist called "Big Foot." Originally the plot of the 3-part "City of Passion" had McCall getting raped again—this time by Big Foot, and she had to deal with the pain and emotions as she did in 2nd season's 2-part "Rape & Revenge." However, Stepfanie Kramer immediately balked at this and argued the rape idea had already been done, and to repeat it, as well as having her character put in a situation to get raped again, was ridiculous. Kramer threatened to walk from the series unless the script was changed. Producers and writers agreed and a compromise was made. Big Foot would attack and "attempt" to rape McCall but she would fight him off before it happened.
Also known as one of the more memorable episodes for fourth season was "The Black Dahlia." The famous unsolved L.A. murder case from 1947 is thrust back into headlines as bones with identical cuts just like the Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia
) murder are discovered under an old building being torn down. Did the killer of the Black Dahlia also murder this woman back in '47? It's discovered the killer is still alive, and when he sees McCall (who does somewhat resemble Elizabeth Short), he thinks the Black Dahlia has come back from the dead to "get" him. He of course goes insane and comes after Dee Dee! Supposedly Hunter and McCall solve the famous murder case 41 years to the day (1947–1988) as the episode aired on the anniversary date of the real-life murder. As a special message at the end states, the real-life case is still open and the real killer has never officially been caught (although in the years since '88 there have been several new theories and evidence supporting them—however none have been definitely proven).
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.
Some of the most memorable episodes of the fifth season was the special 3-parter "City Under Siege"--which had a special intro for each of the 3 parts. It dealt with a psychotic woman and her crazy boyfriend that go around terrorizing people in Los Angeles that the woman felt had "wronged" her in some way—Hunter being one of the intended victims. It also focused on the huge crime spree throughout the city and the pressure the police department was under to get it under control. In part 2 Laurelle Brooks
guest starred as Allison a naive high school cheerleader who becomes a victim of the crime spree. At the end of the episode there were special statistics that gave the numbers of how much crime was down in L.A. that year. The fifth season placed 17th in the Nielsen ratings.
Another memorable episode this season was "Yesterday's Child". In this episode, A Vietnamese man visits Hunter and pleads with him to take on the case of a robbery / murder at an upscale car dealership, of which his son was the main suspect. Over the course of the conversation, Hunter discovers that the 17-year-old suspect was actually his own son. It is revealed that the boy was the product of a relationship Hunter had with a woman while he was in Vietnam.
Also for this season homicide was moved to the more updated Parker Center, instead of their old downtown division building. So instead of jeans and an old sports jacket, a lot of times Hunter was seen in a full suit and tie. However, at the end of the sixth season, which placed in the top 25 of the Nielsen Ratings, Stepfanie Kramer decided to leave the series to pursue a career in music. After six long but "beautiful" years fans were saddened with the season's 2-part finale (another famous 2-part episode "Streetwise"), where McCall was shown marrying an old flame and moving out of Los Angeles.
, 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. However, it was reported that she had creative differences/issues with Fred Dryer and halfway through the season she decided she wanted out. So, they decided to have her leave the show by having her character be murdered by a female serial killer in the 2-part episode "Fatal Obsession." Her replacement for the second half of the season was Lauren Lane
as Sgt. Chris Novak—supposedly a former girlfriend of Hunter's. Hunter's signature unmarked vehicle, a moss green 1977 Dodge Monaco
, was also finally replaced (after an accident with Molenski's cruiser in the season's first episode) by an updated new silver 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
. Hunter was now also back to wearing jeans and a shirt. Also for the first time (barring the sixth season finale) Hunter also made sporadic appearances in uniform.
However, the new partners and changes did little to please fans/viewers after Stepfanie Kramer's departure. Later, it was stated that: "Hunter without his McCall was like trying to drive his old Monaco without any gas...the show just didn't go anywhere." The show's ratings took a nose-dive and after seven popular gun-blasting, fist-smacking, car-chasing years, it was officially cancelled at the end of the season.
TV movie, The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A., saw Dryer
and Charles Hallahan reprise their roles as Rick Hunter and Charlie Devane—Hunter had now also been promoted to lieutenant. Airing on NBC on March 6, 1995, the movie ironically seemed to take the Dirty Harry
idea as the plot—a psycho wants fame and/or to be noticed and begins terrorizing the city to gain media attention. Along the way he becomes infatuated with attention from Hunter, eventually wanting to kill him. Stepfanie Kramer, pregnant at the time, did not reprise her role as "Dee Dee McCall". The TV-movie co-starred Barry Bostwick
, Miguel Ferrer
, and John C. McGinley
.
Seven years later in November 2002, eleven years after the original series ended, the reunion TV movie Hunter: Return to Justice made its premiere to strong ratings. This time Stepfanie Kramer also returned to her role of "Dee Dee McCall", and the show's setting switched from Los Angeles to San Diego—as Hunter's current L.A. partner is killed in the line of duty. So, Hunter decides to take some time off and go see McCall, who is now living and working as a cop in San Diego. Of course once the "dynamic duo" of Hunter and McCall get together the bullets begin to fly! Also, ironically in this movie McCall is engaged to be married—however tragedy prevents this from happening. The ironic part is, when Kramer left the original series after the sixth season her character supposedly left to get married to an old boyfriend—her last episode ending at her wedding. In this reunion movie McCall's marriage and/or husband from before is never explained or mentioned. It was reported that there was to be a scene explaining how McCall's husband who she married at the end of season 6 had died. During the last scene we learn that Hunter has requested a transfer from L.A. to San Diego so he can now work with McCall again. Charles Hallahan was not able to appear as "Capt. Charlie Devane" again, as he had died from a heart attack five years earlier in 1997. This reunion movie was dedicated to his memory at the end.
Given the success of the TV movie, Cannell, Dryer and NBC attempted to bring back Hunter as a regular series. In the weeks following the April 2003 airing of another TV movie, Hunter: Back in Force—basically the "Pilot" for the new series, the network decided to broadcast three new one-hour episodes of Hunter ("Vaya Sin Dios," "Untouchable," and "Dead Heat"). Another two episodes were filmed (as originally there were to be five episodes aired) but never shown in the U.S, as suddenly NBC decided to cancel the new series. Later Fred Dryer cited "creative difficulties" and budget constraints as the reasons for the new show's unexpected end.
released the first three seasons of Hunter on Region 1 DVD between January 2005 and January 2006. Due to poor sales, no further seasons were released through them.
On October 14, 2009, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment
had acquired the rights to several Stephen J. Cannell
series including Hunter. They have subsequently re-released the first 4 seasons on DVD.
On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek released Hunter - The Complete Series, a 28-disc collection featuring all 152 episodes of the series.
that McCall uses is most likely a Walther PPK/S
.
During the first two seasons, Hunter used a Desert Eagle
in .44 Magnum and McCall used a Walther PPK
in .32 ACP
.
In several episodes, a Franchi SPAS 12 12 gauge shotgun was kept in the trunk of Hunter's car.
During the second season for a couple of episodes, Rick Hunter used a Smith & Wesson 629 in .44 Magnum
(2½" 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, Hunter used an Astra Terminator in .44 Magnum
.
During one episode of the fifth season, McCall used a .38 Special
S&W Model 60 this time in stainless steel
.
During seasons 5 through 7, Hunter used a 9 mm Beretta 92F/FS
During seasons 5 & 6 McCall also used a .44 Magnum
Smith & Wesson 629.
and a junker 1970 Ford LTD. Because Hunter constantly was getting into wrecks chasing bad guys and would regularly "bust" up any cop car he was given, supposedly the department would only let him drive the complete junkers that would barely run. Once the series started (Fall 1984), during the first season, Hunter drove a junker 1972 Chevrolet Impala
, a junker 1971 Chevrolet Nova, an old 1974 Plymouth Satellite
and a junker 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. A 1971 Impala was actually shown exploding to end the episodes using Chevrolets. Monacos seemed to be the cop car of choice, as second season saw Hunter occasionally driving a junker multi-side panel colored 1977 Monaco (jokingly referred to as the "Partridge Family" Monaco), as well as other '77 models in yellow, brown and black. After the show was more "established" and starting with the third season and clear on through the first episode of seventh season, Hunter drove a Moss Green 1977 Monaco. This car was in better condition than the previous Monacos and became Hunter's trademark vehicle — to the point that when it was destroyed in the third season, it was replaced with an identical one. During the seventh and last season, Detective Hunter got and drove a new Silver 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria.
During the first two seasons, McCall drove a Garnet Red and Silver 1984 Dodge Daytona
Turbo Z. Then starting with season three and on through season five, McCall drove a Bright Red 1987 Daytona Shelby Z (Sometimes though, a "Turbo Z" badge on this Daytona is also clearly visible). During the sixth season - her final season, she drove a Gold 1990 Dodge Dynasty
. (There was an episode during the 4th or 5th season that showed the outside of what was supposedly McCall's house and there was a yellow 1987 Ford Mustang out front. However, McCall is only shown driving it once and then it was never shown again.)
Both Officer Joanne Molenski and Sgt. Chris Novak, during last season, drove a tan/beige 1990 LTD Crown Victoria.
For the revivals/reunion movies and new series: In the first reunion movie, The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A., Hunter drove a black 1995 Ford Crown Victoria. In Hunter: Return to Justice, McCall drove a silver 2002 Mercedes Benz CLK320 Convertible
. In Hunter: Back in Force and the subsequent new series, Hunter drove a black 2003 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and McCall occasionally drove a black 2003 Ford Expedition.
and Fred Dryer
, to be directed by Frank Lupo
for Columbia Pictures
, Overture Films
and Warner Bros. Pictures.
In October 2009, it was reported that John Travolta
would headline the upcoming adaptation playing Hunter and it was confirmed that Jessica Alba
will play Dee Dee McCall. In June 2009, Sony Pictures set a tentative release date of October 15, 2010 for the film. Supposedly filming began in Los Angeles in October 2009. However, no real info can be found concerning this movie. Even other reputable sites such as IMDB do not have anything about a 2010 "Hunter" movie, and nothing about it or the characters of Hunter and McCall are listed or mentioned under Travolta or Alba. So, whether or not this movie really is in production is not really known or definite.
Fred Dryer
John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer
Stepfanie Kramer
Stepfanie Kramer is an American actress, writer, and singer/songwriter. She is probably best known for her role as the tough-minded detective, "Sgt...
as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season (1990) to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. The seventh season saw Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
.
Created by Frank Lupo
Frank Lupo
Frank Lupo is an American television writer and producer. In collaboration with Stephen J. Cannell, Lupo created such shows as The A-Team, Riptide, Wiseguy and Hunter....
, the show in its early episodes played as television's answer to Dirty Harry. 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 by shooting the perpetrators dead.
The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
, whose company produced the series. (This was one of the few series made by his company that he did not either create or co-create.)
Season 1 (1984–1985)
Initially placed in a Friday-night slot against DallasDallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, 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 catch phrase, "Works for me", which was sometimes used two or three times an episode and was even tacked on to the end of Mike Post
Mike Post
Mike Post is an American multi-Grammy and Emmy Award winning composer best known for scoring some of the most popular TV theme songs in the United States, for primetime series such as Law & Order, NYPD Blue, The Rockford Files, LA Law, Quantum Leap, Magnum, P.I., Hill Street Blues, among numerous...
and Pete Carpenter
Pete Carpenter
Peter Clarence "Pete" Carpenter , was an American jazz trombonist, musical arranger, and a veteran of television theme song scoring....
's opening theme music. Several early episodes featured montages set to popular songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, in a style not unlike the way Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
used music.
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff was a television executive who was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, ALF, Family Ties, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, Miami Vice, The Golden Girls, Knight Rider, The A-Team, St...
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 finished in 65th place.
Season 2 (1985–1986)
For its second season, Cannell brought in his mentor, Roy HugginsRoy Huggins
Roy Huggins was an American novelist and an influential writer/creator and producer of character-driven television series, including Maverick, The Fugitive, and The Rockford Files....
, best known for his work on Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
and The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, 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
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
for the first time with an aside to viewers at the end of the two-parter "The Beautiful And The Dead".
Probably the most memorable aspect to the second season was the 2-part episode "Rape and Revenge." The story dealt with a psychopathic foreign diplomat who meets McCall and wants to have a relationship with her. When she says no, he goes crazy and then attacks and rapes her in her home. This two-parter was considered very controversial for its realistic and shocking depiction of a violent rape scene, which was not common in TV shows at the time. Because of the controversial plot and acting, "Rape and Revenge" is one of the most remembered and popular episodes of the series.
Another important aspect to the second season was towards the end of the season (in the episode "The Return of Typhoon Thompson") viewers were first introduced to Hunter and McCall's favorite street informant—the eccentric but humorous Arnold "Sporty" James, played by Garrett Morris
Garrett Morris
Garrett Gonzalez Morris is an American comedian and actor from New Orleans. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.-Early life and career:...
.
Viewers also responded to Huggins' 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.
In syndication the Season 2 intro was replaced by the season 1 intro. The season 2 intro had
Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter, voiced by veteran voice actor Tony Oliver, is one of the fictional characters in the Robotech anime television series. He begins the series as a naive and headstrong nineteen-year-old civilian pilot, having flown for his father "Pops" Hunter's world-class flying circus...
entering a women's locker room in one scene, and him and McCall
pointing their guns at each other with the bathroom light on in another scene.
Season 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 arrival of Charles HallahanCharles Hallahan
Charles John Hallahan was an American film, television and stage actor best known for his performances in Going in Style, The Thing, and Dante's Peak.-Life and career:...
as Captain Charlie Devane—who remained Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter, voiced by veteran voice actor Tony Oliver, is one of the fictional characters in the Robotech anime television series. He begins the series as a naive and headstrong nineteen-year-old civilian pilot, having flown for his father "Pops" Hunter's world-class flying circus...
and McCall's captain for the rest of the show, eventually becoming one of the main stars, and even being included in the opening credits of the show; something none of the previous captains in the series had achieved before. In the episode "Shades" (which was the season finale...but aired later in the summer—July 1987) when Hunter went missing, Dee Dee teamed with a somewhat ditzy Columbo-like Detective Kitty O'Hearn (Shelley Taylor Morgan
Shelley Taylor Morgan
Shelley Taylor Morgan is an American actor who is best known for her playing Lorena Sharpe in the TV series General Hospital in the mid-1980s.-Acting career:...
)--who also showed up later during fourth seasons 3-part "City of Passion."
Another remembered episode for 3rd season was "Requiem For Sergeant McCall"—which was a contradiction to a storyline from the beginning of the show. When the show first started in 1984 supposedly McCall's husband (Steven McCall) was killed five years before, in 1979, by a "punk" kid during a routine stop. At that time both Steven and Dee Dee were newly married and starting out as rookie uniform cops. But in 1987, for 3rd season, they created this episode ("Requiem") where now, supposedly still just 5 years before (which now would be around 1982 instead of 1979), Steven was an actual homicide detective (while Dee Dee was still just a rookie) and he was working on a big murder case that ended up getting him killed. In this episode Steven's killer is getting paroled and McCall is doing anything she can to get him back in prison—plus trying to solve the original murder case that her husband died trying to solve five years earlier. This was the show's first season in the top 30, coming in at 25th.
For the third season there was also a strange tie-in with an older detective show -- Hart To Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers (1979–1984). In Hunter’s third season opening theme song, during the montage of pics there is a scene out front of a Los Angeles mansion with a Mercedes station wagon, a Rolls Royce, and a Porsche out front. This was a scene-clip from an old episode of Hart To Hart (the Mercedes Station Wagon was actually one of the Hart's cars) that, for some unknown reason, was thrown in for the starting of Hunter. It's even more strange, considering Hart To Hart was an ABC show, while Hunter was an NBC show.
Season 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 MorganShelley Taylor Morgan
Shelley Taylor Morgan is an American actor who is best known for her playing Lorena Sharpe in the TV series General Hospital in the mid-1980s.-Acting career:...
) and her new partner, Sgt. Brad Navarro, played by Erik Estrada
Erik Estrada
Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada is an American police officer and actor, known for his co-starring lead role in the 1977–1983 United States police television series CHiPs...
. Together they captured the serial rapist called "Big Foot." Originally the plot of the 3-part "City of Passion" had McCall getting raped again—this time by Big Foot, and she had to deal with the pain and emotions as she did in 2nd season's 2-part "Rape & Revenge." However, Stepfanie Kramer immediately balked at this and argued the rape idea had already been done, and to repeat it, as well as having her character put in a situation to get raped again, was ridiculous. Kramer threatened to walk from the series unless the script was changed. Producers and writers agreed and a compromise was made. Big Foot would attack and "attempt" to rape McCall but she would fight him off before it happened.
Also known as one of the more memorable episodes for fourth season was "The Black Dahlia." The famous unsolved L.A. murder case from 1947 is thrust back into headlines as bones with identical cuts just like the Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia
Black Dahlia
"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
) murder are discovered under an old building being torn down. Did the killer of the Black Dahlia also murder this woman back in '47? It's discovered the killer is still alive, and when he sees McCall (who does somewhat resemble Elizabeth Short), he thinks the Black Dahlia has come back from the dead to "get" him. He of course goes insane and comes after Dee Dee! Supposedly Hunter and McCall solve the famous murder case 41 years to the day (1947–1988) as the episode aired on the anniversary date of the real-life murder. As a special message at the end states, the real-life case is still open and the real killer has never officially been caught (although in the years since '88 there have been several new theories and evidence supporting them—however none have been definitely proven).
Season 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. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
and as co-executive producer on Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. 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.
Some of the most memorable episodes of the fifth season was the special 3-parter "City Under Siege"--which had a special intro for each of the 3 parts. It dealt with a psychotic woman and her crazy boyfriend that go around terrorizing people in Los Angeles that the woman felt had "wronged" her in some way—Hunter being one of the intended victims. It also focused on the huge crime spree throughout the city and the pressure the police department was under to get it under control. In part 2 Laurelle Brooks
Laurelle Mehus
Laurelle Brooks Mehus, also known as Laurelle Brooks and Laurelle Mehus, is an American model and actress.-Overview:Under the name Laurelle Brooks, she worked as a model doing pictorials in and on the covers of local and national magazines along with national commercials in Chicago, Illinois...
guest starred as Allison a naive high school cheerleader who becomes a victim of the crime spree. At the end of the episode there were special statistics that gave the numbers of how much crime was down in L.A. that year. The fifth season placed 17th in the Nielsen ratings.
Season 6 (1989–1990)
By the sixth season, Dryer's growing influence had won him the role of executive producer. Probably the most remembered episode of the sixth season was the episode "Unfinished Business." During this episode the audience suddenly learns that Hunter and McCall had actually once slept together, causing a rift in their working relationship. Fred Dryer stated that this episode was filmed to try to appease fans and the network, who were constantly wanting Hunter and McCall to get together. However, Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer stated they did not want that to happen, because once it did Hunter would become Hart To Hart.Another memorable episode this season was "Yesterday's Child". In this episode, A Vietnamese man visits Hunter and pleads with him to take on the case of a robbery / murder at an upscale car dealership, of which his son was the main suspect. Over the course of the conversation, Hunter discovers that the 17-year-old suspect was actually his own son. It is revealed that the boy was the product of a relationship Hunter had with a woman while he was in Vietnam.
Also for this season homicide was moved to the more updated Parker Center, instead of their old downtown division building. So instead of jeans and an old sports jacket, a lot of times Hunter was seen in a full suit and tie. However, at the end of the sixth season, which placed in the top 25 of the Nielsen Ratings, Stepfanie Kramer decided to leave the series to pursue a career in music. After six long but "beautiful" years fans were saddened with the season's 2-part finale (another famous 2-part episode "Streetwise"), where McCall was shown marrying an old flame and moving out of Los Angeles.
Season 7 (1990–1991)
For the seventh and final season, the producers moved Hunter and Capt. Devane from divisional homicide to the elite "Metro" unit based at the Parker CenterParker Center
Parker Center was the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1954 until October 2009, and is located in Downtown LA. It is named for former LAPD chief William H. Parker. Originally with the prosaic name, the Police Administration Building, ground for the center was broken on...
, and NBC shifted the show to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. A new female co-star, Darlanne Fluegel
Darlanne Fluegel
Darlanne Fluegel born is an American actress.Fluegel appeared in the TV series Crime Story and the final season of Hunter. She was featured in Sergio Leone's 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America as Robert De Niro's girlfriend Eve , and in 1986's Tough Guys as Kirk Douglas' girlfriend...
as Officer Joanne Molenski, was brought in. However, it was reported that she had creative differences/issues with Fred Dryer and halfway through the season she decided she wanted out. So, they decided to have her leave the show by having her character be murdered by a female serial killer in the 2-part episode "Fatal Obsession." Her replacement for the second half of the season was Lauren Lane
Lauren Lane
Lauren Lane is a television and stage actress. She is best known for her role as C. C. Babcock on The Nanny.-Biography:Lane was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and raised in Texas....
as Sgt. Chris Novak—supposedly a former girlfriend of Hunter's. Hunter's signature unmarked vehicle, a moss green 1977 Dodge Monaco
Dodge Monaco
The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978, and 1990 to 1992.-A Grand Prix competitor:...
, was also finally replaced (after an accident with Molenski's cruiser in the season's first episode) by an updated new silver 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
Ford LTD Crown Victoria
The Ford LTD Crown Victoria is a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1983 to 1991. As part of a redesign for the 1992 model year, it was renamed the Ford Crown Victoria...
. Hunter was now also back to wearing jeans and a shirt. Also for the first time (barring the sixth season finale) Hunter also made sporadic appearances in uniform.
However, the new partners and changes did little to please fans/viewers after Stepfanie Kramer's departure. Later, it was stated that: "Hunter without his McCall was like trying to drive his old Monaco without any gas...the show just didn't go anywhere." The show's ratings took a nose-dive and after seven popular gun-blasting, fist-smacking, car-chasing years, it was officially cancelled at the end of the season.
Reunions/Revivals
Four years after the original series ended, a reunion NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
TV movie, The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A., saw Dryer
Fred Dryer
John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
and Charles Hallahan reprise their roles as Rick Hunter and Charlie Devane—Hunter had now also been promoted to lieutenant. Airing on NBC on March 6, 1995, the movie ironically seemed to take the Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
idea as the plot—a psycho wants fame and/or to be noticed and begins terrorizing the city to gain media attention. Along the way he becomes infatuated with attention from Hunter, eventually wanting to kill him. Stepfanie Kramer, pregnant at the time, did not reprise her role as "Dee Dee McCall". The TV-movie co-starred Barry Bostwick
Barry Bostwick
Barry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
, Miguel Ferrer
Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer is an American actor and voice actor who is often cast as a villain. His notable roles include Bob Morton, a supporting character in RoboCop , the short tempered FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, and Dr...
, and John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
.
Seven years later in November 2002, eleven years after the original series ended, the reunion TV movie Hunter: Return to Justice made its premiere to strong ratings. This time Stepfanie Kramer also returned to her role of "Dee Dee McCall", and the show's setting switched from Los Angeles to San Diego—as Hunter's current L.A. partner is killed in the line of duty. So, Hunter decides to take some time off and go see McCall, who is now living and working as a cop in San Diego. Of course once the "dynamic duo" of Hunter and McCall get together the bullets begin to fly! Also, ironically in this movie McCall is engaged to be married—however tragedy prevents this from happening. The ironic part is, when Kramer left the original series after the sixth season her character supposedly left to get married to an old boyfriend—her last episode ending at her wedding. In this reunion movie McCall's marriage and/or husband from before is never explained or mentioned. It was reported that there was to be a scene explaining how McCall's husband who she married at the end of season 6 had died. During the last scene we learn that Hunter has requested a transfer from L.A. to San Diego so he can now work with McCall again. Charles Hallahan was not able to appear as "Capt. Charlie Devane" again, as he had died from a heart attack five years earlier in 1997. This reunion movie was dedicated to his memory at the end.
Given the success of the TV movie, Cannell, Dryer and NBC attempted to bring back Hunter as a regular series. In the weeks following the April 2003 airing of another TV movie, Hunter: Back in Force—basically the "Pilot" for the new series, the network decided to broadcast three new one-hour episodes of Hunter ("Vaya Sin Dios," "Untouchable," and "Dead Heat"). Another two episodes were filmed (as originally there were to be five episodes aired) but never shown in the U.S, as suddenly NBC decided to cancel the new series. Later Fred Dryer cited "creative difficulties" and budget constraints as the reasons for the new show's unexpected end.
Original series
- Fred DryerFred DryerJohn Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
... Det. Sgt. Richard "Rick" Hunter - Stepfanie KramerStepfanie KramerStepfanie Kramer is an American actress, writer, and singer/songwriter. She is probably best known for her role as the tough-minded detective, "Sgt...
... Det. Sgt. Dee Dee McCall (1984–1990) - Darlanne FluegelDarlanne FluegelDarlanne Fluegel born is an American actress.Fluegel appeared in the TV series Crime Story and the final season of Hunter. She was featured in Sergio Leone's 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America as Robert De Niro's girlfriend Eve , and in 1986's Tough Guys as Kirk Douglas' girlfriend...
... Off. Joanne Molenski (1990–1991) - Lauren LaneLauren LaneLauren Lane is a television and stage actress. She is best known for her role as C. C. Babcock on The Nanny.-Biography:Lane was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and raised in Texas....
... Police Sgt. Chris Novak (1991) - Michael Cavanaugh ... Capt. Lester D. Cain ("Pilot" Only)
- Arthur Rosenberg ... Capt. Lester D. Cain/Commander Lester D. Cain (1984/1987)
- John AmosJohn AmosJohn Amos is an American actor and former football player. His television work includes roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Good Times, the miniseries Roots, and a recurring role in The West Wing. He has also appeared on Broadway and in numerous motion pictures in a career that spans four decades...
... Capt. Dolan (1984–1985) - Bruce DavisonBruce DavisonBruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
... Capt. Wyler/Dep. Chief Wyler (1985–1986/1987) - Charles HallahanCharles HallahanCharles John Hallahan was an American film, television and stage actor best known for his performances in Going in Style, The Thing, and Dante's Peak.-Life and career:...
... Capt. Charles "Charlie" Devane (1986–1991) - John Shearin ... Lt. Ambrose Finn (1985–1988)
- James Whitmore, Jr. ... Sgt. Bernie Terwilliger (1984–1986)
- Garrett MorrisGarrett MorrisGarrett Gonzalez Morris is an American comedian and actor from New Orleans. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.-Early life and career:...
... Arnold "Sporty" James (1986–1989) - Richard Beauchamp ... Carlos (Asst. M.E.) (1985–1987)
- Perry Cook ... Barney Udall (Coroner) (1986–1990)
- Stanley KamelStanley KamelStanley Kamel was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series Monk.-Biography:...
... Gov. Agent Brad Wilkes (Occasional) (1987–1988) - Courtney Barilla ... Allison Novak (1991)
Revival series
- Fred DryerFred DryerJohn Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
... Lt. Richard "Rick" Hunter - Stepfanie KramerStepfanie KramerStepfanie Kramer is an American actress, writer, and singer/songwriter. She is probably best known for her role as the tough-minded detective, "Sgt...
... Sgt. Dee Dee McCall - Mike GomezMike GomezMike Gomez is an American actor. Best known for his performances in such cult classics as The Big Lebowski and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mike Gomez has costarred in numerous films including Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge and Robert Redford's Milagro Beanfield War, Zoot Suit , 'The Border'...
... Capt. Roberto Gallardo - Michelle Gold ... Off./Det. Cynthia Monetti
- Sid Sham ... Off./Det. Sid Keyes
- Meredyth Hunt ... Det. Krysta Carson (TV Movies Only) (2002–2003)
- Frank GrilloFrank GrilloFrank Grillo is an American actor.-Career:Grillo is perhaps best known for his role as Nick Savrinn in Season One of Prison Break. He also had roles in other television shows and movies, including Blind Justice and Battery Park...
... Det. Terence Gillette (TV Movies Only) (2002–2003) - Kenneth Taylor ... Off. Mueller (TV Movies Only) (2002–2003)
- Robert Crow ... Off. Wilcher (TV Movies Only) (2002–2003)
- Alex Mendoza ... Det. Anthony Santiago (Series Episodes Only) (2003)
DVD releases
Anchor Bay EntertainmentAnchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
released the first three seasons of Hunter on Region 1 DVD between January 2005 and January 2006. Due to poor sales, no further seasons were released through them.
On October 14, 2009, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
had acquired the rights to several Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
series including Hunter. They have subsequently re-released the first 4 seasons on DVD.
On July 27, 2010, Mill Creek released Hunter - The Complete Series, a 28-disc collection featuring all 152 episodes of the series.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 19 | January 19, 2010 |
| The Complete Second Season | 23 | May 18, 2010 |
| The Complete Series | 152 | July 27, 2010 |
Firearms
In the first season and for several subsequent seasons, the pistol that Hunter carries is a Heckler and Koch P9S 9 mm 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 PPKWalther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
that McCall uses is most likely a Walther PPK/S
Walther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
.
During the first two seasons, Hunter used a Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
in .44 Magnum and McCall used a Walther PPK
Walther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
in .32 ACP
.32 ACP
.32 ACP , also known as the .32 Automatic is a pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol...
.
In several episodes, a Franchi SPAS 12 12 gauge shotgun was kept in the trunk of Hunter's car.
During the second season for a couple of episodes, Rick Hunter used a Smith & Wesson 629 in .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
(2½" bbl).
During one episode of the second season, Rick Hunter used a .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
in stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
with an extended barrel.
During seasons 3 and 4, Hunter used an Astra Terminator in .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
.
During one episode of the fifth season, McCall used a .38 Special
.38 Special
The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
S&W Model 60 this time in stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
.
During seasons 5 through 7, Hunter used a 9 mm Beretta 92F/FS
During seasons 5 & 6 McCall also used a .44 Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
Smith & Wesson 629.
Vehicles
In the "Pilot" TV movie, Hunter drove a junker blue 1977 Dodge MonacoDodge Monaco
The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978, and 1990 to 1992.-A Grand Prix competitor:...
and a junker 1970 Ford LTD. Because Hunter constantly was getting into wrecks chasing bad guys and would regularly "bust" up any cop car he was given, supposedly the department would only let him drive the complete junkers that would barely run. Once the series started (Fall 1984), during the first season, Hunter drove a junker 1972 Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation Chevrolet Impala are full-size automobiles produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971 through 1976 model years and was one of GM's top-selling models throughout the 1970s...
, a junker 1971 Chevrolet Nova, an old 1974 Plymouth Satellite
Plymouth Satellite
The Plymouth Satellite is an automobile introduced in 1965 as the top model in Plymouth's mid-size Belvedere line. The Satellite remained the top of the line model until the 1967 model year, where it became the mid-price model with the GTX taking its place as the top model. The Fury name was moved...
and a junker 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. A 1971 Impala was actually shown exploding to end the episodes using Chevrolets. Monacos seemed to be the cop car of choice, as second season saw Hunter occasionally driving a junker multi-side panel colored 1977 Monaco (jokingly referred to as the "Partridge Family" Monaco), as well as other '77 models in yellow, brown and black. After the show was more "established" and starting with the third season and clear on through the first episode of seventh season, Hunter drove a Moss Green 1977 Monaco. This car was in better condition than the previous Monacos and became Hunter's trademark vehicle — to the point that when it was destroyed in the third season, it was replaced with an identical one. During the seventh and last season, Detective Hunter got and drove a new Silver 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria.
During the first two seasons, McCall drove a Garnet Red and Silver 1984 Dodge Daytona
Dodge Daytona
The first car that carried the Daytona name was a sporty version of the Studebaker Lark which was produced from 1963 to 1966 with standard bucket seats and available with an optional Studebaker Avanti V8 high-performance engine....
Turbo Z. Then starting with season three and on through season five, McCall drove a Bright Red 1987 Daytona Shelby Z (Sometimes though, a "Turbo Z" badge on this Daytona is also clearly visible). During the sixth season - her final season, she drove a Gold 1990 Dodge Dynasty
Dodge Dynasty
The Dodge Dynasty was a front-wheel drive sedan that was introduced in 1987 as a 1988 model to replace the 600 as Dodge's mid-size car. The Dodge Dynasty was related to the Chrysler New Yorker; both car lines were built on the Chrysler C platform in Belvidere, Illinois.The Dynasty is also similar...
. (There was an episode during the 4th or 5th season that showed the outside of what was supposedly McCall's house and there was a yellow 1987 Ford Mustang out front. However, McCall is only shown driving it once and then it was never shown again.)
Both Officer Joanne Molenski and Sgt. Chris Novak, during last season, drove a tan/beige 1990 LTD Crown Victoria.
For the revivals/reunion movies and new series: In the first reunion movie, The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A., Hunter drove a black 1995 Ford Crown Victoria. In Hunter: Return to Justice, McCall drove a silver 2002 Mercedes Benz CLK320 Convertible
Mercedes-Benz C208
The Mercedes-Benz C208/A208 cars were produced from 1998 through 2003. They were sold under the CLK-Class model names. The C208 was a new model based on the W202 C-Class...
. In Hunter: Back in Force and the subsequent new series, Hunter drove a black 2003 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and McCall occasionally drove a black 2003 Ford Expedition.
Film
In 2009 it was announced that a movie adaptation is in development with a screenplay by Frank LupoFrank Lupo
Frank Lupo is an American television writer and producer. In collaboration with Stephen J. Cannell, Lupo created such shows as The A-Team, Riptide, Wiseguy and Hunter....
and Fred Dryer
Fred Dryer
John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
, to be directed by Frank Lupo
Frank Lupo
Frank Lupo is an American television writer and producer. In collaboration with Stephen J. Cannell, Lupo created such shows as The A-Team, Riptide, Wiseguy and Hunter....
for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, Overture Films
Overture Films
Overture Films, LLC is an American film production and distribution company. It is a subsidiary of Liberty Media ....
and Warner Bros. Pictures.
In October 2009, it was reported that John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
would headline the upcoming adaptation playing Hunter and it was confirmed that Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
will play Dee Dee McCall. In June 2009, Sony Pictures set a tentative release date of October 15, 2010 for the film. Supposedly filming began in Los Angeles in October 2009. However, no real info can be found concerning this movie. Even other reputable sites such as IMDB do not have anything about a 2010 "Hunter" movie, and nothing about it or the characters of Hunter and McCall are listed or mentioned under Travolta or Alba. So, whether or not this movie really is in production is not really known or definite.
International airings
- In Australia, the show was shown on the regional station GTS/BKN & PRIME.
- In BarbadosBarbadosBarbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, the show was shown on CBC TV 8. - In Brazil, the show was shown on Rede GloboRede GloboRede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
, dubbed in Portuguese. - In China, the show was dubbed in Standard ChineseStandard ChineseStandard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
and aired on STVShanghai Media GroupShanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
. 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 XitongChen XitongChen Xitong was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995.-Biography:...
who had quoted the name, character and events of the TV series in various speeches he delivered. - In ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the series was presented as "El cazador" (Spanish for (the) Hunter). It was broadcast by Producciones JES on Cadena UnoCanal UnoCanal Uno is the first Colombian national television channel. It started 13 June 1954 on Channel 8 in Bogotá. It is state-owned, operated by Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia, and privately-run, with programming companies known as programadoras bidding for time slots with the Colombian...
every Saturday night at 21:45, from 1987 to 1991. The final season was never aired in Colombia. - In Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, the show was shown on Teletica Canal 7Teletica Canal 7Canal 7 is a private Costa Rican television channel, owned and operated by Teletica's founders, the Picado family.Canal 7 has the largest audience in Costa Rica. Repretel currently holds the second spot....
as "El cazador". - In Czech Republic, the show was shown on TV PrimaTV PrimaTV Prima is a Czech private television station. Its channel is broadcast from Prague. Its current owner is FTV Prima, spol. s r. o., general manager Marek Singer....
. - In France, the show was shown on TF1TF1TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
as "Rick Hunter". - In Germany, the show was shown on Sat.1Sat.1Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany, having started one day before RTL Television....
. - In Hong Kong, ATVAsia Television LimitedAsia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
broadcast the show. - In IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the show was shown on TVRITVRITelevisi Republik Indonesia Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) (formerly known as Televisi Indonesia (Indonesian Television in English) and Radio Indonesia (Indonesian Radio in English) is a state-owned television station, the oldest television station in...
. - In Italy, the show was shown on Rai DueRai DueRai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside with Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started transmissions on November 4, 1961...
, Rete 4Rete 4Rete 4 is an Italian television station belonging to the Mediaset network. It is an Italian private commercial TV channel. Rete 4's main news programme is TG4, whose editor-in-chief is Emilio Fede since 1992.-TV Series:...
and IrisIris (TV channel)Iris is an Italian free entertainment television channel, launched the November 30, 2007 and produced by Mediaset.Broadcast films, TV series , documentaries, theatre shows, classical music concerts, news bulletin from TGCOM and short home shopping from Mediashopping all day...
. - In Norway, the show was shown on NRK (in 1986).
- In the Philippines, the show was aired on RPN-9.
- In Sweden, the show was shown on TV4.
- In TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the show was shown on Star TV and Kanal DKanal DKanal D is a nation-wide television channel in Turkey and part of Doğan Holding which is owned by the Turkish media tycoon Aydın Doğan.Kanal D also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available online....
. - In the United Kingdom, the first two seasons aired regionally on terrestrial broadcaster ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, the remainder on satellite channel Sky OneSky OneSky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
.