Outlaws (1986 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Outlaws is a short-lived action-adventure American
television series which aired Saturday nights on CBS. The original series began as a 2-hour pilot movie, and was followed by eleven one-hour episodes.
in 1899, as Sheriff Jonathan Grail tried to round up the villainous four-man Pike Gang, of which he had once been a member. After cornering the four-man gang in a stormy graveyard
, a bolt of lightning
struck all five men - teleporting them 87 years forward in time, to 1986. With no way to get back to their original time, the five men worked out a truce, and started a private investigation / detective agency.
During the run of the series, the five men, now working as the "Double Eagle Detection Agency," helped right wrongs, protect the downtrodden, fought off drug lords and gang leaders - all while continuing to operate with 19th-century weaponry, including revolvers and shotguns. Several of the episodes dealt with problems the men faced in the 1880s, and now had to resolve the problems in the 1980s.
Although the pilot episode was one of the most-watched shows that week, future episodes drew fewer and fewer fans. The series' final episode, in fact, featured a "flashback" scene from another television show, The Oregon Trail
, in which Outlaws actors Rod Taylor
and Charles Napier
both starred.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series which aired Saturday nights on CBS. The original series began as a 2-hour pilot movie, and was followed by eleven one-hour episodes.
Origins
The story originally began in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in 1899, as Sheriff Jonathan Grail tried to round up the villainous four-man Pike Gang, of which he had once been a member. After cornering the four-man gang in a stormy graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
, a bolt of lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
struck all five men - teleporting them 87 years forward in time, to 1986. With no way to get back to their original time, the five men worked out a truce, and started a private investigation / detective agency.
During the run of the series, the five men, now working as the "Double Eagle Detection Agency," helped right wrongs, protect the downtrodden, fought off drug lords and gang leaders - all while continuing to operate with 19th-century weaponry, including revolvers and shotguns. Several of the episodes dealt with problems the men faced in the 1880s, and now had to resolve the problems in the 1980s.
Although the pilot episode was one of the most-watched shows that week, future episodes drew fewer and fewer fans. The series' final episode, in fact, featured a "flashback" scene from another television show, The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail (TV series)
The Oregon Trail is a 14-episode NBC western television series starring Rod Taylor as the widower Evan Thorpe, who leaves his Illinois farm in 1842 to take the Oregon Trail to the Pacific Northwest. The show also starred Andrew Stevens, Tony Becker, and Gina Marie Smika as Thorpe's children...
, in which Outlaws actors Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor (actor)
Rodney Sturt "Rod" Taylor is an Australian-American actor of film and television.-Early life:Born on 11 January 1930 in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, Taylor was the only child of William Sturt Taylor, a steel construction contractor and commercial artist, and the former Mona Thompson, a writer of...
and Charles Napier
Charles Napier (actor)
Charles L. Napier was an American actor, known for his portrayals of square-jawed tough guys and military types.-Early life:...
both starred.
Characters
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Sheriff Jonathan Grail, former member of the Pike Gang and now leader of the Double Eagle Detection Agency | Rod Taylor Rod Taylor (actor) Rodney Sturt "Rod" Taylor is an Australian-American actor of film and television.-Early life:Born on 11 January 1930 in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, Taylor was the only child of William Sturt Taylor, a steel construction contractor and commercial artist, and the former Mona Thompson, a writer of... |
| Harland Pike, who took over the gang when Grail left | William Lucking William Lucking William Lucking is an American film, television, and stage actor perhaps best known for his role as Piney Winston in the drama series Sons of Anarchy.-Film and television:... |
| Billy Pike, Jr., Harland Pike's younger brother | Patrick Houser |
| Wolfson Lucas, the Pike Gang's spiritual leader | Charles Napier Charles Napier (actor) Charles L. Napier was an American actor, known for his portrayals of square-jawed tough guys and military types.-Early life:... |
| Isaiah "Ice" McAdams, an escaped slave from New Orleans who rode with the Pike Gang | Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from... |
| Deputy Maggie Randall, who assisted the Double Eagle Detection Agency on several of their cases | Christina Belford Christine Belford Christine Belford is an American television and film actor.- Early life :Christine Belford was born January 14, 1949 in Amityville, New York... |
Episode listing
| Title | # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Outlaws" (pilot episode) | December 28, 1986 | 1 | ||
| Sheriff Jonathan Grail corners the villainous Pike Gang in an Indian graveyard; as all five men braced for a showdown, a bolt of lightning struck the graveyard - and all five men - hurtling them 100 years into the future. Several of the Outlaws run afoul of a drug lord, and it's up to the rest of the Outlaws, working together in an unfamiliar era, to stop the drug lord. Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,... , in an early role, appears in this episode. |
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| "Tintype" | January 3, 1987 | 2 | ||
| While working security for a wealthy client, Harland Pike discovers that the client's wife is a mirror image of his long-lost love from the 19th century. When the woman shows signs of physical abuse, the Outlaws rescue her and her son, only to discover her husband has an evil streak in him and wants to take it out on the Outlaws. | ||||
| "Primer" | January 10, 1987 | 3 | ||
| While trying to stop a protection racket that preys on shopkeepers, Billy Pike joins an adult education class (he never learned to read in the 19th century), where he comes face to face with the leader of the protection racket, whose followers are also terrorizing the adult education class. | ||||
| "Orleans" | January 17, 1987 | 4 | ||
| Running short on cash, Ice McAdams leads the Outlaws to a treasure of buried gold coins he once stole from his slave overseer; it leads him to participate in a duel with his master's great-grandson. | ||||
| "Hymn" | January 31, 1987 | 5 | ||
| The Outlaws travel to New York City to protect a female televangelist from a murderous stalker. During the episode, Wolfson Lucas and the televangelist battle over each other's view of faith and worship. | ||||
| "Madrid" | February 7, 1987 | 6 | ||
| Jonathan Grail and the Outlaws are hired to watch over the ghost town of Madril, which has been purchased by a man to build a new shopping center. Unbeknownst to the Outlaws, the owner's wife is plotting to steal the town for her own uses - and compounding matters is the town's oldest living resident, who remembers the day Jonathan Grail (in the 19th century, and as a villain) shot down his father. | ||||
| "Potboiler" | February 28, 1987 | 7 | ||
| A Western historian has discovered that the Double Eagle Detection Agency's members look remarkably like his archival photograph of the Pike Gang from 1885. Meanwhile, the Outlaws have to stop a crime lord - and keep the inquisitive historian at bay. | ||||
| "Pursued" | March 7, 1987 | 8 | ||
| The Outlaws must find the estranged daughter of a dying mob leader - only to discover that not only does the daughter not want to see her father, but that there are several members of the mob who want to find her father - even if it means kidnapping the daughter. | ||||
| "Independents" | March 21, 1987 | 9 | ||
| The Outlaws work as taxi drivers to protect an independent cab fleet from the vicious competition. | ||||
| "Hardcase" | March 28, 1987 | 10 | ||
| After the Outlaws take in a troubled youth who is on the run from a murderous crime lord, Billy Pike realizes the teen's rebellious attitude was the same attitude that turned Pike to a life of crime - and now must be diverted to a path of good. | ||||
| "Jackpot" | April 4, 1987 | 11 | ||
| After another successful job completed, the Outlaws are rewarded with a trip to Las Vegas - where they must protect an accountant who has valuable information that could put a mob family away for good. | ||||
| "Birthday" | May 2, 1987 | 12 | ||
| After the Outlaws take some time to prepare a birthday party for Detective Maggie Randall, the Double Eagle Detection Agency ranch comes under siege from sharpshooters. During the episode, thinking it might be their last moments together, Grail confides a story about how he and Wolfson Lucas first met - featuring film footage from a television series, The Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail (TV series) The Oregon Trail is a 14-episode NBC western television series starring Rod Taylor as the widower Evan Thorpe, who leaves his Illinois farm in 1842 to take the Oregon Trail to the Pacific Northwest. The show also starred Andrew Stevens, Tony Becker, and Gina Marie Smika as Thorpe's children... , in which both actors starred. |
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