Spy Game (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Spy Game is a short-lived American
action-adventure
television series that aired on the ABC network
for 13 episodes during the spring and summer of 1997. The series was created by screenwriter and physician Ivan Raimi
, director Sam Raimi
, and writer John McNamara
.
as Lorne Cash, a retired secret agent
who reluctantly agrees to get back into the "spy game" and work for a secret government agency. Following the collapse of the former Soviet Union
and the downsizing of international intelligence agencies worldwide, the reduced demand for highly qualified espionage agents has flooded the civilian market with displaced former agents. With the surplus of independent agents running rogue operations, Cash is called in to work with a meager agency whose sole directive is to police these newly freelance spies.
Cash is an "old-school" agent who is more apt to rely on his wits and his fists rather than the latest high-tech gadgets, which occasionally puts him at odds with his gadget-happy (but no less capable) partner, Max London, played by Allison Smith. Despite initial friction, the two quickly establish a rapport (with the usual romantic overtures). Some of the show's humor is generated from Lorne's reluctance to use modern gadgets, as well as the occasional revelations about his past and his high connections. In the premiere episode, for example, Lorne calls the president who is a personal friend and is given a security clearance higher than his boss'.
The series was a throwback to the stylish spy series of the 1960s, with particular comparison being made to The Avengers
and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
, while at the same time poking fun at the genre. (The opening credits were a parody of the opening credits of The Avengers.) The show's first episode featured cameos by numerous stars of spy shows of the past (including Patrick Macnee
and Robert Culp
).
Spy Game was canceled after nine of the thirteen episodes produced were aired.
Though the last four episodes were never aired in the USA, they were shown overseas, for instance by Channel 4 in the UK (though very late at night).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
action-adventure
Adventure (genre)
The adventure genre, in the context of a narrative, is typically applied to works in which the protagonist or other major characters are consistently placed in dangerous situations...
television series that aired on the ABC network
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
for 13 episodes during the spring and summer of 1997. The series was created by screenwriter and physician Ivan Raimi
Ivan Raimi
Ivan M. Raimi is an American screenwriter and doctor of osteopathic medicine.-Career:Ivan, the third of five children, was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of Celia Barbara , who owned lingerie shops, and Leonard Ronald Raimi, who owned home furnishing stores. Ivan was raised in Conservative...
, director Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, and writer John McNamara
John McNamara (writer)
John McNamara is an American writer and television producer. He attended East Grand Rapids High School located in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan...
.
Plot
The series starred Linden AshbyLinden Ashby
Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
as Lorne Cash, a retired secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
who reluctantly agrees to get back into the "spy game" and work for a secret government agency. Following the collapse of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the downsizing of international intelligence agencies worldwide, the reduced demand for highly qualified espionage agents has flooded the civilian market with displaced former agents. With the surplus of independent agents running rogue operations, Cash is called in to work with a meager agency whose sole directive is to police these newly freelance spies.
Cash is an "old-school" agent who is more apt to rely on his wits and his fists rather than the latest high-tech gadgets, which occasionally puts him at odds with his gadget-happy (but no less capable) partner, Max London, played by Allison Smith. Despite initial friction, the two quickly establish a rapport (with the usual romantic overtures). Some of the show's humor is generated from Lorne's reluctance to use modern gadgets, as well as the occasional revelations about his past and his high connections. In the premiere episode, for example, Lorne calls the president who is a personal friend and is given a security clearance higher than his boss'.
The series was a throwback to the stylish spy series of the 1960s, with particular comparison being made to The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
, while at the same time poking fun at the genre. (The opening credits were a parody of the opening credits of The Avengers.) The show's first episode featured cameos by numerous stars of spy shows of the past (including Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
and Robert Culp
Robert Culp
Robert Martin Culp was an American actor, scriptwriter, voice actor and director, widely known for his work in television. Culp first earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on I Spy , the espionage series in which he and co-star Bill Cosby played a pair of secret agents...
).
Spy Game was canceled after nine of the thirteen episodes produced were aired.
Cast
- Linden AshbyLinden AshbyClarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
.....Lorne Cash - Allison Smith.....Maxine "Max" London
- Bruce McCartyBruce McCartyBruce McCarty, FAIA is an American architect, founder and senior designer at McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee. During a career that has spanned more than a half-century, he has designed some of the city's iconic landmarks, and has been the city's most dedicated...
.....Micah Simms - Keith SzarabajkaKeith SzarabajkaKeith Szarabajka is an American actor and voice artist.-Early life:Szarabajka was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Anne, a school teacher, and Edward Szarabajka, a savings and loan officer....
.....Shank
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Why Spy?" | March 3, 1997 |
| 1-2 | "With Friends Like These" | March 10, 1997 |
| 1-3 | "Nobody Ever Said Growing Up Was Easy" | March 17, 1997 |
| 1-4 | "Dead and Gone Honey" | June 7, 1997 |
| 1-5 | "You Just Can't Trust Anyone These Days" | June 14, 1997 |
| 1-6 | "What, Micah Worry?" | June 21, 1997 |
| 1-7 | "What Family Doesn't Have Its Ups and Downs" | June 28, 1997 |
| 1-8 | "And That About Concludes Our Session" | July 5, 1997 |
| 1-9 | "Lorne and Max Drop the Ball" | July 12, 1997 |
| 1-10 | "Go, Girl" | Never aired |
| 1-11 | "Necessity is the Mother of Infection" | Never aired |
| 1-12 | "How Diplomatic of You" | Never aired |
| 1-13 | "Well, Nothing to Fear But Death Itself" | Never aired |
Though the last four episodes were never aired in the USA, they were shown overseas, for instance by Channel 4 in the UK (though very late at night).