Supercarrier (TV series)
Supercarrier is an American military drama television series that aired on ABC from March 6 until May 14, 1988. It features US Navy Pilots aboard the fictional aircraft carrier USS Georgetown. It suffered from low ratings against CBS's Murder, She Wrote and NBC's Family Ties, and only lasted eight episodes before being cancelled.
| Supercarrier | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Stanford Whitmore Steven E. de Souza |
| Based on | Supercarrier by George C. Wilson |
| Written by | Steven E. de Souza Stanford Whitmore Joel Wilf Michael Part |
| Directed by | William A. Graham Corey Allen Jackie Cooper Peter Crane |
| Theme music composer | Craig Safan Mark Mueller |
| Opening theme | "Living on the Edge"[1] |
| Composers | Jack Eskew (pilot ep.) Craig Safan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Steven E. deSouza |
| Producer | Chuck Bowman |
| Cinematography | Jack Beckett Robert Steadman Frank Raymond |
| Editors | Ronald J. Fagan Gregory F. Plotts Noel Rogers |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Richard Maynard Productions Real Tinsel Productions Fries Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | March 6 – May 14, 1988[2] |
Cast
- Robert Hooks as Capt. Jim Coleman
- Ken Olandt as Lt Jack "Sierra" DePalma
- Paul Gleason (pilot episode)
- Cec Verrell as Lt Ruth "Bee-Bee" Ruthkowski
- John David Bland as Lt Doyle "ANZAC" Sampson
- Gerardo Mejía as Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Luis Cruz
- Michael Sharrett (pilot episode)
- Matthew Walker as Seaman Raymond Lafitte
- Tasia Valenza (pilot episode)
- Wendie Malick (pilot episode)
- Denise Nicholas (pilot episode)
- Scott Kraft (pilot episode)
- Craig Stevens (pilot episode)
- Thomas Beck (pilot episode)
- Alex Hyde-White as Lt Dave "Hat Trick" Rawley
- Dale Dye as Capt Henry K. 'Hank' Madigan
- Richard Jaeckel as Master Chief Sam Rivers
- Dennis R. "Beau" Sumner, Jr.
- Matthew Williams
- Peter Mark Richman (2nd episode)
- William Smith (3rd episode)
- Ismael 'East' Carlo (5th episode)
- Gina Gallego (5th episode)
- Harley Jane Kozak (5th episode)
- Jennifer Darling (6th episode)
- Lyman Ward (7th episode)
- Lawrence Kopp as Deadly Enemies (Pilot)
Production
The series was partly filmed on board the USS Vandegrift (FFG-48) which is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate rather than an aircraft carrier.[3] Part of the filming was conducted on the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), between September and November 1987, while the ship was undergoing a period of upkeep.[4]
The Department of the Navy pulled its support for the show in March 1988, with a spokesperson citing dissatisfaction with the plots of upcoming episodes in which the carrier "just becomes a backdrop" for stories unrelated to the U.S. Navy.[5] The producer, Charles Fries, said in response that the Navy "wanted a sleepy show about life on a Supercarrier" and that he was "happy to be relieved of the cooperation because naval personnel were stifling our writers relationships and dialogue".[6]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Deadly Enemies" | Unknown | Unknown | March 6, 1988 | |
| In the series pilot, the search for a downed jet fighter focuses attention on a hot-dogging flyer (Alex Hyde-White) and brings on the arrival of female forces.[7] | |||||
| 2 | "All in the Game" | Jackie Cooper | Joel M. Wilf | March 13, 1988 | |
| War games bring out the best and the worst: Rosie becomes an unlikely heroine, while tension escalates between pilots BeeBee and Sierra.[8] | |||||
| 3 | "Common Ground" | Unknown | Unknown | March 20, 1988 | |
| Anzac and Sierra get an unexpectedly friendly salute from a defecting Soviet pilot, flying a high-tech MiG 28 stealth fighter plane that both sides are after.[9] | |||||
| 4 | "Ring of Fire" | Peter Crane | Michael Part | March 27, 1988 | |
| Family duties may upset Sierra, and sink Cruz's Navy and boxing careers as he battles to keep his sister out of the gangs.[10] | |||||
| 5 | "Rest and Revolution" | Peter Crane | Jim Trombetta | April 10, 1988 | |
| BeeBee, Sierra and Anzac are staying in a small Latin nation of Val Verde training its fighter pilots, and while they're on liberty, the revolution starts without them.[11] | |||||
| 6 | "Give Me Liberty" | Harry Harris | Jeri Barchilon & Michele Gendelman | April 17, 1988 | |
| Anzac and Sierra hook up with attractive but deadly arms dealers; Rivers tangles with a lawyer; Coleman's wife undergoes surgery for a lump in her breast.[12] | |||||
| 7 | "Exodus" | Unknown | Unknown | April 24, 1988 | |
| Madigan evacuates China Sea villagers from impending war; and Willoughby befriends a pregnant refugee.[13] | |||||
| 8 | "Vector" | Unknown | Unknown | May 17, 1988 | |
| Anzac succumbs to the charms of a sassy Aussie woman, rescued from a disabled research vessel, while a mysterious plague caused by poison from a crate of Nazi gold sweeps the George.[14] | |||||
References
- Supercarrier Theme at Copyrightencyclopedia.com
- "TV Listings for - May 14, 1988 - TV Tango".
- "Let Me Clear This Up". IMDb. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- "John F. Kennedy (CVA-67)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- "'Supercarrier' Torpedoed by the U.S. Navy". Los Angeles Times. 10 March 1988. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- "'Torpedoing 'Supercarrier'". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 1988. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- Supercarrier Ep 1: Deadly Enemies
- Supercarrier Ep 2: All in the Game
- Supercarrier Ep 3: Common Ground
- Supercarrier Ep 4: Ring of Fire
- Supercarrier Ep 5: Rest and Revolution
- Supercarrier Ep 6: Give Me Liberty
- Supercarrier Ep 7: Exodus
- Supercarrier Ep 8: Vector
External links
- Supercarrier at IMDb