Amazon (1999 TV series)

Last updated
Amazon
Peter Benchley's Amazon.PNG
Also known asAmazonas – Gefangene des Dschungels
Created by Peter Benchley
Developed byMalcolm MacRury
Written byAlison Lea Bingeman
Paul Aitken
Directed by Milan Cheylov
T.W. Peacocke
Starring C. Thomas Howell
Carol Alt
Chris William Martin
Fabiana Udenio
Tyler Hynes
Rob Stewart
ComposerGuy Zerafa
Country of originCanada
Germany
Original languagesEnglish
German
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Executive producersSeaton McLean
Peter Sussman
Peter Benchley
Producer Jan Peter Meyboom
Running time44 minutes
Original release
Network Syndication
Release25 September 1999 (1999-09-25) 
20 May 2000 (2000-05-20)

Amazon (also known as Peter Benchley's Amazon) was a syndicated adventure drama series created by Peter Benchley. It was developed by Canadian production companies Alliance Atlantis Communications & WIC Entertainment and German company Beta Film GmbH. The 22 episodes of the series were in first-run syndication between 1999 and 2000.

Contents

The drama series focused on the six survivors of a crashed airline flight in the Brazilian Amazon jungle. The group soon comes into contact with a hostile indigenous tribe, the Fierce Ones. They are taken in by a mysterious tribe called the Chosen, who are descended from 16th century British colonists who were lost in the rainforest. Relations with the Chosen are tenuous at best. Most of the group escapes the Chosen only to stir up a hornets' nest with the cannibalistic Jaguar People, led by an insane Canadian woman bent on domination of all the local tribes. The first season ended in a cliff-hanger, and a second season was never produced. The series retained sufficient interest that it was released on DVD in 2011. This was most likely to capitalize on the cult-popularity of Lost , with which it could all too easily be confused .

A novelization of the 2-hour pilot was written by Rob MacGregor, and a mass-market paperback was released by Harper (publisher) on 8 Aug 2000. [1]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Fallen Angels" Jon Cassar Peter Benchley September 25, 1999 (1999-09-25)
2"Nightfall"Jon CassarStory by: Malcolm MacRury & Paul Aitken
Teleplay by: Malcolm MacRury
October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)
3"Suffer the Little Children" Ron Oliver Malcolm MacRuryOctober 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)
4"Exodus"Ron OliverPaul AitkenOctober 16, 1999 (1999-10-16)
5"The Chosen"Jon Cassar Heather Conkie October 23, 1999 (1999-10-23)
6"The End of the World"Jon CassarHeather Conkie & Malcolm MacRuryOctober 30, 1999 (1999-10-30)
7"The Lost Words"Terry IngramPaul AitkenNovember 6, 1999 (1999-11-06)
8"Resurrection"Holly DaleHeather ConkieNovember 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)
9"The Blood Angel"Terry IngramMalcolm MacRuryNovember 20, 1999 (1999-11-20)
10"War" Milan Cheylov Paul AitkenNovember 27, 1999 (1999-11-27)
11"Eyes in the Dark"John BellHeather ConkieJanuary 22, 2000 (2000-01-22)
12"The First Stone"UnknownUnknownJanuary 29, 2000 (2000-01-29)
13"The Devil's Army"UnknownUnknownFebruary 5, 2000 (2000-02-05)
14"The Finding"UnknownUnknownFebruary 12, 2000 (2000-02-12)
15"Escape"Clay BorrisPaul AitkenFebruary 19, 2000 (2000-02-19)
16"Home"T.W. PeacockeMalcolm MacRuryFebruary 26, 2000 (2000-02-26)
17"The Pale Horseman"UnknownUnknownApril 15, 2000 (2000-04-15)
18"The White Witch"UnknownUnknownApril 22, 2000 (2000-04-22)
19"Circle of Fire"T.W. PeacockeHeather ConkieApril 29, 2000 (2000-04-29)
20"Babel"UnknownUnknownMay 6, 2000 (2000-05-06)
21"Wild Child"UnknownUnknownMay 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)
22"A Bible and a Gun"UnknownUnknownMay 20, 2000 (2000-05-20)

Production

Each episode of the series cost $1.2 million. [2] The total cost of the series was $26 million. [3]

Home media

Alliance Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Canada only on 22 February 2011. [4] This was soon followed by the release to the rest of the North American market. [5]

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References

  1. Rob MacGregor. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Ghost Tribe". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
  2. "Amazon TV set an indoor jungle". Edmonton Journal . December 1, 1999. p. 38. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Atherton, Tony (July 29, 1999). "Tyler's awesome Amazon adventure". The Ottawa Citizen . p. 25. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
  5. Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series. "Peter Benchley's Amazon: The Complete Series". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.