The Fall Guy

Last updated
The Fall Guy
Fallguytitlescreen.jpg
Genre Action/adventure
Created by Glen A. Larson
Starring
Theme music composerGail Jensen
Glen A. Larson
David Somerville
Opening theme"Unknown Stuntman"
performed by Lee Majors
Composers Stu Phillips
Ron Ramin
Frank DeVol
Tom Worrall
Morton Stevens
Dennis McCarthy
Ken Heller (uncredited)
William Broughton (uncredited)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes113 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerGlen A. Larson
ProducersRobert Janes
Larry Brody
Paul Mason
Lee Majors
CinematographyBen Colman
Michael Hofstein
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time4548 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseNovember 4, 1981 (1981-11-04) 
May 2, 1986 (1986-05-02)

The Fall Guy is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.

Contents

Plot

Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) is a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training, Howie Munson (Douglas Barr), and occasionally by fellow stuntwoman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas).

Cast

Production

Seavers's truck was a Rounded-Line 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside with the Sierra Grande equipment package. [1] [2] A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used. [3] During the show's initial series, the stunts took their toll on the modified production trucks, supplied at low cost to the production by General Motors, so several different years, makes (Chevy/GMC), and models were used during the show's initial run.

From the second season, General Motors supplied three specially adapted trucks for the stunt sequences, with the engine moved to a mid-chassis position immediately under the cab seat.

Intros

The series introductions were composed mainly by scenes from this TV series, and from risky stunt scenes of various films predating 1981. The theme song, "Unknown Stuntman", was sung by Lee Majors and later released as a single. [4]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 23November 4, 1981 (1981-11-04)May 5, 1982 (1982-05-05)
2 23October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27)May 4, 1983 (1983-05-04)
3 22September 21, 1983 (1983-09-21)May 2, 1984 (1984-05-02)
4 23September 19, 1984 (1984-09-19)April 10, 1985 (1985-04-10)
5 22September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)May 2, 1986 (1986-05-02)

Home media

On June 5, 2007, 20th Century Fox released the first season of The Fall Guy on DVD in Region 1. Season one was released on DVD in Region 2 in Germany and the UK. Season two has also been released in Region 2, in Germany on November 28, 2008, and in the UK on February 16, 2009. all with edits.

DVD NameEp #Release dates
Region 1Region 2 (UK)Region 2 (Germany)
The Complete First Season23June 5, 2007June 25, 2007January 14, 2008
The Complete Second Season23N/AFebruary 16, 2009November 28, 2008

Reception

These are the Nielsen ratings.

SeasonRankRating
1) 19811982#2719.0
2) 19821983#1419.4
3) 19831984#16 [5] 19.9 [5]
4) 19841985#22 [6] 17.1 [6]
5) 19851986#80 [7] 7.8 [7]

Legacy

A board game adaptation of the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company [8] in 1981.

A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for Look-In magazine. [9]

A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984. [10]

In September 2020, Universal Pictures announced the film The Fall Guy , loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch. [11] It was released on May 3, 2024 to positive reviews but performed unsuccessfully at the box office. [12] [13] [14] Lee Majors and Heather Thomas appear as police officers in the mid-credit scene. [15]

See also

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References

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  3. "1980 GMC K-25 Wideside". www.imcdb.org. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
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