Cover Up is an American action-adventure television series that aired for one season on CBS from September 22, 1984, to April 6, 1985. Created by Glen A. Larson, the series starred Jennifer O'Neill, Jon-Erik Hexum, Antony Hamilton and Richard Anderson.
| Cover Up | |
|---|---|
 Jon-Erik Hexum and Jennifer O'Neill | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Glen A. Larson |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | |
| Opening theme | "Holding Out for a Hero" performed by E.G. Daily |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Glen A. Larson |
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Stage 18, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 44 mins. |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 22, 1984 – April 6, 1985 |
Plot
editFashion photographer Dani Reynolds's life suddenly changes after the death of her husband. That's when she discovers that he was actually an undercover CIA agent. When she learns he was murdered, she recruits Mac Harper, a former Special Forces soldier, to help her find her husband's killers.
Henry Towler, her husband's boss, then offers her the dead husband's job. Dani would pretend she was still a photographer and Mac would be her model. Henry would send them anywhere in the world where Americans are in trouble or criminals need to be caught. Once there, they act pretty much on their own.
After the death of actor Jon-Erik Hexum, who played Mac, the episode "Writer's Block" introduced Dani's new assistant, Jack Striker. Jack was a CIA agent who, like Mac, operated under the cover of a model.
At the end of the episode "Writer's Block", they explained that Mac was not coming back and ran the following message that replaced the closing credits:
"When a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for milleniums...John-Eric [sic] Hexum died in October of this year... but the lives he touched will continue to be brightened by his light... forever... and ever..."[1]
Cast
edit- Jennifer O'Neill as Dani Reynolds
- Jon-Erik Hexum as Mac Harper
- Antony Hamilton as Jack Striker
- Richard Anderson as Henry Towler
Production
editJon-Erik Hexum appeared in only eight episodes of the series, including the pilot. He was replaced by Antony Hamilton for the remainder of the season.[2] Jennifer O'Neill appeared in all of the episodes. Despite the change in the lead male character, the ratings held steady throughout the winter of 1984–85, though at a level too low to avoid being canceled after its first season.[3]
On-set accident
editDuring a break between scenes on the set on Friday, October 12, 1984, Jon-Erik Hexum became bored with the filming delays. He began playing Russian roulette with what he believed was a harmless .44 Magnum prop gun and jokingly placed it to his temple and pulled the trigger. The shot sent the wadding from the blank cartridge into Hexum's skull, driving a bone fragment the size of a quarter into his brain and causing massive hemorrhaging. Hexum was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brain dead nearly a week later. On October 18, he was taken off life support.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 | "Pilot" | Peter Crane | Glen A. Larson | September 22, 1984 | TBA |
| 3 | "Death in Vogue" | Guy Magar | David H. Balkan | September 29, 1984 | TBA |
| 4 | "The Million Dollar Face" | Phil Bondelli | Glen A. Larson | October 6, 1984 | TBA |
| 5 | "Harper-Gate" | Arthur Allan Seidelman | Bob Shayne | October 13, 1984 | TBA |
| 6 | "Sudden Exposure" | Guy Magar | Lane Del | October 20, 1984 | TBA |
| 7 | "Nothing to Lose" | Richard A Colla | Doug Heyes Jr. | October 27, 1984 | TBA |
| 8 | "Golden Opportunity" | Sidney Hayers | Bob Shayne | November 3, 1984 | TBA |
|
Hexum's last episode[5] | |||||
| 9 | "Writer's Block" | Richard A. Colla | S : Low Shaw; T : David H. Balkan & Douglas Brooks West; S/T : Andrew Schneider & Sam Egan | November 24, 1984 | TBA |
|
Hamilton's first episode[6] | |||||
| 10 | "Murder in Malibu" | Sidney Hayers | S : David Swift; T : Anne Collins; | December 1, 1984 | TBA |
| 11 | "Midnight Highway" | Guy Magar | Doug Heyes Jr. | December 8, 1984 | 3-J11 |
| 12 | "A Subtle Seduction" | Walter Grauman | Douglas Brooks West | December 29, 1984 | 3-J12 |
| 13 | "Black Widow" | Sidney Hayers | Robert Hamilton | January 5, 1985 | TBA |
| 14 | "Murder Offshore" | Jeffrey Hayden | Joe Gannon | January 12, 1985 | TBA |
| 15 | "The Assassin" | Christopher Hibler | Story by : Donald Ross Teleplay by : Donald Ross & Doug Heyes, Jr. | January 26, 1985 | 3-J15 |
| 16 | "Rules to Die By" | Bernard McEveety | Robert Hamilton | February 2, 1985 | 3-J16 |
| 17 | "Healthy, Wealthy and Dead" | Bruce Kessler | Fredrick Rappaport | February 23, 1985 | 3-J17 |
| 18 | "The Ugliest American" | Don Weis | Story by : Stephen Kandel Teleplay by : Milt Rosen | March 2, 1985 | TBA |
| 19 | "Who's Trying to Kill Miss Globe?" | Mike Vejar | Story by : Donald Ross Teleplay by : Joe Gannon | March 9, 1985 | 3-J19 |
| 20 | "Adams' Ribs" | John D. Hancock | Robert Hamilton | March 23, 1985 | 3-J20 |
| 21 | "Jack of Spades" | Christopher Hibler | Stan Berkowitz | March 30, 1985 | TBA |
| 22 | "Passions" | Don Carlos Dunaway | Doug Heyes Jr. | April 6, 1985 | TBA |
References
edit- ^ "Cover Up 1x07 (Excerpt) Jon-Erik Hexum Memorial". Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved Oct 22, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Davidson, Casey; Shaw, Jessica (1995-04-28). "Monitor: Pop Culture News". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2011-03-26. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
- ^ Snauffer, Douglas (2008). The Show Must Go On - How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 88–92. ISBN 978-0-7864-3295-0.
- ^ "Jon-Erik Hexum Fatal Joke". Entertainment Weekly. 1994-10-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
- ^ TV.com. "Cover Up: Golden Opportunity". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ^ TV.com. "Cover Up: Writer's Block". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
External links
edit- Cover Up at IMDb
- Cover Up at epguides.com