Dirty Dozen, The

1 9 8 8 (USA)
1 x 120 minute episode
12 x 60 minute episodes

The struggling FOX network turned to a tried-and-true property in an effort to build a new ratings hit for its weak Saturday night schedule with this weekly series based on the blockbuster 1967 movie of the same name. None of the familiar faces from the original film (or the three NBC made-for-TV sequels) took part in the new show, which was filmed in Yugoslavia.

Lieutenant Danko (Ben Murphy) is a military prisoner during World War II who has been busted to Private and jailed for attempting to kill a superior officer whose refusal to provide covering fire led to the loss of 80 men in Danko’s battalion.

When the US Army decides to form a group of soldiers to infiltrate enemy lines in Europe on off-the-record suicide missions, Major General Worth (Frank Marth) approaches Danko and offers him a deal – his freedom for leading the specialised unit.

Danko accepts, is given the rank of second lieutenant for the duration of his assignment, and visits the (fictitious) Marston-Tyne Military Prison to choose his squad: expert forger Dylan Leeds (John Slattery); Cajun demolitions expert Jean Lebec (John D’Aquino), who was unjustly accused of being a rapist by his mistress when her officer husband discovered them; Hungarian-born Nazi hater Janosz Feke (Jon Tenney); expert marksman Vern Beaubuff (Mike Jolly); Vern’s sharp-tongued bother, Roy (Glenn Withrow); Dana Jankowski (Jamie Koss), a woman who killed the man who raped her; Irwin Moskowitz (Daniel Roebuck), a Jew seeking revenge; Anglo-hating Mexican Paco Fuentes (Michael DeLorenzo); Mexican-hating Anglo Kale Brody (Pat Skipper), and – oddest of them all – Jonathan Farrell (John Bradley), a former male model and aspiring actor who assaulted a captain for borrowing his shampoo. He signs on for the suicide mission because it would be “good publicity” for him.

Unlike the original movie, there aren’t many real creeps in this lineup, and all are offered complete pardons when the war ends.

Plenty of A-Team style violence ensued, with thousands of rounds of ammo fired but very little blood spilt on camera. The writers did what they could to make killing fun.

Despite the title of the series, the two-hour pilot was the only episode in which the team had twelve members.

A number of them died during the pilot’s climactic battle, and for the rest of the series, the regular team comprised Danko, Leeds, Feke, Lebec and Farrell, with guest actors rounding out the group each week – usually to be killed off by the hour’s end.

Lieutenant Danko
Ben Murphy
Jean Lebec
John D’Aquino
Dylan Leeds
John Slattery
Janosz Feke
Jon Tenney
Jonathan Farrell
John Bradley
Vern Beaubuff
Mike Jolly
Roy Beaubuff
Glenn Withrow
Dana Jankowski
Jamie Koss
Irwin Moskowitz
Daniel Roebuck
Paco Fuentes
Michael DeLorenzo
Kale Brody
Pat Skipper
Master Sergeant Cutter
Barry Cullison
Sgt Butts
Lanny Flaherty
Major General Worth
Frank Marth

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