This short-lived Sunday action show from ABC dramatised life above-and-below-decks onboard the (fictional) USS Georgetown in the modern, peacetime US Navy.
The handsome young fighter pilots were straight out of the hit movie Top Gun – “Sierra” (Ken Olandt), “Anzac” (John David Bland) and “Beebee” (Cec Verrell) – the latter a woman who was better than any of the men but couldn’t get sea duty because of her gender.
In command of the pilots was Commander Jim Coleman (Robert Hooks), a black officer on his first big assignment, and worried about it. The ship’s commander was Captain Henry K. “Hank” Madigan (Dale Dye).
The shipboard equivalent of the town cop was Master-at-Arms Luis Cruz (Gerardo Mejía), an earnest young military policeman who wanted to become a boxer. Rosie (Tasia Valenza) was a giggly medical assistant and Willoughby (Michael Sharrett) was the expert young radarman.
The Georgetown was the pride of San Miguel Naval Base, where off-duty personnel frequented Billie’s Bar, run by salty old Billie Costello (Marie Windsor).
Based (loosely) on a George C. Wilson book of the same name, initially, the show was shot on the real-life USS John F. Kennedy (exteriors) and USS Missouri (Interiors), but the US Navy withdrew its support after the first episode aired due to the steamy and controversial plotlines – including an onboard love scene (which was deleted), hot-shot pilots crashing $20 million jets into the sea, and the discovery of cocaine on board.
The series was launched in March 1988 but sank quickly off the ABC schedule. Murder, She Wrote and Family Ties sent the show to the bottom in just eight weeks’ time.
Capt. Henry K “Hank” Madigan Dale Dye Lt Jack “Sierra” DePalma
Ken Olandt Lt Ruth “Beebee” Ruthkowski
Cec Verrell Lt Doyle “ANZAC” Sampson
John David Bland Commander Jim Coleman
Robert Hooks Master-at-Arms 1st Class Luis Cruz
Gerardo Mejía Master Chief Sam Rivers
Richard Jaeckel Ocean Specialist 1st Class Donald Willoughby
Michael Sharrett Yeoman 1st Class Rosie Henriques
Tasia Valenza Seaman Apprentice Raymond Lafitte
Matthew Walker Lt. Dave Rawley
Alex Hyde-White Billie Costello
Marie Windsor
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