Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1980s 4 Mins Read

    Wiseguy

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 8 7 – 1 9 9 0 (USA)
    74 x 60 minute episodes

    Filmed on location in Vancouver (Canada), this show was never a ratings success, but it developed a cult following among viewers and TV writers alike when it debuted on CBS in 1987.

    Via an innovative story structure, Wiseguy followed the adventures of undercover cop Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl) who worked for the Organised Crime Bureau (OCB) and infiltrated various mob organisations to take them down from the inside.

    In order to establish his credibility with the underworld, Terranova had served eighteen months in prison.

    Under the watchful eye of superior Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks) and with the covert assistance of communications expert  “Lifeguard” (Jim Byrnes), Vinnie first went after Atlantic City kingpin Sonny Steelgrave (Ray Sharkey) before moving on to tackle the wacky brother and sister team of evil, utterly unstable crime-king Mel Profitt (Kevin Spacey) and his sister Susan (the pneumatic Joan Severance).

    Mel and Susan enjoyed a “very close relationship” and spent a good deal of their time aboard their huge yacht, dubbed Hotel. Mel and Susan used the boat mainly as a floating drugs-and-sex crash pad when they weren’t gallivanting about the world cutting various narcotics and arms deals.

    From there, everything got messy, both on and off-camera. Mel ended up killing himself, Susan wound up in a mental hospital, and Vinnie uncovered a near-incomprehensible arrangement involving rogue CIA operatives.

    As a result, Vinnie quit the OCB and took a job at a gas station in his old Brooklyn neighbourhood. Unfortunately, exposure to the racists in the neighbourhood convinced him he could bring them down by going back to the Bureau.

    He then went undercover as a garment centre security consultant to save the Elrose Fashions dress firm belonging to Eli Sternberg (Jerry Lewis) from the clutches of mobster Rick Pinzolo (Stanley Tucci).

    Vinnie’s next undercover job, as the owner of Dead Dog Records, gave him the chance to nail corrupt players in the big-money rock music business. It also resulted in a torrid love affair with Amber Twine (Patti D’Arbanville), the wife of his music business partner, Isaac Twine (Paul Winfield). Real-life rockers Deborah Harry, Glenn Frey, and Mick Fleetwood made guest appearances.

    Meanwhile, Vinnie’s mother, Carlotta (Elsa Raven), had married Rudy Aiuppo (George O Petrie), the most powerful organized crime boss in New York. An assassination attempt on Don Aiuppo, ironically, left Vinnie with his seat on ‘the Commission’ – the governing body of New York’s organised crime.

    While his stepfather recovered in the hospital, Vinnie worked to track down the people responsible for the hit as well as to provide information to the OCB.

    Pressure from politicians who believed Vinnie was a mobster forced him out of that position, but not before Don Aiuppo found out his stepson was a Fed.

    Vinnie’s last major case for the OCB took him to rural Lynchboro where, as Vince Kozak, he sought to bring down reclusive Mark Volchek (Steve Ryan), the demented man who ran the town.

    After witnessing the electrocution/ suicide of Lynchboro’s sheriff, Vinnie went into an emotional funk and disappeared, taking menial work and trying to get himself together.

    He was last seen in a wharfside church where a former foe, seeking revenge, tried to take him out, killing the priest and wounding Frank McPike instead.

    Meanwhile, after what most in the know termed a “disagreement” with series creator and all-around TV legend Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero), the show returned to the airwaves with no Wahl and Steven Bauer as Vinny replacement Michael Santana.

    What happened? Only the players themselves know for sure. Cannell said Wahl quit. Wahl said he was pushed out. Either way, they managed to sort it out to shoot a TV movie revival for ABC in 1996.

    Vinnie Terranova 
    Ken Wahl
    Frank McPike 

    Jonathan Banks
    “Lifeguard” (Daniel Benjamin Burroughs)
    Jim Byrnes
    Sonny Steelgrave 

    Ray Sharkey
    Mel Profitt 

    Kevin Spacey
    Susan Profitt 

    Joan Severance
    Eli Sternberg
    Jerry Lewis
    Rick Pinzolo
    Stanley Tucci
    Amber Twine
    Patti D’Arbanville
    Isaac Twine
    Paul Winfield
    Carlotta Terranova Aiuppo
    Elsa Raven
    Don Rudy Aiuppo
    George O Petrie
    Mark Volchek
    Steve Ryan
    Fr. Peter Terranova
    Gerald Anthony
    Michael Santana 
    Steven Bauer

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Shannon's Mob
      Shannon's Mob
      1 9 7 4 (Australia) 'The Mob' was an undercover intelligence organisation headed up by Dave Shannon (who never appeared on…
    • Silent Force, The
      Silent Force, The
      1 9 7 0 - 1 9 7 1 (USA) 15 x 30 minute episodes 'The Silent Force' was a strike…
    • Travelling Man
      Travelling Man
      1 9 8 4 - 1 9 8 5 (UK) 13 x 60 minute episodes This midweek drama series from…
    • Tightrope (USA)
      Tightrope (USA)
      1 9 5 9 - 1 9 6 0 (USA) 37 x 30 minute episodes Mike Connors played an unnamed undercover…
    • Littlest Hobo, The
      Littlest Hobo, The
      1 9 6 3 - 1 9 6 5 (Canada) 1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 5 (Canada) There's a…
    • Crime Story
      Crime Story
      1 9 8 6 - 1 9 8 8 (USA) 43 x 60 minute episodes The saga of a Chicago police…
    • Cain's Hundred
      Cain's Hundred
      1 9 6 1 - 1 9 6 2 (USA) 30 x 60 minute episodes The story of Nicholas Cain (Peter…
    • Welcome to Paradox
      Welcome to Paradox
      1 9 9 8 (Canada) 13 x 45 minute episodes A big-budget Canadian science fiction anthology series that looked to the…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleTwo Marriages
    Next Article Murder, She Wrote

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Ford Escort
      As well as the Cortina getting the flared treatment, its little […]
    • Adventures Of Barry McKenzie, The (1972)
      A sex-hungry Australian (pardon the tautology) gets into all […]
    • Earthquake (1974)
      This blockbuster disaster film had a dumb script and lacklustre […]
    • Palmerstown USA
      1 9 8 0 – 1 9 8 1 (USA) 17 x 60 minute episodes This CBS […]
    • Wedding Singer, The (1998)
      Adam Sandler is pitch-perfect in his role here as hopelessly […]
    • Riptide
      1 9 6 9 (Australia) 26 x 60 minute episodes Riptide was an […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.