Action Pack (television)
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''Action Pack'', also called Universal Action Pack, was a syndicated programming block series of television movies and
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
created by
Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...
that aired from 1994 until 2001. The ''Action Pack'' included two hours of various television series produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by MCA TV (later known as Universal Television Enterprises and Studios USA Television Distribution).


Background

Previously, there were three attempts by MCA TV/Universal Television to launch some sort of organized independent programming. First, MCA TV launched the ad hoc movie Universal Pictures Debut Network in 1985. With Premier Program Service, MCA TV teamed up with Paramount for this planned network by October 1989, which was abandoned in February 1990. The last was a two night three-series Hollywood Premiere Network in 1990–91.


History

In 1994, the ''Action Pack'' initially ran as a wheel series of television movies, which were all effectively pilots; if successful, they would become TV series the following season.Mysteries Surrounding the Creation of the Syndicated Television Show XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS
Whoosh Online Edition. Issue Three. November 1996.
The initial plan was for four films created from six franchises for the block, including '' TekWar'', ''
Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American action comedy road film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. The film marks the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham ...
'', ''
Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest from a screenplay by George Gallo. It stars Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton (actor), John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano. In the ...
'', '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Vanishing Son'' and the working title ''Fastlane'' when offered at programming executive conference in January 1994. On January 17 and 18, 1994, a dozen stations showed '' TekWar'', the premiere TV movie of the programming block. The stations' ratings increased greatly with a 350% increase in KOFY in San Francisco. MCA cut Rob Cohen's ''Midnight Run'' to three films, so that star Christopher McDonald could star in a feature film. Cohen produced '' Knight Rider 2010'' as a replacement. The block aired its first season until January 1995 and lost $30 million. ''TekWar'' was picked up as a regular TV series for the
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
instead of Action Pack, starting in January 1995. From January to June 1995, the block included ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and ''Vanishing Son''. The ''Hercules'' series became a surprise hit as the third most-watched first-run syndicated action hour. From September 1995 through January 2000, ''Action Pack'' included ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and its spinoff, '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. A year after ''Hercules'' ended its run, the ''Universal Action Pack'' launched the ''Back2Back Action Hour'' consisting of two thirty-minute series: '' Jack of All Trades'' and ''
Cleopatra 2525 ''Cleopatra 2525'' is an American science fiction television series that aired in syndication for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001. Produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by Studios USA Television Distribution, many stat ...
'' to air alongside ''Xena''. The lineup lasted until second quarter 2001. ''Jack of All Trades'' and ''Xena'' were canceled and ''Cleopatra 2525'' was increased to an hour-long show in January 2001. After ''Xena'', the most successful series on the ''Action Pack'', completed airing its final season's reruns in the summer of 2001, ''Cleopatra 2525'' also stopped production and the ''Action Pack'' block was discontinued.


Television movies

The television movies aired during the ''Action Pack's'' first year included:
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
series: *'' Hercules and the Amazon Women'' *''
Hercules and the Lost Kingdom ''Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'' is the second television movie in the syndicated fantasy series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. In the film, Hercules comes to the aid of a young woman who is seeking the lost city of Troy. Eventually ...
'' *'' Hercules and the Circle of Fire'' *'' Hercules in the Underworld'' *'' Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur'' TekWar (Based on
the books The Books were an American-Dutch duo, formed in New York City in 1999, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong. Their music typically incorporated samples of obscure sounds and speech. They released three cri ...
by
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
): *''Tekwar'' *'' TekLords'' *''Teklab'' *''TekJustice'', an original story The Midnight Run Action Pack,
Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest from a screenplay by George Gallo. It stars Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton (actor), John Ashton, Dennis Farina and Joe Pantoliano. In the ...
films (spin-offs of the 1988
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
film): *'' Another Midnight Run'' *'' Midnight Runaround'' *'' Midnight Run for Your Life''
Bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...
series (spin-off of the ''
Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American action comedy road film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. The film marks the directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham ...
'' trilogy): *''Bandit Goes Country'' *''Bandit Bandit'' *''Beauty and the Bandit'' *''Bandit's Silver Angel'' Vanishing Son films: *''Vanishing Son I'' *''Vanishing Son II'' *''Vanishing Son III'' *''Vanishing Son IV'' Starting as a series of four made-for-television movies in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, the series debuted on January 16, 1995. ''Vanishing Son I'', ''Vanishing Son II'', ''Vanishing Son III'', and ''Vanishing Son IV'', were aired on February 28, July 18, July 25, and October 10, 1994, respectively. The series was groundbreaking for the casting of an Asian male in an attractive leading-man role. An additional movie was a part of the initial lineup; titled ''Fastlane'', it was set to be directed by
John Landis John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing comedy films such as ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977), ''Animal House, National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978), The Blues Brothers (f ...
and would concern two friends finding a spaceship/car hybrid vehicle. However, for unknown reasons the project never actually made it to air. The "shell" prop for the spaceship/car (which was designed to fit over a
Pontiac Fiero The Pontiac Fiero is a Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, rear mid-engine, light sports car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac for model years 1984 – 1988. Intended as an economical commuter car with modest perf ...
) was auctioned off in 2007. *'' Knight Rider 2010'' (1994) *'' The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space'' (December 9, 1995) * '' Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus'' (May 24, 1996) * ''Atlantis: The Lost Continent'', first shown on a Starz/Encore network channel in March 1997 before being run on Action Pack as a pilot TV film in August 1997. When it finally aired it was known as '' Escape from Atlantis''.


Series

*'' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' * '' Vanishing Son'' * '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' * ''Back2Back Action Hour'' **'' Jack of All Trades'' **''
Cleopatra 2525 ''Cleopatra 2525'' is an American science fiction television series that aired in syndication for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001. Produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by Studios USA Television Distribution, many stat ...
''


Theme song

The theme song is used in the ''Action Pack'' opening sequence, sponsorships, as well as the full version of the theme used in promos for the TV movies. The theme was composed by Velton Ray Bunch.


Carrying stations

*
KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is ...
, Los Angeles, CA * KLRT, Little Rock, AR * KOFY, San Francisco, CA *
WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local market ...
, New York, NY * WSBK, WLVI, Boston, MA * KPLR, St. Louis, MO * WBZL, Miami, FL * KDFW, KTXA, KDFI, KDAF, Dallas, TX * KHWB Houston, TX * WGN, Chicago, IL * KWBP, Portland, OR * WCWB, Pittsburgh, PA *
WATL WATL (channel 36) is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate WXIA-TV (channel 11). The two stations share studios at One Monroe Place on the nort ...
, WGNX, WUPA, Atlanta, GA * WDCA-20, WDCW, Washington, DC * WFLX, West Palm Beach, FL * KYES, Anchorage, AK * KHON, Honolulu, HI * WJWB, Jacksonville, FL * WNUV, WBFF, Baltimore, MD * WFLI, Chattanooga, TN * WFVT, Rock Hill, SC / Charlotte, NC * WLMT-TV, Memphis, TN * WPSG, WPHL, Philadelphia, PA *
WFTC WFTC (channel 9.2) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet ...
, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN * WKBD, WDWB, Detroit, MI * WKCF, WOFL, Orlando, FL *
WTVT WTVT (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, serving as the Fox network outlet for the Tampa Bay area. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, WTVT maintains studios on Ken ...
,
WTSP WTSP (channel 10) is a television station licensed to St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area as an affiliate of CBS. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Gandy Boulevard on St. Petersburg's ...
, Tampa, FL *
KUTP KUTP (channel 45), branded Fox 10 Xtra, is a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox out ...
, Phoenix, AZ *
WUAB WUAB (channel 43) is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Media alongside CBS affiliate WOIO (channel 19), Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6) ...
, Cleveland, OH * WSTR, Cincinnati, OH * WPMT, WLYH, Harrisburg, PA * WYZZ, Peoria, IL *
WVTV WVTV (channels 18 and 24) is a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with The CW and owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on Calumet Road in the Park Place office park near the I-41 ...
, Milwaukee, WI * WAAY, WZDX, Huntsville, AL * WTIC, Hartford, CT * WUXP,
WZTV WZTV (channel 17) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox and The CW. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WUXP-TV (channel 30) as well as ...
, Nashville, TN * KIRO,
KSTW KSTW (channel 11), branded on-air as Seattle 11, is an independent television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, serving the Seattle area. Owned by the CBS News and Stations group, the station maintains its transmitter on ...
, Seattle, WA * KCYU, Yakima, WA * KREM, Spokane, WA *
WGNT WGNT (channel 27) is an independent television station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, serving the Hampton Roads area. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk-licensed CBS affiliate WTKR (ch ...
, Norfolk, VA * WRBL, Columbus, GA * WFXL, Albany, GA * WKPT, Johnson City, TN * WTNZ, Knoxville, TN * WCJB, Gainesville, FL * KOCB, Oklahoma City, OK * WNKY, Bowling Green, KY * KDSM, Des Moines, IA * WJBF, Augusta, GA * KAAL, Rochester, MN * WTVQ, WDKY, Lexington, KY * KOAT, Albuquerque, NM * WEYB, WPDE, Florence, SC * WACH, Columbia, SC * KWGN, Denver, CO


References

{{Reflist, 2 Television syndication packages Television programming blocks in the United States First-run syndicated television programs in the United States 1990s American television series 1994 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings Television series by Universal Television