''B.L. Stryker'' is an American detective drama that aired on ABC from February 13, 1989, to May 5, 1990, as part of the ''

ABC Mystery Movie ''The NBC Mystery Movie'' is an American television anthology series produced by Universal Pictures, that NBC broadcast from 1971 to 1977. Devoted to a rotating series of mystery episodes, it was sometimes split into two subsets broadcast on di ...

'' umbrella group, along with ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'', and ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

''.

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

was one of the series' executive producers. The series starred

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...

, Dana Kaminski and

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

. Reynolds also directed several of the episodes. Each B.L. Stryker episode was two hours long, and took approximately a month to film. The first season of BLStryker was seven, two hour episodes that aired every three weeks, broadcast on Monday nights from 9PM to 11 PM, on ABC. In the second season, the show was aired on Saturday nights.

Premise

Reynolds portrays Buddy Lee Stryker, aka B.L., a

Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

vet and retired

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who has moved back home to the other side of the tracks in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

, and is working as a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

. Stryker lives on a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. Ho ...

and drives an old

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...

, and occasionally scrapes up a client while trying to avoid being relocated for not paying his slip fees.

Cast

as B.L. Stryker *

as Oz Jackson, Stryker's best friend and a former boxer *

as Kimberly Baskin, Stryker's ex-wife (6 episodes) * Dana Kaminski, as “Lyynda Lennox” was a series regular, starting in BL Stryker’s second episode.and throughout the two seasons on ABC, as Stryker's assistant. (11 episodes) * Michael O. Smith as Chief McGee * Alfie Wise as Oliver Wardell, diminutive owner of the marina at which Stryker's boat is moored, and frequently Stryker's comic foil * James C. Lewis as Captain Cartrude, Palm Beach police (10 episodes) *Bam Rubenstein as UFO Biker

Production

Reynolds decided to return to television after appearing in a number of mediocre movies. The deal came together very fast; ABC approached Reynolds and he agreed to make it in two days. Reynolds says he was attracted by the fact the series gave him six months off and considerable creative control, and it would be shot in Florida where he lived.

Episodes

Season 1 (1989)

Season 2 (1989–90)

Home media

The complete 12-episode series was released on Region 1 DVD from Arts Alliance America in a 7-disc set.B.L. Stryker: The Complete Series
at Amazon.com

References

External links

* {{Christopher Crowe 1989 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Universal Television Television series created by Christopher Crowe (screenwriter) English-language television shows The ABC Mystery Movie American detective television series