''The Wizard'' is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

television series created by

Michael Berk Michael Berk is an American television screenwriter. He worked with Douglas Schwartz as a writer on the television series '' Manimal'', and many made-for-television movies. He wrote the earlier scripts of the series ''Baywatch'', and is also kn ...

Douglas Schwartz Douglas Schwartz is an American television screenwriter and series creator who, along with Michael Berk, worked as a writer on the television series '' Manimal'', and multiple made for television movies. He is most famous for creating co-produci ...

, and Paul B. Radin, that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from September 9, 1986 to March 12, 1987, during the 1986-1987 television season.

Premise

Simon McKay is a genius and inventor with dwarfism who chooses to spend his life as a philanthropist and innovative toymaker dedicated to preserving and protecting innocence. CIC agent Alex Jagger is assigned to protect Simon from the evil forces who wish to use Simon's genius for their own nefarious purposes. They are soon joined by Simon's long time friend, Tillie Russell. Simon, Alex, and Tillie become a family unit working together through adventure and adversity, especially when it comes to defeating Simon's self-proclaimed arch-enemy, Troyan, who would rather seek revenge upon the world for his suffering from the radiation poisoning he brought upon himself than take responsibility for his own actions.

Cast

Main

David Rappaport David Stephen Rappaport (23 November 1951 – 2 May 1990) was an English actor with achondroplasia. He appeared in the films '' Time Bandits'' and '' The Bride'', and television series '' L.A. Law'', '' The Wizard'' and ''Captain Planet and the ...

as Simon McKay *

Douglas Barr Douglas Barr (born May 1, 1949), also credited as Doug Barr, is an American actor, writer, and director. He has starred in movies and on television. Barr was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His big role came in the ABC TV series ''The Fall Guy'' ...

as Alex Jagger *

Fran Ryan Fran Mary Ryan (November 29, 1916 January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Career Ryan began performing at the age of six at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre. ...

as Tillie Russell

Gates McFadden Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is usually credited as Cheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer and Gates McFadden for acting work. She is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher ...

appeared as an intended regular in the series pilot, but was replaced by Fran Ryan for the regular series.

Guest stars

* Macon McCalman as Linden ("El Dorado", "The Other Side") *

Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British actor famed for his portrayal of the antiquarian John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo play '' Brief Lives''. Abroad, he won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway r ...

as Troyan ("Reunion", "Twist of Fate", "Trouble in the Stars") *

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Japanese: 田川洋行, ''Tagawa Hiroyuki''; born September 27, 1950) is a Japanese-born American actor, film producer, and martial artist. Often cast as villains, he is known for his film roles in ''The Last Emperor'' ...

as Mr. Cheng ("Reunion", "Trouble in the Stars") * Peter Kent as Poole ("Reunion", "Trouble in the Stars")

Episodes

Save The Wizard Campaign

Midway through the first season

and

received word from

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...

that ''The Wizard'' was being abruptly canceled. Rather than simply accept this, Berk and Schwartz worked to obtain a guarantee of the series' filming continuance through the end of the season. Immediately following this incident, Berk and Schwartz created the Save The Wizard Campaign. This campaign included making personal phone calls and sending out letters and special flyersThe Wizard Website: Save The Wizard Campaign Index
/ref> asking fans of ''The Wizard'' to write in to the CBS Television executive office to tell what the show meant to them, as well as asking them to send letter copies to ''The Wizards administrative office. Letters and petitions poured in from all over the United States and Canada. School children and families sent in letters collectively, while adults collected signatures. Despite the ambitious campaign, the studio executives did not change their minds regarding the cancellation. The series has yet to be released on DVD despite some fan attempts.

References

External links

*
The Wizard Official Fansite & Definitive Cyberhome
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wizard, The 1986 American television series debuts 1987 American television series endings CBS original programming Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows set in Ohio