''Cover Up'' was a television series that aired for one season on CBS from September 22, 1984, to April 6, 1985. Created by Glen A. Larson, it starred

Jennifer O'Neill Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948) is a Brazilian-born American author, model, and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model (person), model, and for he ...

Jon-Erik Hexum Jon-Erik Hexum (; November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American actor and model, known for his lead roles in the TV series '' Voyagers!'' and '' Cover Up'', and his supporting role as Pat Trammell in the biopic '' The Bear''. He died by ...

, Antony Hamilton, and

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. One of his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) in ...

Plot

Following the death of her husband, fashion photographer Dani Reynolds discovers that he was actually an undercover CIA agent. When she learns he was murdered, she recruits Mac Harper, a former

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

soldier, to help her find the killers. Dani accepts an offer from Henry Towler, her husband's boss, to take his place as an agent. She uses her photography work as a cover, accompanied by Mac as her model, and Henry dispatches the pair all over the world to assist American citizens in trouble or apprehend criminals. Once they reach a destination, they typically have to act on their own judgment and experience with little or no expectation of outside help. After the death of actor

, who played Mac, the episode "Writer's Block" introduced Dani's new assistant, Jack Striker. Jack was a CIA agent who, like Mac, operated under the cover of a model. At the end of "Writer's Block", the following message was displayed instead of the closing credits to explain that Hexum would no longer appear in the series: "When a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for milleniums...John- Hexum died in October of this year... but the lives he touched will continue to be brightened by his light... forever... and ever..."

Cast

as Dani Reynolds *

as Mac Harper * Antony Hamilton as Jack Striker *

as Henry Towler

Production

Jon-Erik Hexum appeared in eight episodes, including the pilot. He was replaced by Antony Hamilton for the remainder of the season. Jennifer O'Neill appeared in all of the episodes. Despite the change in the lead male character, the ratings held steady throughout the winter of 1984–85, though insufficient to avoid cancellation after its first season.

On-set accident

During a break between scenes on the set on Friday, October 12, 1984, Hexum became bored with filming delays. He began playing

Russian roulette Russian roulette () is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against the head or body (their opponent's or their own), and pulls the trigger. If the ...

with a fully functional .44 Magnum revolver whose cylinder was empty except for one chamber loaded with a

blank cartridge A blank is a firearm cartridge that, when fired, does not shoot a projectile like a bullet or pellet, but generates a muzzle flash and an explosive sound ( muzzle report) like a normal gunshot would. Firearms may need to be modified to allow a ...

. He jokingly spun the cylinder, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. The firing pin struck the blank, discharging it and generating enough force to fracture his skull. A bone fragment the size of a quarter was driven into Hexum's brain, causing massive hemorrhaging, and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He was declared brain dead on October 18 and taken off life support that same day.

Episodes

References

External links

* *{{epguides, id=CoverUp, title=Cover Up 1984 American television series debuts 1985 American television series endings 1980s American drama television series American action television series American English-language television shows American spy television series Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series created by Glen A. Larson American action adventure television series Television shows set in Fairfax County, Virginia Television shows set in Virginia CBS television dramas