''Raven'' is an American

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

series that originally aired on

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

from June 19, 1992 to April 30, 1993. The series was created by executive producer

Frank Lupo Frank Lupo (January 22, 1955 – February 18, 2021) was an American television writer and producer who created or co-created many successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. In collaboration with Stephen J. Cannell, Lupo created such show ...

and produced in association with

Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution company. It is the second name of Columbia Pictures' television division Screen Gems ...

for CBS.

Overview

Jonathon Raven is a

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

-trained 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 ...

agent, retired in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to search for his long-lost son. Avoiding assassins sent to kill him by his former associates in the Black Dragon Clan, he uses his skills to help those in need. He is assisted by his former military buddy turned eccentric private investigator, Herman Jablonski.

Plot

When Jonathon Raven was twelve years old, his parents were killed by the Black Dragon. He trained with them for many years in the deadly martial arts with the hopes of mastering their lethal skill and then using it against them for vengeance. Although he succeeded in infiltrating them, the Black Dragon are many in number, and are now bent on destroying Raven's bloodline. His one true love, a beautiful Japanese woman named Aki, becomes pregnant with their son at the same time the Black Dragon clan is after Raven's life. Aki dies shortly after giving birth to their son, but before she dies, she realizes that her son's life is in danger. Jonathon learns of his wife's plan of hiding their son from imperilment, but never gets to see him or attain the knowledge of his location. Later on, he joins the U.S. Special Forces and becomes one of their top assassins under a man named Nick Henderson. After many complications and regrets, Raven leaves the Special Forces and continues his search for his long-lost son. His search eventually leads him to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he believes his son may be. Raven is on a lifelong journey in search of his son, and is willing to risk his life along the way to find him and ensure the safety of his life, with the aid of his old military buddy – a private investigator named Herman "Ski" Jablonski.

Cast

Jeffrey Meek Jeffrey William Meek (born February 11, 1959) is an American actor. Meek and his family moved often; as a child, Meek lived in Zweibrücken (West Germany), Michigan and San Francisco. Meek graduated from Arlington High School in Riverside, Cal ...

as Jonathon Raven *

Lee Majors Lee Majors (born Harvey Lee Yeary; April 23, 1939) is an American actor. He portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley on the American television Western series '' The Big Valley'' (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin on the American television sc ...

as Herman "Ski" Jablonski *

Andy Bumatai Andrew Jackson Bumatai (born December 24, 1953) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, television host and producer from Hawaii. He is of Native Hawaiian, Filipino, French and German ancestry. Early life Bumatai was born in Germany to a Germ ...

as The Big Kahuna

Episodes

Original Pilot

#Raven: Return of the Black Dragons – 90 minutes (without commercials)

Season 1: 1992

Season 2: 1993

Home media

The complete series as originally broadcast on

(including the abbreviated 70 minute pilot) was released as a

manufacture-on-demand Build-on-demand or manufacturing on demand (MOD) refers to a manufacturing process where goods are produced only when or as they are required. This allows scalability and adjustable assemblies depending on the current needs of the part requestor or ...

DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on April 5, 2016. Mill Creek Entertainment announced the re-releasing of the series on DVD.

References

External links

* * {{Discogs release, 180177, Raven (Original Soundtrack From The TV Series) Ninja television series Television series by Sony Pictures Television CBS original programming American martial arts television series American English-language television shows 1990s American drama television series 1990s American mystery television series 1992 American television series debuts 1993 American television series endings American action adventure television series Television shows set in Hawaii Television shows filmed in Hawaii Television series created by Frank Lupo Japan in non-Japanese culture Vigilante television series CBS television dramas