''The Fall Guy'' is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

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 spo ...

television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars

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 ...

, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

s who moonlight as

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

Plot

Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) is a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

stunt man moonlighting as a

. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training, Howie Munson (Douglas Barr), and by fellow stuntwoman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas).

Cast

as Colt Seavers * Douglas Barr as Howie "Kid" Munson * Heather Thomas as Jody Banks * Jo Ann Pflug as Samantha "Big Jack" Jack (1981–1982) * Markie Post as Terri Shannon / Michaels (1982–1985)

Production

Seavers's truck was a Rounded-Line 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside with the Sierra Grande equipment package. A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used. During the show's initial series, the stunts took their toll on the modified production trucks, supplied at low cost to the production by

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

, so several different years, makes (Chevy/GMC), and models were used during the show's initial run. From the second season, General Motors supplied three specially adapted trucks for the stunt sequences, with the engine moved to a mid-chassis position immediately under the cab seat.

Intros

The series introductions were mainly composed of scenes from the series itself, and from risky stunt scenes of various films predating 1981. The theme song, "Unknown Stuntman", was sung by

and later released as a single.

Episodes

Home media

On June 5, 2007,

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

released the first season of ''The Fall Guy'' on DVD in Region 1. Season one was released on DVD in Region 2 in Germany and the UK. Season two has also been released in Region 2, in Germany on November 28, 2008, and in the UK on February 16, 2009, all with edits.

Reception

These are the

Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...

Legacy

A board game adaptation of the show was released by the

Milton Bradley Company Milton Bradley Company or simply Milton Bradley (MB) was an American board game manufacturer established by Milton Bradley (1836-1911) in Springfield, Massachusetts, Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production o ...

in 1981. A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for ''

Look-In ''Look-in'' was a children's magazine centred on ITV's television programmes in the United Kingdom, and subtitled "The Junior '' TVTimes''". It ran from 9 January 1971 to 12 March 1994.Elite Systems Elite Systems is a British video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. It is known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games. Elite also published compilations of games on the Hit-Pak ...

in 1984. It aired in reruns as part of the CBS Late Movie from 1984-85 and went into rerun syndication in the autumn of 1986, which eventually included a run on FX. In 2024, it was added to the H&I lineup in the US, and in 2025, to the lineup on the

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

channel in the UK. The first two series are available for streaming on Prime Video. In September 2020,

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

announced the film '' The Fall Guy'', loosely based on the television series, starring

Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling ( ; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. His work includes both independent films and major studio features, and his accolades include a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a ...

and directed by

David Leitch David Leitch (; born November 16, 1975) is an American filmmaker, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor. He made his directorial debut on the action film ''John Wick'' (2014) with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. He la ...

. It was released on May 3, 2024 to positive reviews and did good business, but insufficient to recoup its costs, which were significant.

and Heather Thomas appear together in a cameo as police officers.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fall Guy, The 1981 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings American action adventure television series American action comedy television series American Broadcasting Company television dramas American English-language television shows Fictional bounty hunters Fictional stunt performers Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television series created by Glen A. Larson Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into video games Television shows set in Los Angeles