Cobra (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Cobra was an American television action/adventure series starring Michael Dudikoff
. It ran for just one season in syndication.
who went A.W.O.L.
after refusing to blow up an enemy command center housing civilians. He disappeared to the wilderness of Alaska
, changing his name and appearance, and became a teacher in a small Inuit
community. But a part of his past caught up to him and he was shot in the face, his comatose body left for dead. He awoke in the hospital three weeks later and found himself with a new face and a new chance at life, thanks to a woman named Danielle LaPoint.
Danielle offered him a job with "Cobra", an undercover anti-crime agency that provides justice for victims who haven't benefited from the system. Scandal is reluctant to leave his Alaskan life behind, but then her boss, Dallas Cassel, makes him an offer he can't refuse: the chance to catch the man who murdered his father five years earlier. From behind the wheel of his classic AC Cobra
, Scandal dispenses justice in the fictional Bay City.
Starring Michael Dudikoff
(the American Ninja
series), Allison Hossack
, and James Tolkan
(the Back to the Future trilogy
), Cobra was created by legendary television producer Stephen J. Cannell
, along with Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle (both of whom later went on to create/executive produce The Pretender
for NBC
), and was filmed on location in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Lee Goldberg
& William Rabkin
were the show's supervising producers and went on to executive produce Diagnosis: Murder
and Martial Law
, among other series. Matt Dearborn
, an executive consultant on Cobra, produced several Disney Channel sitcoms, including Even Stevens
.
sued Stephen J. Cannell
for trademark infringement, and also because Chrysler was already working with CBS
on a series called Viper
that was to feature a brand new Dodge Viper
concept car. (That show ultimately aired on NBC
.) Since that series centered around a modern day Knight Rider of sorts and Cannell's show centered on a crime fighter, he figured the name could be changed without sacrificing the creative concept of the series, and so the title was changed to Cobra. Three episodes had already been filmed when the title change took place, so it appears Scandal would have still been driving the Cobra even with the show called Viper. (Source: Variety.com; March 24, 1993)
Canadian rock band Saga
was hired to produce the main theme and several additional songs for the series, to be featured in specific episodes, but most were never used. Their 1995 album Steel Umbrellas contained most of these songs. There were lyrics written and performed for the Cobra theme, "Someone is Out There," but only the instrumental version was used in the series.
): A martial artist, an expert marksman, an ex-Navy SEAL, and a former investigator for NSI, Scandal is perfectly suited to be Cobra's lead field operative. The only part of his past that remains is his vintage Cobra, which he helped his father restore when he was younger.
Danielle LaPoint (Allison Hossack
): The daughter of Cobra's founder, Quentin Avery, Danielle is more or less Scandal's partner. Her mother was killed ten years earlier, and as a result she turned to helping victims like herself by working for Cobra. She holds a Ph.D
in Psychology from Harvard University
and was personally responsible for recruiting Scandal after arguing with her father that he was the perfect choice.
Dallas Cassel (James Tolkan
): A former F.B.I.
agent, Dallas is the director of Cobra. He almost got off on the wrong foot with Scandal when he faked Scandal's death in order to secure him an honorable discharge from the Navy
, but Scandal ultimately realized it was for the best.
released Cobra: The Complete Series on DVD in Canada. The 5-disc set also features several bonus features including episode summaries and a photo gallery.
released the complete series on DVD in the US on September 29, 2009.
Michael Dudikoff
Michael Joseph Dudikoff II is an American actor who has been in numerous films, including the American Ninja series , Tron , Bachelor Party , Platoon Leader , River of Death , Soldier Boyz , Ringmaster , and The Silencer , to name a few...
. It ran for just one season in syndication.
Premise
Robert "Scandal" Jackson, Jr., is an ex-Navy SEALUnited States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
who went A.W.O.L.
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
after refusing to blow up an enemy command center housing civilians. He disappeared to the wilderness of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, changing his name and appearance, and became a teacher in a small Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
community. But a part of his past caught up to him and he was shot in the face, his comatose body left for dead. He awoke in the hospital three weeks later and found himself with a new face and a new chance at life, thanks to a woman named Danielle LaPoint.
Danielle offered him a job with "Cobra", an undercover anti-crime agency that provides justice for victims who haven't benefited from the system. Scandal is reluctant to leave his Alaskan life behind, but then her boss, Dallas Cassel, makes him an offer he can't refuse: the chance to catch the man who murdered his father five years earlier. From behind the wheel of his classic AC Cobra
AC Cobra
The AC Cobra, also known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in North America, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s.-History and development:...
, Scandal dispenses justice in the fictional Bay City.
Starring Michael Dudikoff
Michael Dudikoff
Michael Joseph Dudikoff II is an American actor who has been in numerous films, including the American Ninja series , Tron , Bachelor Party , Platoon Leader , River of Death , Soldier Boyz , Ringmaster , and The Silencer , to name a few...
(the American Ninja
American Ninja
American Ninja is a 1985 ninja action film produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus's Cannon Films. Directed by Sam Firstenberg, who specialized in this genre in the 1980s, the film stars Michael Dudikoff in the title role, with Steve James as his side-kick. Domestic box office grosses for the...
series), Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack is an actress.-Biography:Hossack attended schools in Steinbach and Killarney, Manitoba, later graduating from the Brandon University School of Music in 1988 with a B.Mus. where she majored in voice...
, and James Tolkan
James Tolkan
James S. Tolkan is an American actor, often cast as a strict, overbearing, bald-headed authority figure.-Personal life:He was born in Calumet, Michigan, the son of Ralph M. Tolkan, a cattle dealer, and attended the University of Iowa, Coe College, the Actors Studio and Eastern Arizona College...
(the Back to the Future trilogy
Back to the Future trilogy
The Back to the Future trilogy is a comedic science fiction adventure film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The main plot follows the adventures of a high school student Marty McFly and...
), Cobra was created by legendary television producer Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
, along with Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle (both of whom later went on to create/executive produce The Pretender
The Pretender (TV series)
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and was filmed on location in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Lee Goldberg
Lee Goldberg
Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter and producer, known for his work on several different TV crime series, including Diagnosis: Murder, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Hunter, Spenser: For Hire, Martial Law, She-Wolf of London, SeaQuest, 1-800-Missing, The Glades and Monk...
& William Rabkin
William Rabkin
William Rabkin is an American television producer, television writer and author.He has written for a number of notable television series namely Spenser: For Hire, Murphy's Law, Hunter, Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Monk and many other series.Nearly all of his television work has...
were the show's supervising producers and went on to executive produce Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder
Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...
and Martial Law
Martial Law (TV series)
Martial Law was a TV crime drama that ran on CBS from 1998 to 2000, and was created by Carlton Cuse. The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US.The show was a...
, among other series. Matt Dearborn
Matt Dearborn
Matthew "Matt" Dearborn is an American television producer, writer and director.-Career:Dearborn has written over 100 produced episodes of television, including, Beverly Hills, 90210, Eerie, Indiana, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Sliders, Phil of the Future and Even...
, an executive consultant on Cobra, produced several Disney Channel sitcoms, including Even Stevens
Even Stevens
Even Stevens is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel with a total of three seasons and 65 episodes from June 17, 2000, to June 2, 2003...
.
Background
Cobra was originally called Viper. However, Chrysler Corp.Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
sued Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor, and the founder of Stephen J. Cannell Productions.-Early life:...
for trademark infringement, and also because Chrysler was already working with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on a series called Viper
Viper (TV series)
Viper is an action-adventure TV series about a special task force set up by the federal government to fight crime in the fictional city of Metro City, California that is perpetually under siege from one crime wave after another. The weapon used by this task force is an assault vehicle that...
that was to feature a brand new Dodge Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
concept car. (That show ultimately aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.) Since that series centered around a modern day Knight Rider of sorts and Cannell's show centered on a crime fighter, he figured the name could be changed without sacrificing the creative concept of the series, and so the title was changed to Cobra. Three episodes had already been filmed when the title change took place, so it appears Scandal would have still been driving the Cobra even with the show called Viper. (Source: Variety.com; March 24, 1993)
Canadian rock band Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
was hired to produce the main theme and several additional songs for the series, to be featured in specific episodes, but most were never used. Their 1995 album Steel Umbrellas contained most of these songs. There were lyrics written and performed for the Cobra theme, "Someone is Out There," but only the instrumental version was used in the series.
Characters
Robert "Scandal" Jackson, Jr. (Michael DudikoffMichael Dudikoff
Michael Joseph Dudikoff II is an American actor who has been in numerous films, including the American Ninja series , Tron , Bachelor Party , Platoon Leader , River of Death , Soldier Boyz , Ringmaster , and The Silencer , to name a few...
): A martial artist, an expert marksman, an ex-Navy SEAL, and a former investigator for NSI, Scandal is perfectly suited to be Cobra's lead field operative. The only part of his past that remains is his vintage Cobra, which he helped his father restore when he was younger.
Danielle LaPoint (Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack is an actress.-Biography:Hossack attended schools in Steinbach and Killarney, Manitoba, later graduating from the Brandon University School of Music in 1988 with a B.Mus. where she majored in voice...
): The daughter of Cobra's founder, Quentin Avery, Danielle is more or less Scandal's partner. Her mother was killed ten years earlier, and as a result she turned to helping victims like herself by working for Cobra. She holds a Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Psychology from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and was personally responsible for recruiting Scandal after arguing with her father that he was the perfect choice.
Dallas Cassel (James Tolkan
James Tolkan
James S. Tolkan is an American actor, often cast as a strict, overbearing, bald-headed authority figure.-Personal life:He was born in Calumet, Michigan, the son of Ralph M. Tolkan, a cattle dealer, and attended the University of Iowa, Coe College, the Actors Studio and Eastern Arizona College...
): A former F.B.I.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
agent, Dallas is the director of Cobra. He almost got off on the wrong foot with Scandal when he faked Scandal's death in order to secure him an honorable discharge from the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, but Scandal ultimately realized it was for the best.
Season 1 (1993-1994)
- Cobra (1) (Sep 16, 1993)
- Cobra (2) (Sep 23, 1993)
- Push It (Sep 30, 1993)
- Honeymoon Hideaway (Oct 7, 1993)
- Nowhere to Run (Oct 14, 1993)
- The Gnome (Oct 21, 1993)
- Mr. Chapman, I Presume (Oct 28, 1993)
- Hostage Hearts (Nov 4, 1993)
- I'd Die For You (Nov 11, 1993)
- Something In The Air (Nov 18, 1993)
- Playing With Fire (Nov 25, 1993)
- Death On The Line (Jan 6, 1994)
- Diamond In The Rough (Jan 13, 1994)
- Lost In Cyberspace (Jan 20, 1994)
- Blast From The Past (Jan 27, 1994)
- Death Dive (Feb 3, 1994)
- Caged Fury (Feb 10, 1994)
- A Few Dead Men (Feb 17, 1994)
- Haunted Lives (Feb 24, 1994)
- Lorrinda (Apr 30, 1994)
- Precious (May 6, 1994)
- Aces and Eights (May 13, 1994)
Canada
On February 13, 2007, Visual EntertainmentVisual Entertainment
Visual Entertainment Inc. is a home video/television distribution company that is based in Toronto, Ontario Canada. It is an independent label but has managed to release quite a few well-known TV series on DVD.-Children:* The Big Adventure Series...
released Cobra: The Complete Series on DVD in Canada. The 5-disc set also features several bonus features including episode summaries and a photo gallery.
United States
Mill Creek EntertainmentMill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
released the complete series on DVD in the US on September 29, 2009.