Night Stalker (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Night Stalker is a television series that ran for six weeks in the Fall of 2005 on ABC
. The series starred Stuart Townsend
as Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter whose wife was murdered. Kolchak spends his time investigating other strange murders, believing they are linked in some way to his wife's murder. He is helped along the way by fellow crime reporter Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union
), photographer Jain McManus (Eric Jungmann
) and editor Anthony Vincenzo (Cotter Smith
).
Night Stalker was a remake of the 1974 series Kolchak: The Night Stalker
. ABC owned the rights to the original television movies, but not the Universal television series, and were limited to using only characters that had appeared in those movies.
Its premiere episode aired on September 29 on Thursday at 9 p.m. against CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
on CBS
, The Apprentice
on NBC
and the 2005 MLB Playoffs on Fox
. Night Stalker was canceled after six episodes due to low ratings. However, the Sci-Fi Channel (now known as Syfy
), which frequently airs canceled network genre shows, showed all ten filmed episodes during the summer of 2006. The ratings were poor on SciFi Channel as well. As of 2007 the show continues to air in rotation on the network's weekday series marathons.
The last episode that was aired was the first of a multi-part episode, so viewers never saw the end of the sixth story. However, some time after the cancellation, the seventh episode appeared on Apple's iTunes Music Store for download. On February 7, 2006, the final three episodes were released on iTunes.
Night Stalker is currently being re-run on "Chiller" (channel 257 – DirecTV) and (as of December 2007/January 2008) Bravo in the UK (channel 121 on Sky Digital). All ten episodes can also be viewed on Hulu
.
announced the official cancellation of the series that following Monday. On July 28, 2006, the series premiered on the Sci Fi Channel
.
In Australia, free to air station the Seven Network
and Prime
in regional areas screened the series between early June and September 2007.
Episodes aired on Saturday nights on Chiller
, beginning November 3, 2007.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The series starred Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
as Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter whose wife was murdered. Kolchak spends his time investigating other strange murders, believing they are linked in some way to his wife's murder. He is helped along the way by fellow crime reporter Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
), photographer Jain McManus (Eric Jungmann
Eric Jungmann
Eric Joseph Jungmann is an American film and television actor perhaps best known for his role of Jain McManus in Night Stalker. He also had a recurring role of Ivan, Larry Beale's yes-man in the Disney Channel original sitcom Even Stevens...
) and editor Anthony Vincenzo (Cotter Smith
Cotter Smith
Cotter Smith is an American stage, film, and television actor.-Biography:He was born Joseph Cotter Smith in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge...
).
Night Stalker was a remake of the 1974 series Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the 1974-1975 season. It featured a fictional Chicago newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly ones law...
. ABC owned the rights to the original television movies, but not the Universal television series, and were limited to using only characters that had appeared in those movies.
Its premiere episode aired on September 29 on Thursday at 9 p.m. against CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
on 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...
, The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
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...
and the 2005 MLB Playoffs on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. Night Stalker was canceled after six episodes due to low ratings. However, the Sci-Fi Channel (now known as Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
), which frequently airs canceled network genre shows, showed all ten filmed episodes during the summer of 2006. The ratings were poor on SciFi Channel as well. As of 2007 the show continues to air in rotation on the network's weekday series marathons.
The last episode that was aired was the first of a multi-part episode, so viewers never saw the end of the sixth story. However, some time after the cancellation, the seventh episode appeared on Apple's iTunes Music Store for download. On February 7, 2006, the final three episodes were released on iTunes.
Night Stalker is currently being re-run on "Chiller" (channel 257 – DirecTV) and (as of December 2007/January 2008) Bravo in the UK (channel 121 on Sky Digital). All ten episodes can also be viewed on Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
.
Main characters
- Carl Kolchak (Stuart TownsendStuart TownsendStuart Townsend is an Irish actor and director. His most notable portrayals are of the characters Lestat de Lioncourt in the 2002 film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned, and Dorian Gray in the 2003 film adaptation of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.-Early life and...
): The "believer". Reporter for the L.A. Beacon newspaper; continuously searches for his wife's murderer and supernatural happenings in LA. - Perri Reed (Gabrielle UnionGabrielle UnionGabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
): The "skeptic". Head crime reporter for the L.A. Beacon, but she trails after Kolchak like a rookie. She "helps" Kolchak in his cases of the paranormal, although she looks at the cases "normally". - Jain McManus (Eric JungmannEric JungmannEric Joseph Jungmann is an American film and television actor perhaps best known for his role of Jain McManus in Night Stalker. He also had a recurring role of Ivan, Larry Beale's yes-man in the Disney Channel original sitcom Even Stevens...
): Kolchak's "open-minded" friend. He is a photographer for the L.A. Beacon. - Anthony Vincenzo (Cotter SmithCotter SmithCotter Smith is an American stage, film, and television actor.-Biography:He was born Joseph Cotter Smith in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge...
): Editor of the L.A. Beacon. A friend of Kolchak's who hired him as a favor after they worked together in Las Vegas.
Recurring characters
- Agent Bernie Fain (John Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-Ferguson is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He has appeared in a wide range of films and television shows. His notable works include playing Sonny Hamilton on Hamilton's Quest, Peter Hutter on The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Joe Whedon on Brothers & Sisters...
): Kolchak's former friend in Las Vegas but now a nemesis, an FBI agent who believed Kolchak murdered his wife and made up a bizarre story to cover up his involvement. The character is loosely reworked from Agent Bernie Jenks, Kolchak's Vegas contact in the original 1972 Night Stalker TV movie. - "Edhead" (Loreni Delgado): Technology specialist for the L.A. Beacon. Friend of Jain's.
- Alex Nyby (Eugene ByrdEugene ByrdEugene Byrd is an American actor.-Career:He has been in movies including Dead Man, Sleepers, 8 Mile, Lift and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and has the leading role in Confess, for which he won the Break-Out Performance Award at the 2006 Method Fest Independent Film Festival...
): Coroner's assistant at the L.A. Morgue. A contact of Kolchak's who drools over Perri.
DVD release
Night Stalker: The Complete Series was released on May 30, 2006. The set includes all ten episodes; commentary on the episodes "Pilot" and "The Source, Part Two"; deleted scenes; a featurette entitled "A Conversation with Frank Spotnitz"; and unproduced scripts for the DVD-ROM.Other airings and cancellation
On November 13, 2005, Frank Spotnitz announced on his blog that Night Stalker was canceled. ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
announced the official cancellation of the series that following Monday. On July 28, 2006, the series premiered on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.
In Australia, free to air station the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and Prime
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
in regional areas screened the series between early June and September 2007.
Episodes aired on Saturday nights on Chiller
Chiller (TV channel)
Chiller is a 24-hour American cable and satellite television channel specializing in horror and suspense programming. conglomerate NBCUniversal.- Origin :...
, beginning November 3, 2007.
External links
- Interview with Frank Spotnitz - Now Playing magazine