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The Pretender (TV series)
Encyclopedia
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. Patrick Bauchau
and Andrea Parker
co-starred as Sydney, Jarod's childhood teacher and mentor, and Miss Parker, a childhood friend and an operative for the mysterious organization (called "The Centre") that took Jarod from his parents as a child and forced him to unwittingly use his talents for their own interests. Jarod begins traveling around the country, searching for clues to his true identity and posing as doctors, police officers, attorneys, and various other figures in order to help those in trouble.
Following the show's cancellation
on NBC, two television movie
s were aired on the TNT Network that picked up where the series finale left off.
According to show creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, the character of Jarod was inspired by serial impostor
Ferdinand Waldo Demara
. There is also a strong similarity with the science fiction
novel The Shockwave Rider
by British author John Brunner
, to the earlier NBC
television series Quantum Leap, to literary series Mack Bolan
, and to the real-life stories of impostors Frank Abagnale
and Michael Sabo
.
) is a child prodigy
who was abducted at a young age and raised in a think tank
called The Centre, based in the fictional town of Blue Cove, Delaware
. Jarod's mentor and father figure is Sydney, a psychologist
working for The Centre who coached him through a number of complex simulations designed to challenge his intellect. When Jarod discovered that The Centre was using data gathered from his response to the simulations for nefarious purposes, he escaped. Since that time, Jarod has been on the run, dispensing emotional and poetic justice to criminals who cover up their crimes by putting the criminals through similar (but staged) situations, and The Centre is never far behind.
Miss Parker (Andrea Parker
), Sydney (Patrick Bauchau
) and Broots (Jon Gries
) make up The Centre team tasked with recapturing Jarod.
After the series was cancelled, it was picked up in syndication by Turner Network Television
. In response to an outpouring of emails from fans which prompted negotiations involving the show's creators and both NBC and TNT, two telemovies
– The Pretender 2001
and Island of the Haunted
– were aired on TNT in 2001. Both movies ended with an unresolved cliffhanger
.
The creators of the show, Steven Mitchell and Craig van Sickle stated in an interview on the French DVD of the telemovies that an ending was written for the series; they just needed financing to create it. In a September 2007 interview on the miniseries Tin Man
, Mitchell and van Sickle noted that fans were still requesting an ending and that it would happen "soon" due to a relationship with "Strange Highway" Entertainment. They also noted that the story line would continue digitally on the web. On May 21, 2008, van Sickle again expressed interest in having a final episode or film to finish the movie, and asked fans to continue to be patient until it happens.
during an NBC crossover
event. The first half of the plot unfolded on The Pretender (season 3 episode 19 "End Game"), in which two lead characters from Profiler, Dr. Samantha 'Sam' Waters (Ally Walker
) and Bailey Malone (Robert Davi
) guest-starred. The conclusion takes place in an episode of Profiler (season 3 episode 19 "Grand Master") in which Michael T. Weiss guest-starred. Jarod's alias at the time is Jarod Doyle, a police officer. He vanishes at the end of the episode, presumably on to another "pretend."
After Profilers main character, Sam Waters, was replaced with a new profiler, Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner
), there was another Pretender/Profiler crossover in which Jarod had a short lived romance with the new profiler. The first crossover between Jarod and Rachel took place in season 4 episode 10 "Clean Sweep" of Profiler and season 4 episode 10 "Spin Doctor" of The Pretender. Jarod also later appeared on the penultimate episode of Profiler, season 4 episode 18 "Pianissimo".
FAITA Award
(also known as First Americans in the Arts Awards):
Young Artist Awards:
Nominations
Emmy Awards:
Golden Satellite Award
:
Saturn Award
:
Young Artist Award
:
YoungStar Award:
released all 4 seasons on DVD in Region 1 between 2005-2006. They also released the two Pretender movies together as a set on March 13, 2007. All 4 seasons were re-released on May 26, 2009 with new packaging.
All episodes from the first two seasons are available for purchase online through Amazon.com
's
video on demand
service.
Michael T. Weiss
Michael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work. Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian...
and Andrea Parker
Andrea Parker
Andrea Nicole Parker is an American actress and former ballet dancer.-Career:Parker began ballet training at age 6 and at age 15 she joined a professional dance company. She quit her career in ballet after three years of touring and trained to become an actress while working as a bartender...
co-starred as Sydney, Jarod's childhood teacher and mentor, and Miss Parker, a childhood friend and an operative for the mysterious organization (called "The Centre") that took Jarod from his parents as a child and forced him to unwittingly use his talents for their own interests. Jarod begins traveling around the country, searching for clues to his true identity and posing as doctors, police officers, attorneys, and various other figures in order to help those in trouble.
Following the show's cancellation
Cancellation (television)
In television, cancellation refers to the termination of a program by a network, typically because of low viewership and/or unfavourable critical reviews. Another reason why television programs can be cancelled is to make room for new television programs...
on NBC, two television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s were aired on the TNT Network that picked up where the series finale left off.
According to show creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, the character of Jarod was inspired by serial impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
Ferdinand Waldo Demara
Ferdinand Waldo Demara
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. , known as "the Great Impostor", masqueraded as many people from monks to surgeons to prison wardens...
. There is also a strong similarity with the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel The Shockwave Rider
The Shockwave Rider
The Shockwave Rider is a science fiction novel by John Brunner, originally published in 1975. It is notable for its hero's use of computer hacking skills to escape pursuit in a dystopian future, and for the coining of the word "worm" to describe a program that propagates itself through a computer...
by British author John Brunner
John Brunner (novelist)
John Kilian Houston Brunner was a prolific British author of science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar, about an overpopulated world, won the 1968 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award the same year...
, to the earlier 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...
television series Quantum Leap, to literary series Mack Bolan
Mack Bolan
Mack Bolan, alias The Executioner, is a fictional character who has been serialized in over six hundred novels with sales of more than 200 million, according to Amazon.com. Created by Don Pendleton, Bolan made his first appearance on the printed page in 1969's War Against the Mafia...
, and to the real-life stories of impostors Frank Abagnale
Frank Abagnale
Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is an American security consultant known for his history as a former confidence trickster, check forger, impostor, and escape artist...
and Michael Sabo
Michael Sabo
Michael John Sabo is an American consultant and speaker on identity theft and fraud in the business sector. He is currently Executive Director of US Prison Consultants, a principal resource for individuals charged with white-collar crime....
.
Plot
Jarod (Michael T. WeissMichael T. Weiss
Michael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
) is a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
who was abducted at a young age and raised in a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
called The Centre, based in the fictional town of Blue Cove, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. Jarod's mentor and father figure is Sydney, a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
working for The Centre who coached him through a number of complex simulations designed to challenge his intellect. When Jarod discovered that The Centre was using data gathered from his response to the simulations for nefarious purposes, he escaped. Since that time, Jarod has been on the run, dispensing emotional and poetic justice to criminals who cover up their crimes by putting the criminals through similar (but staged) situations, and The Centre is never far behind.
Miss Parker (Andrea Parker
Andrea Parker
Andrea Nicole Parker is an American actress and former ballet dancer.-Career:Parker began ballet training at age 6 and at age 15 she joined a professional dance company. She quit her career in ballet after three years of touring and trained to become an actress while working as a bartender...
), Sydney (Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Bauchau
Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian...
) and Broots (Jon Gries
Jon Gries
Jonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
) make up The Centre team tasked with recapturing Jarod.
Cast
- Michael T. WeissMichael T. WeissMichael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
as Jarod - Andrea ParkerAndrea ParkerAndrea Nicole Parker is an American actress and former ballet dancer.-Career:Parker began ballet training at age 6 and at age 15 she joined a professional dance company. She quit her career in ballet after three years of touring and trained to become an actress while working as a bartender...
as Miss Parker/Catherine Elaine Jamison Parker - Patrick BauchauPatrick BauchauPatrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau is a Belgian actor.-Early life:Bauchau was born in Brussels, the son of Mary , a Russian-born school administrator and publisher, and Henry Bauchau, a school administrator, publisher, writer, and psychoanalyst who served as an officer in the Belgian...
as Sydney Green/Jacob Green - Jon GriesJon GriesJonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
as Broots - Ryan MerrimanRyan MerrimanRyan Earl Merriman is an American actor. He began his acting career as a child actor during the mid-1990s and has appeared in several feature films and television shows.-Background:...
as Young Jarod/Gemini - Alex WexoAlex WexoAlex Wexo is an American movie and television actor. He is sometimes credited as Al Wexo.At age five he and his family moved to London, England where he was raised...
as Young Sydney - Richard MarcusRichard MarcusRichard Marcus is an actor best known for his roles in St. Elsewhere, Tremors, and The Pretender.-Actor:Richard Marcus' first role was on the television show The White Shadow, guest starring in two episodes. He worked steadily throughout the 1980s, and landed a recurring role on the acclaimed NBC...
as Mr. William Raines - James DentonJames Denton (actor)James "Jamie" Thomas Denton, Jr. is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Mike Delfino in the television series Desperate Housewives.-Early life:...
as Mr. Lyle - Harve PresnellHarve PresnellHarve Presnell was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid 1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States...
as Mr. Parker - Paul DillonPaul DillonPaul Dillon is an actor born in Joliet who began his career in show business in Chicago. His movie career began in 1994 with the movie Blink in which he played the role of Neal Booker...
as Angelo - Pamela GidleyPamela GidleyPamela Catherine Gidley is an American actress and model.-Early life:Gidley was born in Methuen, Massachusetts but was raised in Nashua, New Hampshire and the youngest of the family with four older brothers...
as Brigitte Parker - Jason Brooks as Thomas Gates
- Jeffrey DonovanJeffrey DonovanJeffrey Donovan is an American television, film and stage actor. He plays the lead Michael Westen on the American cable television series, Burn Notice. Notable starring roles in film include: Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in Clint...
as Kyle
Production
The building seen in nearly every episode and identified as "The Centre" is actually the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, located in Toronto, Canada.After the series was cancelled, it was picked up in syndication by Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
. In response to an outpouring of emails from fans which prompted negotiations involving the show's creators and both NBC and TNT, two telemovies
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
– The Pretender 2001
The Pretender 2001
The Pretender 2001 was the first of the two The Pretender telemovies to air after the series was cancelled from the NBC. It originally aired on TNT on January 22, 2001...
and Island of the Haunted
The Pretender: Island of the Haunted
The Pretender: Island of the Haunted is the second of two made-for-TV movies based on the television series The Pretender. It originally aired on TNT on December 10, 2001.-Plot:...
– were aired on TNT in 2001. Both movies ended with an unresolved cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
.
The creators of the show, Steven Mitchell and Craig van Sickle stated in an interview on the French DVD of the telemovies that an ending was written for the series; they just needed financing to create it. In a September 2007 interview on the miniseries Tin Man
Tin Man (TV miniseries)
Tin Man is a 2007 four and a half hour miniseries co-produced by RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Channel original pictures that was broadcast in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel in three parts. The first part aired on December 2, and the remaining two parts airing on the following nights...
, Mitchell and van Sickle noted that fans were still requesting an ending and that it would happen "soon" due to a relationship with "Strange Highway" Entertainment. They also noted that the story line would continue digitally on the web. On May 21, 2008, van Sickle again expressed interest in having a final episode or film to finish the movie, and asked fans to continue to be patient until it happens.
Profiler crossover
Michael T. Weiss portrayed his Jarod character on the TV series ProfilerProfiler (TV series)
Profiler was an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia....
during an NBC crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
event. The first half of the plot unfolded on The Pretender (season 3 episode 19 "End Game"), in which two lead characters from Profiler, Dr. Samantha 'Sam' Waters (Ally Walker
Ally Walker
Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
) and Bailey Malone (Robert Davi
Robert Davi
Robert John Davi is an American actor and singer. He has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard, the villainous Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and Al Torres in Showgirls...
) guest-starred. The conclusion takes place in an episode of Profiler (season 3 episode 19 "Grand Master") in which Michael T. Weiss guest-starred. Jarod's alias at the time is Jarod Doyle, a police officer. He vanishes at the end of the episode, presumably on to another "pretend."
After Profilers main character, Sam Waters, was replaced with a new profiler, Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner
Jamie Luner
Jamie Michelle Luner is an American television actress, best known for her role as Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place and Rachel Burke on Profiler...
), there was another Pretender/Profiler crossover in which Jarod had a short lived romance with the new profiler. The first crossover between Jarod and Rachel took place in season 4 episode 10 "Clean Sweep" of Profiler and season 4 episode 10 "Spin Doctor" of The Pretender. Jarod also later appeared on the penultimate episode of Profiler, season 4 episode 18 "Pianissimo".
Nielsen Ratings
- 1996–97: #89 (7.2 household rating)
- 1997–98: #59 (11.4 million viewers)
- 1998–99: #71 (10.0 million viewers)
- 1999–2000: #75 (8.73 million viewers)
Awards
WonFAITA Award
FAITA Award
FAITA Award is a non-profit organization created to recognize, honor and promote Native American participation in the powerful arena of the entertainment industry. Incorporating areas of film, television, music and theater....
(also known as First Americans in the Arts Awards):
- Outstanding Guest Performance by an Actor in a TV Drama Series – Tyler Christopher (2001)
Young Artist Awards:
- Best Performance in a TV Drama Series — Guest Starring Young Actor – Seth AdkinsSeth AdkinsSeth Elijah Adkins is an American actor. He made his debut in the mid-1990s as achild artiste in the TV shows Small Talk and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in 1996 and the films ...First Do No Harm and Titanic in 1997. He later made a successful transition to an adult performer...
(1999) - Best Performance in a TV Drama Series — Supporting Young Actor – Ryan MerrimanRyan MerrimanRyan Earl Merriman is an American actor. He began his acting career as a child actor during the mid-1990s and has appeared in several feature films and television shows.-Background:...
(1998–1999)
Nominations
Emmy Awards:
- Outstanding Main Title Theme Music by Mark LeggettMark LeggettMark Leggett is a Los Angeles-based, twice Emmy nominated composer who has composed music for hundreds of television and documentary productions in the U.S....
& Velton Ray BunchVelton Ray BunchVelton Ray Bunch is Emmy winner film and television composer. Sometimes credited as Ray Bunch. Bunch has been nominated for an Emmy three times for his work, and won the fourth time for his score to the Enterprise episode "Similatude".He's worked on dozens and dozens of television series and TV...
(2000)
Golden Satellite Award
International Press Academy
The International Press Academy is a large and diverse association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. The academy was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom...
:
- Best TV Series-Drama (1998–1999)
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series – Michael T. WeissMichael T. WeissMichael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
(1998–1999) - Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series – Andrea ParkerAndrea ParkerAndrea Nicole Parker is an American actress and former ballet dancer.-Career:Parker began ballet training at age 6 and at age 15 she joined a professional dance company. She quit her career in ballet after three years of touring and trained to become an actress while working as a bartender...
(1999)
Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
:
- Best Genre TV Actor – Michael T. WeissMichael T. WeissMichael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
(1998)
Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
:
- Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for Guest Starring Young Actor – Zachary BrowneZachary BrowneZachary Browne is an American television and film actor.Browne has had guest roles on ER, 7th Heaven, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, among other shows. He was also on 7th Heaven as Stan in 1997. He auditioned for the role of Marty Preston in Shiloh and the director was very impressed with Zachary...
(1998) - Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for Guest Starring Young Actress – Caitlin WachsCaitlin WachsCaitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American actress who has acted in several films and TV series. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi in Profiler, and played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the series Commander in Chief....
(2000) - Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for Guest Starring Young Actress – Ashley PeldonAshley PeldonAshley Peldon is an American television and film actress.-Early life and career:Peldon was born in New York City, New York. Along with her sister Courtney, she worked as a child actor....
(1999) - Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for Young Actor – Ryan MerrimanRyan MerrimanRyan Earl Merriman is an American actor. He began his acting career as a child actor during the mid-1990s and has appeared in several feature films and television shows.-Background:...
(1997) - Best Performance in a TV Drama Series for Young Actress – Ashley PeldonAshley PeldonAshley Peldon is an American television and film actress.-Early life and career:Peldon was born in New York City, New York. Along with her sister Courtney, she worked as a child actor....
(1997)
YoungStar Award:
- Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama TV Series – Ryan MerrimanRyan MerrimanRyan Earl Merriman is an American actor. He began his acting career as a child actor during the mid-1990s and has appeared in several feature films and television shows.-Background:...
(1997,1999–2000)
Media
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
released all 4 seasons on DVD in Region 1 between 2005-2006. They also released the two Pretender movies together as a set on March 13, 2007. All 4 seasons were re-released on May 26, 2009 with new packaging.
All episodes from the first two seasons are available for purchase online through Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's
video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service.