"The Sentinel" (1996)TV series 1996-1999

Creators:

Danny Bilson
Paul De Meo

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

21 January 1997 (Germany)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

High performance justice. Extra sensory protection.

Plot:

After spending years in the Peruvian jungle during his tour in Army Special Forces, Cascade PD Detective James Ellison developed hyperactive senses...

Plot Keywords:

Five Senses | Instinct | Supernatural Power

Cast

Richard Burgi	...	Detective James Ellison / ... (55 episodes, 1996-1999)
Garett Maggart	...	Blair Sandburg (55 episodes, 1996-1999)
Bruce A. Young	...	Capt. Simon Banks / ... (53 episodes, 1996-1999)

Runtime:

45 min | 45 min (65 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

The series was originally intended to be set in Seattle, but city officials asked the producers to change so as to not give their town a reputation as a crime scene. Thus, the fictional city of Cascade came into being. The only remnant of Seattle was an undeleted reference to the Seattle Supersonics in the pilot episode. The Cascade basketball team became the Jaguars in later episodes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Multiple mistakes in police protocol.

Quotes:

Blair Sandburg: Yeah, that's our job. "neither rain nor sleet nor dark of night will stay these guys from making their appointed rounds.
Jim Ellison: Isn't that the post office motto?

Movie Connections:

Follows The Sentinel (1996) (TV)

Should have continued on another network

The reason why "The Sentinel" should have went on another network for a brand new season is that besides being a very innovative series, the three main actors said that they would have loved to come back and continue filming new episodes. That is a surprising thing for multiply actors on a TV show to say. The reason is usually after a number of seasons of a TV series that is not well known in the mainstream, some people start to get tired of being on it and want to pursue other opportunities. One reason why Sci-Fi did not want to pick it up is because they want to stick to their original programming. It's like a cable TV network not wanting to use someone's leftovers. I thought that "The Sentinel" would have been perfect on CBS. I say this because I recall when they had their "America's Night of Heroes" theme for their Saturday night lineup. Another reason is that I was surprised when I saw Richard on one of their weekend television shows. He was on another police show that they had. What puzzles me about a CBS television executive not deciding to pick up "The Sentinel" is that the network did that with "JAG". "The Sentinel" would have fit perfect with that "America's Night of Heroes" theme, since they have that "Touched by An Angel" series on their network. "The Sentinel" is also in the same mold as that "Nash Bridges" TV series. I would have to say that this show gave UPN a plethora of credibility. It is fitting that UPN initially canceled "The Sentinel" and thus caused loyal viewers to start a large letter writing campaign to continue the series for another season. The ending with Jerri Ryan's character was the reason why writers on the show did not want to continue it. "The Sentinel" would have been perfect on CBS for a few additional seasons after it went off the air on UPN.