"Spy Game" (1997)TV series

Creator:

Ivan Raimi
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

3 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Lorne and Max are spies in the post-Cold War age of espionage.

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Spy

Cast

Linden Ashby

...

Lorne Cash (13 episodes, 1997)

(more)

Series Directed by
Doug Lefler		(2 episodes, 1997)
Winrich Kolbe		(1 episode)

Series Writing credits
Eric Morris		(3 episodes, 1997)
David Simkins		(3 episodes, 1997)
Scott Brown		(2 episodes, 1997)
Kathy McCormick		(2 episodes, 1997)
John McNamara		(2 episodes, 1997)
Gene O'Neill		(2 episodes, 1997)
Noreen Tobin		(2 episodes, 1997)
Ivan Raimi		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
David Eick	....	supervising producer (13 episodes, 1997)
Tamara Dow	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
Joe Lazarov	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Edward Ledding	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Kathy McCormick	....	co-executive producer (unknown episodes)
John McNamara	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
Gene O'Neill	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)
Sam Raimi	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
David Simkins	....	supervising producer (unknown episodes)
Robert G. Tapert	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)
Noreen Tobin	....	co-producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Christophe Beck		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Stephen McNutt		(13 episodes, 1997)

Series Film Editing by
Michael Eliot		(unknown episodes)
Jason Freeman		(unknown episodes)
Chris Peppe		(unknown episodes)
Tanya M. Swerling		(unknown episodes)
Alan Wolfe		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Eric Dawson		(13 episodes, 1997)
Carol Kritzer		(unknown episodes, 1996-1997)
Robert J. Ulrich		(unknown episodes, 1996-1997)

Series Production Design by
Vincent M. Cresciman		(unknown episodes)

Series Set Decoration by
William F. Reinert		(unknown episodes)

Series Costume Design by
Darryl Levine		(4 episodes, 1997)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Todd A. Covert	....	second assistant director (13 episodes, 1997)
Wainani Young-Tomich	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1997)
Doug Corring	....	second assistant director: second unit (unknown episodes)
Gary Jones	....	second unit director (unknown episodes)
Rusty Mahmood	....	dga trainee (unknown episodes)
Michelle Parvin	....	dga trainee (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Regina Lee Herve	....	set dresser (13 episodes, 1997)
Rich Romig	....	set designer (13 episodes, 1997)
Michael Sarley	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1997)
Chris Call	....	assistant property master (9 episodes, 1997)
Karl J. Martin	....	prop illustrator (unknown episodes)
Christopher Redmond	....	property assistant (unknown episodes)
Ian Scheibel	....	property master (unknown episodes)
Anthony Zierhut	....	storyboard artist (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Paul J. Diller	....	sound effects editor (13 episodes, 1997)
Kurt Peterson	....	boom operator (13 episodes, 1997)
Craig Clark	....	supervising sound editor (unknown episodes)
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer (unknown episodes)
Paul Menichini	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)
Bob Redpath	....	supervising sound editor (unknown episodes)
Richard Van Dyke	....	production sound mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Mark Allen	....	computer graphics supervisor (unknown episodes)
Brian Longbotham	....	visual effects supervisor (unknown episodes)
Karl J. Martin	....	digital artist (unknown episodes)
Karen A. White	....	digital artist (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Mike Gunther	....	stunt performer / stunt double: Linden Ashby (13 episodes, 1997)
Craig Reid	....	fight choreographer (10 episodes, 1997)
Brian Avery	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Ron Balicki	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Clayton J. Barber	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Stanton Barrett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Damon Caro	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Edward Conna	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Jeff Imada	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Diana Lee Inosanto	....	martial arts stunts (unknown episodes)
John Koyama	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Brad Martin	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
David Wald	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Gene Williams	....	utility stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
David Eubank	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera and steadicam (13 episodes, 1997)
Robert Reed Altman	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Dana Kilgore	....	electrician (unknown episodes)
Peter B. Kowalski	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Tom Lohmann	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Don McCuaig	....	director of photography: second unit (unknown episodes)
Dylan Rush	....	set lighting (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karen Bellamy	....	costume supervisor (13 episodes, 1997)

Series Transportation Department
Gina August	....	driver (9 episodes, 1997)

Series Other crew
Joe Allen Rosenberger	....	technical coordinator (1 episode, 1997)
Matt DiFranco	....	assistant production coordinator (unknown episodes)
Carolyn Hayes	....	production auditor (unknown episodes)
Alex Kivlen	....	key assistant location manager (unknown episodes)
Felicia Mignon Livingston	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Tory Reed	....	set production assistant: second unit (unknown episodes)
Susan Vercelli	....	production coordinator (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• MCA Television
• McNamara Paper Production Inc.

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1997) (USA) (TV)
• Studios USA Television

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MCA Television

Trivia:

13 episodes were produced, but ABC only aired nine of them.

Thin on character and plot, but catchy theme song!

"Spy Game" seeks to emulate classic spy shows like "The Avengers," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and "Get Smart." But these shows were far more simplistic in their depiction of espionage, far more black and white. We had not yet been exposed to the many shades of gray that more complex story lines presented in movies like "Three Days of the Condor," and "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" or television shows like "The Equalizer" and "Reilly: Ace of Spies" where the enemy could just as easily be a trusted comrade as it could a foreign agent.

If a show is promoted as being campy action-adventure that's not meant to be taken seriously, then it should honor its limitations. I can accept fantastic plots of vengeful ex-spies turned assassins, human detonators, killer androids, deranged psychiatrists, and sexy spies with names like Honey Trapp. Just don't expect me to keep up when the show gets maudlin about the horrors of death and deceit in the espionage business. You'd never see John Steed needing therapy, or Napoleon Solo feeling remorse over an assignment gone wrong. That's because they weren't real spies, they were TV spies who were highly entertaining.

Also, some of the roles were miscast. Bruce McCarty's a fine actor, but his relative youth and guileless appearance made it difficult to accept him as Micah Simms, head of an independent spy organization with experience and contacts in the world of intelligence. Actors like Daniel Benzali (The Agency, Murder One), Paul Guilfoyle (CSI, Secret Agent Man), Miguel Sandoval (Murder One, Clear and Present Danger) or Tony Todd (Candyman movies, Babylon 5: A Call To Arms) would have been more credible in the role. Not to mention John DeLancie and Mitchell Ryan, both of whom had guest-starring roles on the show.

While I had no problem seeing Linden Ashby as war-weary ex-CIA agent Lorne Cash, Allison Smith's role as counterspy Max London seemed a bit of a stretch. Her fight scenes were less than convincing. It would have been more believable (and more comedic) to have her play a bureaucrat-turned-spy whose relative inexperience would contrast sharply with Cash's history in the field.

So what did I like about this show? The guest appearances of actors like Peter Lupus, Patrick Macnee, Dana Delany and John DeLancie were quite entertaining. And I love the theme song! It has such cool spy music. Come on, say what you will about the show, but you've got to admit that the theme song that was composed by Christophe Beck rates up there with I Spy, Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Mission Impossible.

So remember, if you get a chance to see "Spy Game," don't miss the opening credits; the theme song is not to be missed.