"Spy Game" (1997) TV series

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Creators:

John McNamara
Ivan Raimi
Sam 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:

Spy | Martial Arts

Cast

Linden Ashby	...	Lorne Cash (13 episodes, 1997)
Allison Smith	...	Maxine 'Max' London / ... (11 episodes, 1997)
Bruce McCarty	...	Micah Simms (7 episodes, 1997)

(more)

Series Directed by
Doug Lefler		(2 episodes, 1997)

Series Writing credits
Sam Raimi		(13 episodes, 1997)
John McNamara		(6 episodes, 1997)
Ivan Raimi		(4 episodes, 1997)
Eric Morris		(3 episodes, 1997)
Scott Brown		(2 episodes, 1997)
Kathy McCormick		(2 episodes, 1997)
Gene O'Neill		(2 episodes, 1997)
David Simkins		(2 episodes, 1997)
Noreen Tobin		(2 episodes, 1997)

Series Produced by
David Eick	....	supervising producer (13 episodes, 1997)
Sam Raimi	....	executive producer (13 episodes, 1997)
Joe Lazarov	....	co-producer (8 episodes, 1997)
Edward Ledding	....	producer (8 episodes, 1997)
Kathy McCormick	....	co-executive producer (8 episodes, 1997)
Gene O'Neill	....	co-producer (8 episodes, 1997)
Noreen Tobin	....	co-producer (8 episodes, 1997)
Tamara Dow	....	associate producer (7 episodes, 1997)
David Simkins	....	supervising producer (7 episodes, 1997)
Kathleen Glynn	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1997)
John McNamara	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 1997)
Robert G. Tapert	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 1997)

Series Original Music by
Christophe Beck		(8 episodes, 1997)

Series Cinematography by
Stephen McNutt		(13 episodes, 1997)

Series Film Editing by
Michael Eliot		(3 episodes, 1997)
Casey O. Rohrs		(2 episodes, 1997)
Adam Wolfe		(2 episodes, 1997)
Alan Wolfe		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Eric Dawson		(13 episodes, 1997)
Carol Kritzer		(8 episodes, 1996-1997)
Robert J. Ulrich		(8 episodes, 1996-1997)

Series Production Design by
Vincent M. Cresciman		(8 episodes, 1997)

Series Set Decoration by
William F. Reinert		(8 episodes, 1997)

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

Series Makeup Department
Linle White	....	hair stylist (5 episodes, 1997)
Dorinda Carey	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1997)
John Goodwin	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1997)
Tim Jones	....	hair stylist (2 episodes, 1997)

Series Production Management
Paul Cajero	....	unit production manager / production manager / ... (7 episodes, 1997)
Jodee Housholder	....	post-production supervisor (6 episodes, 1997)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Todd A. Covert	....	second assistant director / second unit director (13 episodes, 1997)
Gary Jones	....	second unit director (6 episodes, 1997)
Jeff Imada	....	second unit director (4 episodes, 1997)
Ron Wright	....	first assistant director (4 episodes, 1997)
Wainani Young-Tomich	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1997)
Peter L. Bergquist	....	first assistant director (3 episodes, 1997)
Doug Corring	....	second assistant director: second unit (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)
Ian Scheibel	....	property master (8 episodes, 1997)
Karl J. Martin	....	prop illustrator (unknown episodes)
Christopher Redmond	....	property assistant (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)
Deron Street	....	assistant sound editor (13 episodes, 1997)
Richard Van Dyke	....	sound mixer / production sound mixer (8 episodes, 1997)
Timothy A. Cleveland	....	sound effects editor (7 episodes, 1997)
Bob Redpath	....	supervising sound editor (4 episodes, 1997)
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer (unknown episodes)
Paul Menichini	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
David Simmons	....	special effects coordinator (7 episodes, 1997)

Series Visual Effects by
Brian Longbotham	....	visual effects supervisor / visual effects coordinator (8 episodes, 1997)
Mark Allen	....	computer graphics 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)
Jeff Imada	....	stunt coordinator (8 episodes, 1997)
Mike Dawson	....	stunt double (2 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)
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)
Christopher Goss	....	first assistant camera (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 Music Department
Libby Pedersen	....	music editor (8 episodes, 1997)

Series Transportation Department
Don Haggerty	....	transportation co-captain (13 episodes, 1997)
Gina August	....	driver (9 episodes, 1997)

Series Other crew
Linda Hegland	....	script supervisor (8 episodes, 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)
• Shallow Cove (1997) (worldwide) (DVD)
• 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.