Cobra (TV series)

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Cobra
Cobra starring Michael Dudikoff
Genre	Action
Creator(s)	Stephen J. Cannell Craig W. Van Sickle StevenLong Mitchell
Starring	Michael Dudikoff Allison Hossack James Tolkan
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Production
Running time	60 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Syndicated
Original run	September 16, 1993 – May 13, 1994

Cobra was an American television action/adventure series starring Michael Dudikoff. It ran for just one season in syndication.

1 Premise
2 Characters
3 Episode list
- 3.1 Season 1 (1993-1994)
4 DVD Release
5 Trivia
6 External links

[edit] Premise

Robert "Scandal" Jackson, Jr., is an ex-Navy SEAL who went A.W.O.L. after refusing to blow up an enemy command center housing civilians. He disappeared to the wilderness of Alaska, changing his name and appearance, and became a teacher in a small Inuit community. But a part of his past caught up to him and he was shot in the face, his comatose body left for dead. He awoke in the hospital three weeks later and found himself with a new face and a new chance at life, thanks to a woman named Danielle LaPoint.

Danielle offered him a job with "Cobra," an undercover anti-crime agency that provides justice for victims who haven't benefited from the system. Scandal is reluctant to leave his Alaskan life behind, but then her boss, Dallas Cassel, makes him an offer he can't refuse: the chance to catch the man who murdered his father five years earlier. From behind the wheel of his classic AC Cobra, Scandal dispenses justice in the fictional Bay City.

Starring Michael Dudikoff (the American Ninja series), Allison Hossack, and James Tolkan (the Back to the Future trilogy), Cobra was created by legendary television producer Stephen J. Cannell, along with Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle (both of whom later went on to create/executive produce The Pretender for NBC), and was filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

[edit] Characters

Robert "Scandal" Jackson, Jr. (Michael Dudikoff): A martial artist, an expert marksman, an ex-Navy SEAL, and a former investigator for NSI, Scandal is perfectly suited to be Cobra's lead field operative. The only part of his past that remains is his vintage Cobra, which he helped his father restore when he was younger.

Danielle LaPoint (Allison Hossack): The daughter of Cobra's founder, Quentin Avery, Danielle is more or less Scandal's partner. Her mother was killed ten years earlier, and as a result she turned to helping victims like herself by working for Cobra. She holds a Ph.D from Harvard University and was personally responsible for recruiting Scandal after arguing with her father that he was the perfect choice.

Dallas Cassel (James Tolkan): A former F.B.I. agent, Dallas is the director of Cobra. He almost got off on the wrong foot with Scandal when he faked Scandal's death in order to secure him an honorable discharge from the Navy, but Scandal ultimately realized it was for the best.

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Season 1 (1993-1994)

Cobra (1) (Sep 16, 1993)
Cobra (2) (Sep 23, 1993)
Push It (Sep 30, 1993)
Honeymoon Hideaway (Oct 7, 1993)
Nowhere to Run (Oct 14, 1993)
The Gnome (Oct 21, 1993)
Mr. Chapman, I Presume (Oct 28, 1993)
Hostage Hearts (Nov 4, 1993)
I'd Die For You (Nov 11, 1993)
Something In The Air (Nov 18, 1993)
Playing With Fire (Nov 25, 1993)
Death On The Line (Jan 6, 1994)
Diamond In The Rough (Jan 13, 1994)
Lost In Cyberspace (Jan 20, 1994)
Blast From The Past (Jan 27, 1994)
Death Dive (Feb 3, 1994)
Caged Fury (Feb 10, 1994)
A Few Dead Men (Feb 17, 1994)
Haunted Lives (Feb 24, 1994)
Lorrinda (Apr 30, 1994)
Precious (May 6, 1994)
Aces and Eights (May 13, 1994)

[edit] DVD Release

On November 8, 2006, Stephen J. Cannell's website announced that Cobra would be coming to Region 1 DVD (in Canada) by VEI. In addition to all 22 episodes, the 5-disc set contains a photo gallery, episode summaries, and trivia. It was released on February 13, 2007.

[edit] Trivia

Cobra was originally called Viper. However, Chrysler Corp. sued Stephen J. Cannell for trademark infringement, and also because Chrysler was already working with CBS on a series called Viper that was to feature a brand new Dodge Viper concept car. (That show ultimately aired on NBC.) Since that series centered around a modern day Knight Rider of sorts and Cannell's show centered on a crime fighter, he figured the name could be changed without sacrificing the creative concept of the series, and so the title was changed to Cobra. Interesting enough is that three episodes had already been filmed when the title change took place, so it appears Scandal would have still been driving the Cobra even with the show called Viper. (Source: Variety.com; March 24, 1993)

The main theme by the music group Saga originally had lyrics, but the producers decided to not use them at the last minute.

Saga produced several songs for the series, to be featured in specific episodes, but most were never used. Their 1995 album Steel Umbrellas contained most of these songs. The CD was re-released in 2002 and left off one song from the '95 version, but contained a previously-unreleased song, "Push It" (likely written for the episode of the same name). Gerald O'Brien, who provided Cobra's instrumental score, co-wrote one song ("Never Alone"), and creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle wrote "Push It."

The two-part premiere was edited into a feature-length movie and released on video in the United Kingdom and Europe in August 1994. As of January 1996, it is out-of-print.

Early episodes place Bay City in the state of Washington, while later episodes place it in California.

Cobra's phone number is 555-3030. The area code is first shown as (fictional) 511. Later, it becomes 415 (a Northern California area code). Later still, it reverts back to 511.

Cobra HQ's address is 200 Burrard Street, according to the Avery Enterprises sign outside. This is, in fact, the real address of the building used as Cobra HQ, located on the waterfront in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The plot of the episode "Push It" was later recycled for an episode in the fourth season of The Pretender, another show by creator/executive producers by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle.

While filming the drive-by shooting in the episode "Death on the Line," Michael Dudikoff was hit in the back of the head by a piece of plywood sent flying by exploding squibs. (Canadian newspaper article on the incident)