| V.I.P. | |
|---|---|
| Format | Action/Comedy-drama |
| Created by | J.F. Lawton |
| Starring | Pamela Anderson Molly Culver Natalie Raitano Shaun Baker Dustin Nguyen Angelle Brooks Leah Lail |
| Country of origin | United States/Germany |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 88 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Original run | September 26, 1998 – May 18, 2002 |
V.I.P. (standing for, and also referred to as, Vallery Irons Protection) is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F. Lawton, the series aired in syndication for four seasons from 1998 to 2002.
Contents |
Anderson stars as Vallery Irons, a woman who accidentally saves a celebrity and then is hired by a real bodyguard agency as a famous figurehead while the rest of the agency's professionals work to solve cases. Her lack of investigation skills ends up defeating the antagonists in every episode.
The other team members are an assortment of people of different backgrounds: a former member of the KGB, CIA, FBI, a computer expert, a karate master, a former law officer, and a former street boxer.
The series uses a mixture of action, comedy, and camp, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image. In November, 2001, V.I.P. (the video game) was released on the PlayStation console.
Many first season episodes opened with cameos of famous celebrities being protected by Vallery. Among them were Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jay Leno, Charles Barkley, Jerry Springer and Alfonso Ribeiro. Loni Anderson guest-starred in one episode as Vallerys mother.
The main characters' vehicles (except for Johnny Loh, who drove a motorcycle) had customized license plates with "VIP" as the first three letters, and the remaining three letters being an abbreviation of the character's first name. In seasons 1 & 2, the show's principal vehicles were provided courtesy of Ford Motor Company. In seasons 3 & 4, all characters' vehicles changed and were then provided courtesy of Daimler Chrysler.
| Character | License Plate | Seasons 1 & 2 | Seasons 3 & 4 |
| Vallery Irons | VIP VAL | Jaguar XK8 convertible | Dodge Viper convertible |
| Tasha Dexter | VIP TSH | Lincoln Continental (s. 1) / Lincoln LS (s. 2) | Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible |
| Nikki Francose | VIP NIK | Ford Mustang GT convertible | Dodge Dakota quad-cab (modified) |
| Quick Williams | VIP QWK | Mazda Miata | Plymouth Prowler |
| Kay Simmons | VIP KAY | Lincoln Navigator (s. 1) / Ford Expedition (s. 2) | Jeep TJ (only seen in background, never seen driven) |
A recurring (five episodes) minor character "EV1 Guy" drives a General Motors EV1.
On March 14, 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first season of V.I.P. on DVD in Region 1. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will be released.[1]
In 1999, the series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. In 2002, V.I.P. was nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards, winning one for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing.
The show premiered in syndication on September 26, 1998.[2] As of February 2009, the show can be streamed for free in the US on IMDB, Hulu, and Minisodes and full episodes are available on Crackle.