Adderly

Adderly is a Canadian television adventure-drama series which aired from 1986 to 1988. It was broadcast on both Canadian TV and on CBS in the United States. it starred Vancouver-born Winston Rekert as "charming and witty V.H. Adderly," an operative working for an obscure government intelligence agency.[1]

Adderly
Created byElliott Baker, based on his novel Pocock & Pitt
StarringWinston Rekert
Dixie Seatle
Jonathan Welsh
Ken Pogue
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44
Production
Production locationToronto
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesGlobal Television Network
JayGee Productions
Robert Cooper Productions
DistributorOrion Television Distribution
Release
Original networkGlobal (Canada)
CBS (USA)
Picture format35mm film
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1986 (1986-09-24) 
March 9, 1988 (1988-03-09)

Background

Adderly was based on series creator Elliott Baker's novel, Pocock & Pitt.

Cast

Plot

V.H. Adderly (Rekert) is a secret agent for an organization known as the I.S.I (International Security and Intelligence). Before the series begins, an enemy agent, Victor Barinov, crushes Adderly's left hand with a medieval mace during an interrogation in East Germany. Adderly loses the use of the hand, and since he is no longer considered useful as an active agent, he is reassigned to the I.S.I.'s tiny Department of Miscellaneous Affairs, located in a small basement office. This is meant to be a sort of "good service" reward for Adderly, as his supposedly cushy Miscellaneous Affairs job is mostly concerned with mundane in-house administrative paperwork. During the series, Adderly consistently finds ways to use his vague, non-specific status as a representative of "Miscellaneous Affairs" to actively investigate anything the I.S.I. has overlooked, and regularly goes above and beyond his mundane duties to uncover and neutralize dread plots that the larger organization has failed to investigate.[2]

Miscellaneous Affairs is officially run by Melville Greenspan (Welsh), a man fastidiously devoted to bureaucracy and unwilling to allow Adderly the freedom to pursue his outside interests. The only other departmental staff member is Mona Ellerby (Seatle), Greenspan's over-qualified secretary who is addicted to adventure and romance novels. Greenspan's superior is Major Jonathan B. Clack (Pogue), who is in charge of the I.S.I. as a whole, and is responsible for Adderly's reassignment from active field operations to Miscellaneous Affairs.

Through the course of the 44-episode run, Adderly repeatedly demonstrates his ability to perform the duties of an active field agent, even saving the life of Major Clack himself. This only confirms to Clack that Adderly is an important asset at his current post. It is implied that Clack may have created the Department of Miscellaneous Affairs to allow Adderly the freedom and flexibility to pursue various cases which the I.S.I. couldn't normally handle.

Episode guide

Season 1 (1986–87)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11"Hit-Man Complex"Don McBreartyElliott BakerSeptember 24, 1986 (1986-09-24)
22"Mailman"Gilbert ShiltonRobert ArnottOctober 1, 1986 (1986-10-01)
33"Critical Mass"Paul ShapiroAubrey SolomonOctober 8, 1986 (1986-10-08)
44"A Change of Mind"Joseph L. ScanlanLen Janson & Chuck MenvilleOctober 15, 1986 (1986-10-15)
55"Backfire"Gilbert ShiltonAlfred HarrisOctober 22, 1986 (1986-10-22)
66"Rich Kid"Randy BradshawElliott BakerOctober 29, 1986 (1986-10-29)
77"Capture the Flag"Charles DennisCharles DennisNovember 5, 1986 (1986-11-05)
88"Nina Who?"Timothy BondCarl BinderNovember 12, 1986 (1986-11-12)
99"The Dancing Lesson"William CorcoranElliott BakerNovember 19, 1986 (1986-11-19)
1010"Adderly with Eggroll"Peter RoweTony SheerNovember 26, 1986 (1986-11-26)
1111"Brotherly Love"Bruce PittmanJaron SummersDecember 3, 1986 (1986-12-03)
1212"Secrets of the Sun"William CorcoranJim OsborneJanuary 7, 1987 (1987-01-07)
1313"A Matter of Discretion"F. Harvey FrostJudith ThompsonJanuary 14, 1987 (1987-01-14)
1414"Nemesis"Timothy BondCarl BinderFebruary 4, 1987 (1987-02-04)
1515"Year of the Tiger"Alan SimmondsJim HenshawFebruary 11, 1987 (1987-02-11)
1616"Who Do, Voodoo"William CorcoranKen GassFebruary 18, 1987 (1987-02-18)
1717"Miscellaneous News"Timothy BondGuy Mullally & Gregor HutchisonFebruary 25, 1987 (1987-02-25)
1818"Tiers of Interment"George BloomfieldCarl BinderMarch 4, 1987 (1987-03-04)
1919"Running Backward"Stefan ScainiStory by: Carol Bolt & Carl Binder
Teleplay by: Carl Binder
April 8, 1987 (1987-04-08)
2020"Class of '87"Timothy BondDon MankiewiczApril 29, 1987 (1987-04-29)
2121"Mirror Man"Jorge MontesiJim HenshawMay 13, 1987 (1987-05-13)
2222"A Far, Far Better Thing"Rene BonnierePeter Lauterman & Angelo SteaMay 27, 1987 (1987-05-27)

Season 2 (1987–88)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
231"Speed of Light"George BloomfieldGlenn NormanAugust 7, 1987 (1987-08-07)
242"Run to Darkness"Jorge MontesiJim HenshawAugust 14, 1987 (1987-08-14)
253"Eye in the Sky"Joseph L. ScanlanCarl BinderAugust 21, 1987 (1987-08-21)
264"To Better Days"Joseph L. ScanlanJohnny Segura & Alan ZweigAugust 28, 1987 (1987-08-28)
275"Blood Feud"George BloomfieldJim HenshawSeptember 4, 1987 (1987-09-04)
286"The Perils of Mona"Timothy BondCarl BinderSeptember 11, 1987 (1987-09-11)
297"Midnight in Morocco"George BloomfieldDenis Gibson & Kevin ScanlonSeptember 30, 1987 (1987-09-30)
308"The Bridge"Don McBreartyPeter Lauterman & Angelo SteaOctober 7, 1987 (1987-10-07)
319"Headhunter"Don McBreartyJim HenshawOctober 14, 1987 (1987-10-14)
3210"Code Name: Chipmunk"Stefan ScainiPeter HaynesOctober 28, 1987 (1987-10-28)
3311"Spymaster"Bruce PittmanDavid ColeNovember 11, 1987 (1987-11-11)
3412"Requiem"George BloomfieldCarl BinderNovember 18, 1987 (1987-11-18)
3513"Horse Cents"George BloomfieldJerome McCannNovember 25, 1987 (1987-11-25)
3614"Debbie Does Dishes"Bruce PittmanDouglas RodgerDecember 2, 1987 (1987-12-02)
3715"The Man Who Didn't Know Too Much"John BellCarl BinderDecember 9, 1987 (1987-12-09)
3816"Deathwatch"George BloomfieldJim HenshawDecember 23, 1987 (1987-12-23)
3917"Covert Agenda"George BloomfieldLyle SlackJanuary 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)
4018"The Game"TBATBAFebruary 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
4119"Adventures in Babysitting"TBATBAFebruary 17, 1988 (1988-02-17)
4220"The Interrogation"TBATBAFebruary 24, 1988 (1988-02-24)
4321"See How They Die"TBATBAMarch 2, 1988 (1988-03-02)
4422"Point of No Return"TBATBAMarch 9, 1988 (1988-03-09)

Broadcast history

Adderly aired from September 1986 through May 1987 (its first season) in the 11:30pm CBS Late Night slot on the CBS network. For the second season (beginning in August 1987), the show's popularity prompted CBS to run episodes in prime time, but there was little promotion and the show didn't do well in the ratings. CBS moved the show back to the 11:30pm time slot in September 1987 where it remained until the series ended.[3] Canadian broadcasts of the series did not commence until January 1987.

References

  1. Eirik Knutzen. "Manual Labor Finally Paid Off for Rekert." Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 2, 1987, p. TV2.
  2. Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
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