Wizards and Warriors (TV series)
Wizards and Warriors is a CBS television series from 1983, starring Jeff Conaway, Julia Duffy, Walter Olkewicz, Duncan Regehr, and Clive Revill. Eight one-hour episodes were made. The series was created by Don Reo for Warner Bros. Television and three of the episodes were directed by Bill Bixby.
| Wizards and Warriors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Greystone's Odyssey |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Written by | Don Reo |
| Directed by | Bill Bixby Richard A. Colla |
| Starring | Ian Wolfe Jeff Conaway Clive Revill Duncan Regehr Julia Duffy Thomas Hill Walter Olkewicz |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Don Reo |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Don Reo Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | February 26 – May 14, 1983 |
Summary
In two neighbouring kingdoms, the respective princes come into repeated conflict. The good Prince Erik Greystone (who is engaged to Princess Ariel) fights the evil Prince Dirk Blackpool. Both princes use wizards and witches, both good and evil, in their conflicts with each other.
Cast
Characters are described, according to the newspaper, Wilmington Morning Star.[1]
Starring
- Jeff Conaway – Prince Erik Greystone
- Walter Olkewicz – Marko, Prince Erik's sidekick
- Duncan Regehr – Prince Dirk Blackpool, Erik's handsome-but-sinister rival
- Julia Duffy – Princess Ariel Baaldorf. This "spoiled" heiress-to-the-throne craves for "furs, jewels, and leather pants". She has a pet unicorn named Pumpkin
- Clive Revill – Vector, an evil wizard
Recurring
- Thomas Hill – King Baaldorf, Ariel's father
- Ian Wolfe – Tranquil, an aging wizard
- Tim Dunigan – Geoffrey Blackpool, Dirk's brother
- Jay Kerr – Justin Greystone, Erik's brother
- Julie Payne – Queen Lattinia
- Randi Brooks – Witch Bethel
- Phyllis Katz – Cassandra
- Lonnie Wun – Oriental Guard
US TV Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating | Tied With |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-83 | 8 | February 26, 1983 | May 14, 1983 | 89[2] | N/A | N/A |
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original airdate | Writer | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Unicorn of Death" | 26 February 1983 | Bill Richmond | Bill Bixby |
| 2 | "The Kidnap" | 5 March 1983 | Don Reo | Richard A. Colla |
| 3 | "The Rescue" | 12 March 1983 | Don Reo | James Frawley |
| 4 | "Night of Terror" | 19 March 1983 | Bill Richmond | Bill Bixby |
| 5 | "Skies Of Death" | 9 April 1983 | Don Reo | Bill Bixby |
| 6 | "Caverns Of Chaos" | 30 April 1983 | Don Reo | Paul Krasny |
| 7 | "The Dungeon Of Death" | 7 May 1983 | Judith D. Allison | Kevin Connor |
| 8 | "Vulkar's Revenge" | 14 May 1983 | Robert Earll | Kevin Connor |
Broadcast and reception
The series debuted as a midseason replacement for the cancelled series Bring 'Em Back Alive.[3] It aired on Saturdays at 8:00pm Eastern / 7:00pm Central. Syndicated columnist Judy Flander praised the series as "witty", including the directing, the writing, and the acting.[1] Due to low ratings, the series was not renewed for the second season and was cancelled.[4] The costume designer Theadora Van Runkle won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series.[5][6] The series' hairstylist Sharleen Rassi lost a Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling to Edie Panda for the made-for television film Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story.[7]
DVD release
On July 29, 2014, Warner Bros. released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[8]
References
- "Star-News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2015-06-06.
- Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- "The Times-News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2015-06-06.
- Dudek, Duane (May 12, 1983). "Pink slips are all in the family as Archie and Gloria lose shows". Milwaukee Sentinel. Part 3, Page 2.
- "People behind camera get Emmys". United Press International. September 19, 1983. p. 57.
- "Wizards and Warriors". Emmys.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- "35th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling (1983)". Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- "Wizards and Warriors DVD news: Announcement for Wizards and Warriors - The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2014-07-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
External links
- Wizards and Warriors at IMDb
- Wizardsandwarriors.org, Unofficial Fan Site
- Wizards and Warriors at the Retroist