Stephen Cannell, if you're out there, please bring this show back! The original wasn't given enough of a chance. I think now might be the right time for this series.
"Careful, man, there's a beverage here! - The Dude
I wish I could agree. I loved the show and was mad as blazes when they didn't renew it. It should have lasted 5 years and made Canadian actor Nick Mancuso a big star. But it was a show of the 80s, and no one could play Ray like Mancuso. Just as Yul Brynner was the King of Siam of "The King and I," Clayton Moore was THE Lone Ranger, and Christopher Reeve was THE Superman, Nick Mancuso was THE Stingray/Ray. One of many underappreciated and underrated sophisticated adventure shows with heroes too urbane for American audiences.
share[quote]no one could play Ray like Mancuso[quote]
You're right. I mean bring back the show - with Nick Mancuso! Wayfarers and all.
"Careful, man, there's a beverage here!" - The Dude
Actually, the ratings were OK and it wasn't cancelled. As happens from time to time with TV series stars, Mancuso got a big head and wanted to move on to "better things". Evidently he thought he was about to be a wildly successful leading man in film.
And as most often occurs, that didn't happen. Actors should learn to ride those TV series as long as they can. The list of TV stars who later became box office gold is short. Clint Eastwood, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan probably lead that list, and Brosnan had wider success than Moore, whose films outside of Bond aren't that memorable.
I couldn't disagree with you more. The second season had already shown signs of deterioration. If the last few episodes were any indication of what was to come, I am glad it ended when it did. What on earth was "Caper" all about? LOL! It played like a bad Three Stooges sketch. eh Chasing human cargo on a cruise ship? ehe Two-thirds of the storyline featured a woman trying to seduce a guard. LOL! My mind began to wander during the first few minutes of this uneven mess. Now had you petitioned for a feature film based on the series, then I would be in sole agreement. Otherwise, "Stingray" will always be somewhere inbetween "Miami Vice" and "The Equalizer." Unfortunately, never as consistent as the two.
Yes I hope they leave this show alone so it will be forever untainted in its awesomeness
shareOh come on. "Caper" was great. :-) And it was hilarious. Plus, it gave me my favorite line from the series, and one I often quote: "Plan B is make Plan A work!"
shareThis show was a great example of how lame-brained studios (particular NBC, it seems) can be. NBC, as some are aware, screwed things up with the classic Star Trek by giving it a bad time slot. You'd think they'd have learned a lesson from that. But no, they put Stingray in a bad slot for the second season, too. I recently purchased the "complete" series on DVD (loved this show 24 years ago when I was a kid)...it should have been a show that lasted 4+ seasons.
And I agree...nobody else could have played Ray better than Nick Mancuso.
Mancuso was brilliant in this series.
I also agree no one could have played him better.
Loved the show but the reality is that its goal or "franchise" was too unfocused. The people never knew which show was going to show up each week. Once you got to like what the show was about, it changed. This was a novel idea, but in the business of TV you got to play by the rules; and those rules are "make the same show every week".
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