| Wizards and Warriors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Greystone's Odyssey |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Created by | Don Reo |
| Written by | Don Reo |
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Composers | |
| 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 |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | February 26 – May 14, 1983 |
Wizards and Warriors is an American comedy adventure fantasy series that aired on CBS from February 26 to May 14, 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.
Summary
In the medieval realm of Aperans, the neighboring kingdoms of Karteia and Camarand engage in repeated conflict. Prince Erik Greystone, who is engaged to Princess Ariel Baaldorf, battles the evil Prince Dirk Blackpool. Both princes employ magic users of various alignments to gain the upper hand against each other.
Cast
Characters are described, according to the newspaper, Wilmington Morning Star.[1]
Starring
- Jeff Conaway as Prince Erik Greystone.
- Walter Olkewicz as Marko, Prince Erik's valet.
- Duncan Regehr as Dirk Blackpool, the handsome-but-sinister Crown Prince of Karteia.
- Julia Duffy as Ariel Baaldorf, the lovely-but-spoiled Crown Princess of Camarand. Her tastes run to "furs, jewels, and leather pants". She has a pet unicorn named Pumpkin.
- Clive Revill as Vector, an evil Karteian sorcerer.
Recurring
- Thomas Hill – Edwin Baaldorf, King of Camarand. Ariel's father.
- Ian Wolfe – Traquill, an aging Camarandian wizard.
- Tim Dunigan – Geoffrey Blackpool, Prince of Karteia. Dirk's younger brother and frequent aide-de-camp. Less crafty than Dirk, but also nowhere near as vicious.
- Jay Kerr – Prince Justin Greystone, Erik's playboy-brother.
- Julie Payne – Lattinia Baaldorf, Queen of Camarand and Ariel's mother.
- Randi Brooks – Bethel, a Karteian witch who frequently serves House Blackpool.
- Phyllis Katz – Cassandra, a handmaiden in the service of House Baaldorf.
- 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 | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Unicorn of Death" | Bill Bixby | Bill Richmond | February 26, 1983 |
| 2 | "The Kidnap" | Richard A. Colla | Don Reo | March 5, 1983 |
| 3 | "The Rescue" | James Frawley | Don Reo | March 12, 1983 |
| 4 | "Night of Terror" | Bill Bixby | Bill Richmond | March 19, 1983 |
| 5 | "Skies of Death" | Bill Bixby | Don Reo | April 9, 1983 |
| 6 | "The Caverns of Chaos" | Paul Krasny | Don Reo | April 30, 1983 |
| 7 | "The Dungeon of Death" | Kevin Connor | Judith D. Allison | May 7, 1983 |
| 8 | "Vulkar's Revenge" | Kevin Connor | Robert Earll | May 14, 1983 |
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
- 1 2 "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