Friday, March 29, 2019

Forgotten TV: Masquerade (1983)

It has been generously described by critics as having elements of both Mission: Impossible and The Love Boat. Considering that it didn't last long, Masquerade, a mid-season replacement series for ABC from 20th Century Fox and Glen Larson, would've been better off if it was just a straight spy drama, a la Mission, which would turn up on ABC five years later.

It was a return to television for star Rod Taylor (ex-Bearcats!), who played Mr. Lavender, the head of a covert ops organization under the watch of the US government. Greg Evigan, who'd starred in Larson's BJ & The Bear a few years earlier, and Kirstie Alley ("Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan") co-starred.

Problem? ABC slotted Masquerade on Thursdays as counter-programming opposite NBC's Cheers (which Alley would join a few years later). Game over.

Here's the intro. Theme is sung by country singer Crystal Gayle.



No rating. My folks preferred Cheers.

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