Wizards and Warriors (TV series)

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.

Wizards and Warriors
Also known asGreystone's Odyssey
GenreAdventure
Created byDon Reo
Written byDon Reo
Directed by
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerDon Reo
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 26 (1983-02-26) –
May 14, 1983 (1983-05-14)

Summary

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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

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Characters are described, according to the newspaper, Wilmington Morning Star.[1]

Starring

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  • 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

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  • 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

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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

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"The Unicorn of Death"Bill BixbyBill RichmondFebruary 26, 1983 (1983-02-26)
2"The Kidnap"Richard A. CollaDon ReoMarch 5, 1983 (1983-03-05)
3"The Rescue"James FrawleyDon ReoMarch 12, 1983 (1983-03-12)
4"Night of Terror"Bill BixbyBill RichmondMarch 19, 1983 (1983-03-19)
5"Skies of Death"Bill BixbyDon ReoApril 9, 1983 (1983-04-09)
6"The Caverns of Chaos"Paul KrasnyDon ReoApril 30, 1983 (1983-04-30)
7"The Dungeon of Death"Kevin ConnorJudith D. AllisonMay 7, 1983 (1983-05-07)
8"Vulkar's Revenge"Kevin ConnorRobert EarllMay 14, 1983 (1983-05-14)

Broadcast and reception

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b "Star-News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "The Times-News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  4. ^ Dudek, Duane (May 12, 1983). "Pink slips are all in the family as Archie and Gloria lose shows". Milwaukee Sentinel. Part 3, Page 2.
  5. ^ "People behind camera get Emmys". United Press International. September 19, 1983. p. 57.
  6. ^ "Wizards and Warriors". Emmys.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  7. ^ "35th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling (1983)". Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  8. ^ "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.
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