{{short description|American television series (1981–1986)}} {{About|the television series|other uses|Fall Guy (disambiguation){{!}}Fall Guy}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = Fallguytitlescreen.jpg | genre = Action/adventure | creator = Glen A. Larson | starring = {{Plain list| * Lee Majors * Douglas Barr * Heather Thomas * Jo Ann Pflug (1981–1982) * Markie Post (1982–1985) }} | theme_music_composer = Gail Jensen<br />Glen A. Larson<br>Dave Somerville | open_theme = "Unknown Stuntman"<br />{{nowrap|performed by Lee Majors}} | composer = Stu Phillips<br />Ron Ramin<br />Frank DeVol<br />Tom Worrall<br />Morton Stevens<br />Dennis McCarthy<br />Ken Heller (uncredited)<br />William Broughton (uncredited) | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 5 | num_episodes = 113 | list_episodes = List of The Fall Guy episodes | executive_producer = Glen A. Larson | producer = Robert Janes<br />Larry Brody<br />Paul Mason<br />Harry Thomason<br />Sam Egan<br />Andrew Schneider<br />Lee Majors | editor = | cinematography = Ben Colman<br />Michael Hofstein | camera = Single-camera | runtime = 47–48 minutes | company = {{Plain list | * Glen A. Larson Productions * 20th Century Fox Television }} | network = ABC | first_aired = {{Start date|1981|11|04}} | last_aired = {{End date|1986|05|02}} }}
'''''The Fall Guy''''' is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.
==Plot== Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) is a Hollywood stunt man moonlighting as a bounty hunter. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training, Howie Munson (Douglas Barr), and by fellow stuntwoman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas).
==Cast== * Lee Majors as Colt Seavers * Douglas Barr as Howie Munson * Heather Thomas as Jody Banks * Jo Ann Pflug as Samantha "Big Jack" Jack (1981–1982) * Markie Post as Terri Shannon / Michaels (1982–1985)
==Production== Seavers's truck was a Rounded-Line 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside with the Sierra Grande equipment package.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.73-87.com/7387_Novelties/TV_movies/FallGuy4.jpg |title=Fall Guy GMC |publisher=73-87.com |access-date=May 4, 2012 |archive-date=May 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526175251/http://www.73-87.com/7387_Novelties/TV_movies/FallGuy4.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_329806-GMC-K-2500-1982.html |title=1982 GMC K-2500 Wideside |publisher=www.imcdb.org |access-date=May 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115163224/http://imcdb.org/vehicle_329806-GMC-K-2500-1982.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_5980-GMC-K-25-1980.html |title=1980 GMC K-25 Wideside |publisher=www.imcdb.org |access-date=May 4, 2012 |archive-date=November 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115163358/http://imcdb.org/vehicle_5980-GMC-K-25-1980.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the show's initial series, the stunts took their toll on the modified production trucks, supplied at low cost to the production by General Motors, so several different years, makes (Chevy/GMC), and models were used during the show's initial run.
From the second season, General Motors supplied three specially adapted trucks for the stunt sequences, with the engine moved to a mid-chassis position immediately under the cab seat.
==Intros== The series introductions were mainly composed of scenes from the series itself, and from risky stunt scenes of various films predating 1981. The theme song, "Unknown Stuntman", was sung by Lee Majors and later released as a single.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt Risk It All in 'The Fall Guy' — An Exclusive First Look |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/the-fall-guy-first-look-ryan-gosling-emily-blunt |access-date=March 24, 2024 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=November 1, 2023 |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101194636/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/the-fall-guy-first-look-ryan-gosling-emily-blunt |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Episodes== {{Further|List of The Fall Guy episodes|label1=List of ''The Fall Guy'' episodes}}
{{:List of The Fall Guy episodes}}
==Home media== On June 5, 2007, 20th Century Fox released the first season of ''The Fall Guy'' on DVD in Region 1. Season one was released on DVD in Region 2 in Germany and the UK. Season two has also been released in Region 2, in Germany on November 28, 2008, and in the UK on February 16, 2009, all with edits.
{| class="wikitable" |- ! rowspan="2"|DVD Name !! rowspan="2"|Ep # !! colspan="3"|Release dates |- ! Region 1 !! Region 2 <small>(UK)</small> !! Region 2 <small>(Germany)</small> |- || The Complete First Season || style="text-align:center;"|23 || June 5, 2007 || June 25, 2007 || January 14, 2008 |- || The Complete Second Season || style="text-align:center;"|23 || || February 16, 2009 || November 28, 2008 |}
==Reception== These are the Nielsen ratings. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Season ! Rank ! Rating |- | 1) 1981–1982 | #27 | 19.0 |- | 2) 1982–1983 | #14 | 19.4 |- | 3) 1983–1984 | #16<ref name="tvratings83">{{cite web |date=August 15, 1991 |author=The Lazy Journalist |title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1983-84 Ratings History |url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/03/1983-84-ratings-history.html |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-date=July 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701234154/http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/03/1983-84-ratings-history.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | 19.9<ref name="tvratings83" /> |- | 4) 1984–1985 | #20<ref name="tvratings84">{{cite web |date=August 15, 1991 |author=The Lazy Journalist |title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1984-85 Ratings History |url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/03/1984-85-ratings-history.html |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608173809/http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2020/03/1984-85-ratings-history.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | 17.1<ref name="tvratings84" /> |- | 5) 1985–1986 | #80<ref name="tvratings85">{{cite web |date=August 15, 1991 |author=The Lazy Journalist |title=The TV Ratings Guide: 1985-86 Ratings History |url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/1985-86-ratings-history_15.html |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013175016/http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/1985-86-ratings-history_15.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | 7.8<ref name="tvratings85" /> |}
==Legacy{{anchor|videogame}} == A board game adaptation of the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6623/the-fall-guy|title=The Fall Guy|website=BoardGameGeek|access-date=April 1, 2024|archive-date=April 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401052814/https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6623/the-fall-guy|url-status=live}}</ref> in 1981.
A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for ''Look-In'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/baikie_jim.htm|title=Jim Baikie|website=lambiek.net|access-date=April 8, 2018|archive-date=January 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126012422/https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/baikie_jim.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1722/ZX-Spectrum/Fall_Guy|title=Fall Guy|website=spectrumcomputing.co.uk|accessdate=April 12, 2022|archive-date=April 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412103301/https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1722/ZX-Spectrum/Fall_Guy|url-status=live}}</ref>
It aired in reruns as part of the CBS Late Movie from 1984–85 and went into rerun syndication in the autumn of 1986, which eventually included a run on FX. In 2024, it was added to the H&I schedule in the US, where it continues in 2026. The first two series are available for streaming on Prime Video. During 2025, it was part of the lineup on the Legend channel in the UK, and continues to run on sister network Legend Xtra in 2026.
In September 2020, Universal Pictures announced the film ''The Fall Guy'', loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ryan-gosling-david-leitch-tackling-the-fall-guy-style-stuntman-movie-for-universal-4063325/ |title=Ryan Gosling, David Leitch Tackling "The Fall Guy"-Style Stuntman Movie for Universal |author=Borys Kit |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=September 23, 2020 |access-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102134801/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ryan-gosling-david-leitch-tackling-the-fall-guy-style-stuntman-movie-for-universal-4063325/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was released on May 3, 2024 to positive reviews and did good business, but insufficient to recoup its costs, which were significant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/the-fall-guy-movie-release-date-cast-plot/|title='The Fall Guy': Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know About the Ryan Gosling Movie|first=Soham|last=Bagchi|date=May 11, 2023|website=Collider|access-date=April 1, 2024|archive-date=March 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301003619/https://collider.com/the-fall-guy-movie-release-date-cast-plot/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |title=Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy,' '3 Body Problem' Headed to SXSW |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/fall-guy-three-body-problem-headed-to-sxsw-1235783886/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 10, 2024 |date=January 10, 2024 |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110200019/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/fall-guy-three-body-problem-headed-to-sxsw-1235783886/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=June 12, 2024 |title=Why Does Hollywood Care About Box Office Opening Weekends? |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/box-office-opening-weekend-why-does-it-matter-1236033313/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=Variety |archive-date=12 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612163733/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/box-office-opening-weekend-why-does-it-matter-1236033313/ |url-status=live |language=en-US}}</ref> Lee Majors and Heather Thomas appear together in a cameo as police officers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lee Majors to star alongside Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy movie |url=https://uk.style.yahoo.com/lee-majors-star-alongside-ryan-120000730.html |website=Yahoo! Life |access-date=June 16, 2023 |date=February 17, 2023 |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616133651/https://uk.style.yahoo.com/lee-majors-star-alongside-ryan-120000730.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==See also== * 1981 in American television
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commons category}} * {{IMDb title|id=0081859}} * {{epguides|id=FallGuy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fall Guy, The}} Category:1981 American television series debuts Category:1986 American television series endings Category:American action adventure television series Category:American action comedy television series Category:American Broadcasting Company comedy dramas Category:American Broadcasting Company crime dramas Category:English-language American television shows Category:Fictional bounty hunters Category:Fictional stunt performers Category:Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Category:Television series created by Glen A. Larson Category:Television shows adapted into comics Category:Television shows adapted into films Category:Television shows adapted into video games Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles