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Jude on Senad, who rocks for finding so many fascinating Sentinel bits and pieces, has unearthed a new to me article on the show from the New York Times, back in 1997.
I rolled my eyes over the confirmation that the Cypher hug was cut for homophobic reasons and grinned at RB's assertion that Jim beat up a waiter in the pilot. Heh, not quite...
May 11, 1997
An Army Commando Turned Super-Sleuth By JUSTINE ELIAS
ATTENTION, cultural anthropology buffs. Remember the mythical Sentinel
figures in Central and South America, those guardians of peace and justice
whose senses are hyper-attuned to danger?
You don't?
The creative team behind the UPN series ''The Sentinel'' (Wednesday night at
8 on Channel 9) have been playing a little joke on their fans.
''All right, we made it up,'' says Danny Bilson, the show's creator and
co-producer. ''But it was out of necessity. We wanted to create a superhero
without creating a whole superhero world and a weird costume.'' After some
brainstorming with his writing partner, Paul De Meo, with whom we wrote the
1991 film ''The Rocketeer,'' Mr. Bilson settled on the idea of ''a
hypersensitive Barnaby Jones'' type named Jim Ellison, an Army commando who
survives a harrowing solo mission in a Central American jungle. When he
returns to civilization, Ellison -- now a Seattle police detective -- finds
that his vision, hearing and taste are inexplicably heightened. At first he
thinks he's losing his mind.
Richard Burgi, who plays Ellison, explains: ''He eats spicy food, and that
sends him into a bit of a tailspin. He goes a little crazy and beats up a
waiter.''
With the help of an anthropology graduate student (Garret Maggart), Ellison
discovers that his ordeal has left him special gifts for fighting crime.
Under the critical eye of a short-tempered police captain (Bruce A. Young),
the ''military guy and the hippie kid,'' as the producer describes them,
work on special assignments for the Seattle Public Safety Department.
As its hero has honed his strange abilities, the show's offbeat mix of
action, mystery and comedy has found a modest but loyal audience, mainly men
and women aged 18 to 49 -- demographically the audience most desired by
advertisers.
Much of the show's appeal, says Mr. Bilson, is due to its leading man, an
athletic and versatile actor who is strong without being pushy.
''Richard brings a lot to the role,'' says Mr. Bilson. ''He's got a sense of
humor, and he's bright and emotional. He plays all the angles.'' Mr. Burgi,
a New Jersey native who worked as a stonemason while studying to become an
actor, says he is grateful for the chance to headline another series. His
first effort, ''One West Waikiki,'' lasted only six episodes on CBS, though
the series is still in syndication on the Lifetime network.
Mr. Burgi played ''tough cops and bad guys'' in a few television movies
before Mr. Bilson and Mr. De Meo, who remembered his work on their previous
series, ''Viper,'' suggested him for the lead on ''The Sentinel.'' Since the
show began production a year ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Burgi
has done most of his own stunts -- a task that's nearly changed him from the
Sentinel into the Convalescent.
''My hair caught on fire, and a squib blew up right near my eye,'' he said.
''In the opening credits, you see me jump onto a bus, and I got whacked on
the chin pretty bad.''
Though the show's ratings indicate its appeal to both men and women, the
Sentinel's world remains a largely male enclave. Guest actresses are
frequently cast as untrustworthy interlopers.
''Ah, the treacherous woman,'' says Mr. Burgi. ''A lot of shows have that
subtext.''
Mr. Bilson recalls that network censors, who are unfazed by the show's
martial values, balked at a scene in which the two male leads, having
survived yet another ordeal, hugged each other. ''The network is always on
the homophobia patrol,'' Mr. Bilson says. ''We keep trying out new
actresses, looking for someone who clicks.''
Mr. Burgi jokingly imagines a different path for his character. ''We could
have him chasing some criminal and then getting misty-eyed when he hears a
Cole Porter song,'' he said. 'It's . . . 'The Sentimental'! Or, 15 seasons
from now, he'll be using a walker in . . . 'The Senile'!''
Should ''The Sentinel'' continue its successful run, his friends will have
to remember one thing, Mr. Bilson says: ''Keep him away from caffeine. You
don't know what he's capable of when he's overstimulated.''
I rolled my eyes over the confirmation that the Cypher hug was cut for homophobic reasons and grinned at RB's assertion that Jim beat up a waiter in the pilot. Heh, not quite...
May 11, 1997
An Army Commando Turned Super-Sleuth By JUSTINE ELIAS
ATTENTION, cultural anthropology buffs. Remember the mythical Sentinel
figures in Central and South America, those guardians of peace and justice
whose senses are hyper-attuned to danger?
You don't?
The creative team behind the UPN series ''The Sentinel'' (Wednesday night at
8 on Channel 9) have been playing a little joke on their fans.
''All right, we made it up,'' says Danny Bilson, the show's creator and
co-producer. ''But it was out of necessity. We wanted to create a superhero
without creating a whole superhero world and a weird costume.'' After some
brainstorming with his writing partner, Paul De Meo, with whom we wrote the
1991 film ''The Rocketeer,'' Mr. Bilson settled on the idea of ''a
hypersensitive Barnaby Jones'' type named Jim Ellison, an Army commando who
survives a harrowing solo mission in a Central American jungle. When he
returns to civilization, Ellison -- now a Seattle police detective -- finds
that his vision, hearing and taste are inexplicably heightened. At first he
thinks he's losing his mind.
Richard Burgi, who plays Ellison, explains: ''He eats spicy food, and that
sends him into a bit of a tailspin. He goes a little crazy and beats up a
waiter.''
With the help of an anthropology graduate student (Garret Maggart), Ellison
discovers that his ordeal has left him special gifts for fighting crime.
Under the critical eye of a short-tempered police captain (Bruce A. Young),
the ''military guy and the hippie kid,'' as the producer describes them,
work on special assignments for the Seattle Public Safety Department.
As its hero has honed his strange abilities, the show's offbeat mix of
action, mystery and comedy has found a modest but loyal audience, mainly men
and women aged 18 to 49 -- demographically the audience most desired by
advertisers.
Much of the show's appeal, says Mr. Bilson, is due to its leading man, an
athletic and versatile actor who is strong without being pushy.
''Richard brings a lot to the role,'' says Mr. Bilson. ''He's got a sense of
humor, and he's bright and emotional. He plays all the angles.'' Mr. Burgi,
a New Jersey native who worked as a stonemason while studying to become an
actor, says he is grateful for the chance to headline another series. His
first effort, ''One West Waikiki,'' lasted only six episodes on CBS, though
the series is still in syndication on the Lifetime network.
Mr. Burgi played ''tough cops and bad guys'' in a few television movies
before Mr. Bilson and Mr. De Meo, who remembered his work on their previous
series, ''Viper,'' suggested him for the lead on ''The Sentinel.'' Since the
show began production a year ago in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Burgi
has done most of his own stunts -- a task that's nearly changed him from the
Sentinel into the Convalescent.
''My hair caught on fire, and a squib blew up right near my eye,'' he said.
''In the opening credits, you see me jump onto a bus, and I got whacked on
the chin pretty bad.''
Though the show's ratings indicate its appeal to both men and women, the
Sentinel's world remains a largely male enclave. Guest actresses are
frequently cast as untrustworthy interlopers.
''Ah, the treacherous woman,'' says Mr. Burgi. ''A lot of shows have that
subtext.''
Mr. Bilson recalls that network censors, who are unfazed by the show's
martial values, balked at a scene in which the two male leads, having
survived yet another ordeal, hugged each other. ''The network is always on
the homophobia patrol,'' Mr. Bilson says. ''We keep trying out new
actresses, looking for someone who clicks.''
Mr. Burgi jokingly imagines a different path for his character. ''We could
have him chasing some criminal and then getting misty-eyed when he hears a
Cole Porter song,'' he said. 'It's . . . 'The Sentimental'! Or, 15 seasons
from now, he'll be using a walker in . . . 'The Senile'!''
Should ''The Sentinel'' continue its successful run, his friends will have
to remember one thing, Mr. Bilson says: ''Keep him away from caffeine. You
don't know what he's capable of when he's overstimulated.''
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