TV series

Wiseguy

Name: Wiseguy
Released: 1987
Cast: Steven Bauer, Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes, Cecil Hoffman, Maximilian Schell

1987–1990· 4 seasons· 60 min episodesTV-14★ 6.6Ended

On CBS — From Stephen J. Cannell Productions

With friends like his who needs enemies

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Synopsis

Vinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer.

Themes

fbi undercover agent organized crime task force

Episodes

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E1 Wiseguy (1)Next upSep 16, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie is released from prison where he has been for two years to establish his cover. He meets his boss, Frank McPike and gets to see his coach and mentor, Jerry Greco. Greco is killed and Vinnie demands to be put in to finish the investigation. He uses his ingenuity to get a foothold in the Steelgrave crime family, but it will take a while to finish this job.
Guest stars: John M. Jackson, Ray Sharkey, Mark Rolston, Gerald Anthony, Leon Pownall, Jack Ging, Jessica Steen, Gianni Russo
E2 Wiseguy (2)Sep 16, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie and Sonny's right hand man, Tony Grecco, has a run-in with the cops causing Vinnie to be arrested. The Steelgraves find that guns are being exported illegally using their pier and decide to take possession of the guns and sell them back to the owner.
Guest stars: Eric Christmas, Martika, Dennis Lipscomb
E3 New BloodSep 24, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
In an attempt to take over Sonny Steelgrave’s business, mob head Paul Patrice frames Sonny for several murder attempts he makes on the life of the special prosecutor investigating Sonny.
Guest stars: Joe Dallesandro, Ray Sharkey, Eric Christmas, Dennis Lipscomb, P. Lynn Johnson, Frank Ferrucci, Sam Vincent (Kid)
E4 The Loose CannonOct 1, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
A psychopathic murderer posing as Sonny's nephew double-crosses Sonny and holds Vinnie's girlfriend Gina hostage.
Guest stars: Venus Terzo, Joe Dallesandro, Blu Mankuma, David Marciano
E5 The Birthday SurpriseOct 8, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie nearly blows his cover when he becomes obsessed with finding out who killed his cousin, causing Frank to threaten him with dismissal. Frank desperately wants Vinnie to concentrate on nailing the Zaratzos, who are trying to arrange a drug smuggling deal with Sonny, because they killed one of Frank's agents.
Guest stars: Nestor Serrano, Ray Sharkey, Jerry Wasserman, Sal Lopez
E6 One on OneOct 15, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
After several deals go sour, Sonny starts suspecting Vinnie may be a plant. Frank orders Vinnie to drop the case when he finds out the local police have an informer in Sonny's operations. Sid has Frank picked up and tortured, but Vinnie and undercover cop Karen Malloy rescue him. Karen's disappearance points the finger at Sid as the leak.
Guest stars: Annette Bening (Karen Leland / Maloy)
E7 Prodigal SonOct 22, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
After his mother is mugged in Brooklyn, an enraged Vinnie sets out to find the punk who did it, but when he visits his mother in the hospital, it breaks his heart that she still won't forgive him for his life of “crime.”
Guest stars: John M. Jackson, Bruno Gerussi, Ray Sharkey, Michael Benyaer, Elsa Raven
E8 A Deal's a DealOct 29, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
Sonny’s cruel punishment of a lounge singer who wants out of his contract triggers a cascade of events that leads to Vinnie’s being photographed with McPike — a photo that is to be delivered to Sonny.
Guest stars: Ernie Prentice, Joe Dallesandro, Ray Sharkey, Billy Vera, Dan Lauria
E9 The Marriage of Heaven and HellNov 5, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
Sonny’s impending marriage to a syndicate boss’ daughter begins a supposedly businesslike realignment of “families,” but Vinnie learns that the wedding is a pretext for a bloody gang war.
Guest stars: Joe Dallesandro, Ray Sharkey
E10 No One Gets Out of Here AliveNov 12, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
An outraged Sonny Steelgrave accuses Vinnie of betraying him to his arch-rival, then realizes the devastating truth — that his paisan is an undercover Federal agent.
Guest stars: Ric Reid, John M. Jackson
E11 Last Rites for LucciNov 19, 1987 · 60 min
Synopsis
In the aftermath of the Steelgrave case, Vinnie tries to vindicate himself of his lingering feelings of betrayal and disloyalty by risking his life to save an old friend from the Brooklyn neighborhood who has a contract out on him.
Guest stars: Jackson Davies
E12 Independent OperatorJan 4, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie’s assignment to check out a contract killer leads him into a huge global contraband syndicate — an operation that far exceeds the scope of the Steelgrave family — overlorded by brother and sister Mel and Susan Profitt.
Guest stars: Garwin Sanford, Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Clyde Kusatsu, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), William Russ (Roger LoCocco), Frank Ferrucci, Will Zahrn (Charles Shagrass)
E13 Fascination for the FlameJan 11, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie, now a bodyguard for the Profitts, gets his first trial by fire when Mel Profitt, the brilliant but paranoid overlord of an international crime empire, disrupts the wedding of an associate, who retaliates by kidnapping Susan.
Guest stars: Franklyn Seales, Alvin Sanders, Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Clyde Kusatsu, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), William Russ (Roger LoCocco), Frank Ferrucci, Will Zahrn (Charles Shagrass)
E14 Smokey Mountain RequiemJan 18, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Vinnie tells Mel Profitt he is leaving to go home to New Jersey, but Mel offers him the biggest cocaine distribution network in the country — a plum that Vinnie feels is too juicy for any undercover cop to turn down.
Guest stars: Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Rance Howard (Ernest Haynes), Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), Mark Pillow (Russell Haynes), William Russ (Roger LoCocco), Will Zahrn (Charles Shagrass), Anthony Harrison (Lyle), Fred Asparagus (Willie Jesus)
E15 Player to be Named NowJan 25, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Mel’s desire to buy a baseball franchise is two-fold: he wants to play on it, and he wants to take it away from an old business associate who cheated him in a Mexican drug deal. When Mel’s former girlfriend shows up, begging for readmission to the Inner circle, he humiliates her, using her as a sexual pawn in a power game with a rival, but for Vinnie, forced to watch it happen, the worst is yet to come.
Guest stars: Michael Ensign, Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), William B. Davis, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), William Russ (Roger LoCocco)
E16 The Merchant of DeathFeb 1, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
When some of his munitions contacts begin drying up, Mel decides to blackmail a French Deputy Minister of Defense into supplying him with the weapons he needs.
E17 Not For NothingFeb 8, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Hiding out in Vancouver after the fall of the Steelgrave empire, Aldo Baglia sees a photo of Vinnie in the paper and decides to even the score, sending Vinnie into a coma from two serious gunshot wounds. Roger, using his CIA contact, tracks down Aldo.
Guest stars: John Novak, Patrick McKenna (Barry Berlin (uncredited)), Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Melanie Chartoff, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), Jay Brazeau, William Russ (Roger LoCocco)
E18 SqueezeFeb 15, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
After his munitions operation starts falling apart, Mel orders Vinnie to set up a meet with the mob to use his immense cocaine trade to regain financial power.
Guest stars: Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Melanie Chartoff, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), Elsa Raven, William Russ (Roger LoCocco), Clayton Corzatte
E19 Blood DriveFeb 22, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
After rejecting an offer to finance a coup d'etat in the Caribbean, Mel Profitt becomes obsessed with a supposed voodoo death curse, and Vinnie, horrified, can only watch as Mel’s personality begins to disintegrate.
Guest stars: Mabel King, Richard Portnow, Kevin Spacey (Mel Profitt), Charlayne Woodard, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), Elsa Raven, William Russ (Roger LoCocco)
E20 Phantom PainMar 14, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
After Susan is arrested for Mel’s murder, Vinnie refuses McPike’s order to pull out of the Profitt case, because Susan, who has seemingly lost her grip on reality, has told him she is pregnant with his child.
Guest stars: Terry Moore, Joan Severance (Susan Profitt), William Russ (Roger LoCocco)
E21 Dirty Little WarsMar 21, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
With Mel and Susan Profitt undone, McPike begins dismantling their empire, but Vinnie demands to stay on the case to get to the bottom of Roger Lococco’s ties to a rogue CIA operation to stage a Caribbean coup d’etat.
Guest stars: Garry Chalk, Denis Arndt, William Russ (Roger LoCocco)
E22 Date With an AngelMar 28, 1988 · 60 min
Synopsis
Roger Lococco in effect signs his own death warrant by testifying to a Senate committee about a cabal within the U.S. intelligence community, but to back him up he needs Vinnie to testify as an O.C.B. operative — testimony that would end Vinnie’s career as an undercover agent.
Guest stars: Tom Hammond, Jerry Wasserman, Ray Stricklyn, Traci Lords, Robin Gammell, William Russ (Roger LoCocco)