Network: HBO, USA
Episodes: 85 (half-hour)
Seasons: Six
TV show dates: November 23, 1983 — February 22, 1991
Series status: Cancelled
Performers include: Page Fletcher and Nicholas Campbell.
TV show description:
This anthology series features mystery/thriller stories, as told by a mysterious wanderer known only as “The Hitchhiker” (Nicholas Campbell, then Page Fletcher). Dressed in tight jeans and a bomber jacket, he introduces each installment, interacts a bit with some of the characters from the story to come and then fades into the background. He turns up at the end, to close out the tale.
The stories are usually dark in nature and explore the foibles of humanity. They sometimes include supernatural elements and sometimes feature female nudity (during the HBO era).
Other than the narrator, there are no other recurring characters. Like The Twilight Zone before it, this series is a who’s who of actors from that era. They include Kirstie Alley, Sandra Bernhard, Peter Coyote, John Glover, Hellen Hunt, Lorenzo Lama, Virgina Madsen, C. Thomas Howell, Elliott Gould, Louise Fletcher, and Bill Paxton.
Episode 85 — New Blood
An aspiring actress named Leesa (Rae Dawn Chong) sacrifices her soul to belong to a celebrated avant-garde theatre troupe and finds out too late that she has actually forfeited all control of her life. Other guest stars include Jean-Philippe Chatrier, Jerry Di Giacomo, Joanna Pavlis, and Didier Sauvegrain.
First aired: February 22, 1991.
Behind the Scenes
The series ran for 39 episodes on HBO and then was picked up by USA for the remaining 46 installments.
Since Nicholas Campbell only made three episodes, those installments were reworked to replace him with Page Fletcher in syndication. Nudity is also edited out for syndicated runs.
