When original Pretender adventures disappeared from the airwaves in 2001, fans were still left with a lot of questions. Fortunately, the show’s creators haven’t forgotten about them and are working on a way to bring the series back, albeit in a different form.
The Pretender debuted on September 19, 1996 and aired for four seasons on NBC. In the series, Michael T. Weiss plays the lead character, a beyond-genius “Pretender” named Jarod. As a young boy, Jarod was abducted from his parents and trained by The Centre to be able to flawlessly integrate himself into any profession or lifestyle. As an adult, Jarod discovers that the organization is using him for no good and he escapes. Jarod travels the country trying to help those in need while managing to stay a step ahead of his captors. When the series ended on May 13, 2000 after four seasons, it looked like Jarod, Miss Parker (Andrea Parker), and Ethan (guest Tyler Christopher) didn’t survive a huge train explosion.
Fortunately, the cliffhanger was later resolved. The Pretender was picked up for syndication and ran successfully on cable station TNT. That success paved the way for two television movies that aired in January and December 2001. When the second movie ended, there were still many questions left unanswered. Fans petitioned for more TV movies but they didn’t happen.
Pretender creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle have long said that the show was a labor of love and that they’re interested in continuing the Pretender story. A few months ago, the creators suggested that the show might be continued online.
In a recent interview with Sci Fi Wire, Mitchell and Van Sickle shared a few more details. “We created the show The Pretender, and we’re working on bringing that back in a whole new form, in a digital form and in a digital platform,” Mitchell shared. This would allow viewers to be able to tap into more information and be able to follow the progress of the new stories.
A new format doesn’t mean however that they’re forsaking the series’ star or the existing Pretender storylines. Van Sickle notes, “We had breakfast with Michael… he just finished up a play out here in New York. I guess kind of the best thing we can say is that we have a timetable of within, hopefully, the next five or six months that we can have something really unique and different out there.” Stay tuned! 
Watching the series “the Pretender” was just not a television series for me,it was an absolute addiction. I can honestly say that when the show was cancelled,absolutely NO ONE was more disappointed than I was. Not even people that made their living directly from the show. Andrea Parker is one of the two most becautiful women I have ever seen in my life,as well as one superb actress.
Whomever has the power to make it happen,PLEASE make it happen!
BRING THE SHOW BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Marky, the two movies made after the series was canceled are named:
The pretender 2001
The Pretender: the island of the haunted
I got both new off of amazon.com
Great show! The best series I have ever seen. Great story and great actors! I have seen the all parts of it (many times) and that says something!
I hope to see the new series soon! I can
I, too, miss the show but somehow also missed the movies! Never saw them and so I still have some unresolved issues. Any one know where I can find them (and the titles, please) so I will be ready for the series return?
BTW, I prefer TV format over online format. Although, I can be convinced to find the show and watch it online.
the pretender is the best series i have ever seen. we need someone like jarod in real life. micheal t. weiss is a great actor and i wish they will put more shows for the pretender on tv and even on dvd. i love this show and also i try to use some things from this show that i learn in real the world and life today. Also he is a great looking guy and has a lot of smarts. i own all the seasons and i would love to see more of them.. they should continue these movies so… Read more »
put them on I loved this show
I read an interview with the creators that they do wish to revitalize the show quite soon. Possibly 2009. I know some of the actors are more than willing to recreate the roles that first brought them to us. 🙂
so when will this be relased?
can’t wait..cheers
The power brokers in the show exhibited this same dynamic of hostility and relatedness. In fact it became almost a joke between my wife in me as to what new relationship between the characters might be discovered next. The relationship that was most subtle and poignant was between Syndey and Jarod, Sydney was my favorite character, next to Jarod himself, followed by Ms Parker. Sydney was his brainwasher yet he did it with such skill as the boys patient teacher. In that sense he was Jarods worst enemy. But in the end, Sydney loved him but could never say so… Read more »
The Pretender was good drama in that it presented many complex and ambivant relationships. Parker had a great need for her father’s love and though ahe was cynical and violent elsewhere she became a little girl with which he always used to bring her back into the fold. Thoughout the original series I always wondered whether she really believed in the Centre’s purpose. Nevertheless she pursued her mission of catching Jarod like a kamakhazi utterly commited to let anything or anyone standing in her way. I rather think she became obsessed with her goal more than to the ultimate purpose… Read more »
I just found this post. PLEASE, PLEASE LET IT BE TRUE. I just loved this show. Never missed an episode. I have loved Michael T. since he was on DOOL. I miss those eyes, that voice, that body, sorry, i’d better quit. Anyway, I agree w/the earlier post about trying to get in back on with Profiler. Both shows were great on Sat. nights. Let’s hope this will happen soon, with the original cast.
I love this show. I really hope that there is a final movie with the original cast. I have all the DVDs, and I would buy that one as well. My entire family was so upset when the show was canceled. I can’t wait for the conclusion.
I would love to see the show continue. I’ve been a fan of the show since it first started and was appalled that they let it end. I was thrilled to watch both movies was upset because it left so many unanswered questions. So, in true “Centre” style, I wrote my own answers. Yep, I wrote a fanfic entitled “Somewhere Between Hell and a Turning Point”. Some of you may remember the line from IOTH. Check it out on http://www.fanfiction.net/~nancyhford and I’d love to get feedback. Fair warning…adult content.
I am a huge fan of the Pretender especially Jarod. Please bring this show back. Channel 4 was dumb to let a hit show like this just vanish of the air. I even had to send emails to the neilson ratings about this show and the ending, I didn’t understand. Start from the begining when the show first came out and keep going. I really miss Michael Terry Weiss and the other characters. I see them on other shows but it’s nothing like The Pretender.
I’d really like to use the first season intro on my “Grizzly’s Growls” podcast sometime, but I have no idea exactly who to ask. Got it all edited, files tucked away for Someday. Would be nice to actually use it; it would fit the theme of a show I’ve wanted to do for a while about Asperger Syndrome.