''Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' is a 1993

syndicated television Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

series. It followed the adventures of the "Hemisphere Emergency Action Team" (H.E.A.T.), a group of top-secret agents based in

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, recruited by "C-5", a secret, inter-governmental coalition to fight

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

and other international crimes. To keep a low profile, the team posed as models and photographers representing a beach-fashion business. The show returned for a second season (production started in 1996) with a new and smaller cast; it aired in Europe in 1997, and in the United States during 1998–99.

Synopsis

Led by Ashley Hunter-Coddington (Catherine Oxenberg), a former

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

operative, and Mike Savage (Brendan Kelly), a former

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

agent, the H.E.A.T. members fight international terrorism and other crimes. They receive their assignments from "Mr. Smith" (John Vernon), the mysterious head of C-5, a secret governmental organization linked to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. The team operates from both Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and internationally under the 'cover' of a beach fashion enterprise. The team's members are: Catherine "Cat" Avery Pascal (Alison Armitage), a former cat-burglar who had to choose between life imprisonment and working in H.E.A.T. for a year in order to have a "clean-slate"; Tommy Chase (Michael Worth), a martial arts expert with a deep understanding of human psychology; Brett Richardson (Spencer Rochfort), a former

Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

with a vast knowledge of explosives; Krissie Valentine (Holly Floria), a computer genius who can do anything with computers, no matter the situation and, who eventually becomes romantically involved with teammate Marcos Chavez (Randy Vasquez), a member of Mexico's Los Federales, and whose local contacts in their base-of-operations prove very helpful; Arthur Small (Graham Heywood), owner of Acapulco H.E.A.T. Beach Fashion who manages both the team's logistics and its members' false identities in the "Beach Fashion Enterprise" and, Claudio Divanti (Fabio), owner of the hotel where the team is headquartered. Catherine ("Cat") Avery Pascal and Tommy Chase are the only original characters to return in Season Two. The Season Two storyline explained the time gap (about 3 years) between seasons by stating that the (Season One) H.E.A.T. team had disbanded a few years after the events of Season One. In the interim, "Cat" became a beach-fashion photographer, and Tommy became a "lone wolf". The two were recruited by ex-spy Nicole Bernard (Lydie Denier) and her protégée, Joanna Barnes (Christa Sauls) a computer expert. They continued fighting international crime backed by private investors; their "cover": owners of a beach-fashion boutique ("Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashion").

Production

The show initially produced only one season (1993–94). Following a two-year hiatus, ''Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' was brought back for a second season with a mostly new cast.The 'H.E.A.T.' is on. (1998, November 8). Houston Chronicle, p. 4. Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ccclez.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0ED7B9D2827625FB. This second season was produced in 1996 for worldwide distribution, but also aired in the U.S. during the 1998–99 television season. A planned third season did not materialize. A total of 48 episodes were made and have developed a fan base and international audience. The series continues to be broadcast on cable and streaming channels. The show's theme song, "I Feel the Heat," was sung by Sable Jeffries (first season) and Pepper Mashay (second season).

Cast and characters

Season 1 (1993–94)

*Ashley Hunter-Coddington (

Catherine Oxenberg Catherine Oxenberg (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s prime time soap opera ''Dynasty''. Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard Oxe ...

) – A former British

operative and one of the co-leaders of the H.E.A.T. team. She is the daughter of an ambassador. Her mother was killed by Red Brigade members while she was still a child. This traumatic event triggered the need to become a government agent. Her codename is "Sarong" and she worked undercover as a fashion photographer and beach fashion designer. *Michael "Mike" Savage (Brendan Kelly) – A former

agent and co-leader of the H.E.A.T. team. He also posed as a photographer for the agency and his codename is "Platform". *Catherine (Cat) Avery Pascal (

Alison Armitage Alison Armitage (born February 26, 1965) is a former swimmer, actress and Playboy Playmate. Early life Armitage was born in High Wycombe, London, but grew up in Hong Kong where she lived for 20 years. She is of mixed German, French, and English ...

) – A French ex-cat burglar, who was required to join the team after being arrested for her crimes. She had to stay with the team for a year in order to avoid prison sentence. She eventually accepted that being on the side of justice was far better. She poses as one of the models of the agency and her codename is "High Dive". *Brett Richardson (Spencer Rochfort) – A former

and the team's weapons and explosive expert. Posed as one of the team's models and his codename is "Deep End". *Krissie Valentine (Holly Floria) – A computer expert. She provides the team with useful information and research for their missions. Poses undercover as one of the models of the agency and, through the season, got romantically involved with Marcos. Her codename is "Spring Board". *Marcos Chavez (

Randy Vasquez Randy Vasquez (born October 16, 1961) is an American actor and director. Early life Vasquez was born in Escondido, California. He attended Escondido High School and is a cousin of actor and director James Vasquez, who also grew up in Escondi ...

) – A member of the

Federales ''Federales'' (singular ''Federale'' or, rarely but aligning with Spanish, ''Federal'') is a Spanglish word used in an informal context to denote security forces operating under a federal political system. The term gained widespread usage by En ...

and an expert in undercover missions. He was romantically involved with Krissie. He poses as the one responsible for providing transportation for the equipment the team uses during their work in fashion (and actually, with the equipment used on their missions). Most of his family members have served as providers of useful information. His codename is "Agua Azul". *Tommy Chase (

Michael Worth Michael Troy Worth (born January 13, 1965) is an American actor, martial artist, screenwriter, and director. Early life Born in Philadelphia in 1965, Worth is from German and Delaware Indian Native American heritage. As a child, he grew up near th ...

) – A government member responsible for personality analyses. He is an expert in martial arts and has the "zen warrior" mentality. Poses as one of the team male models; his codename is "Backflip". *Arthur Small (Graham Heywood) – Owner of the beach fashion enterprise, Acapulco Heat beach fashion, which served has the cover for the H.E.A.T. members. Also helped sort out the

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

of each mission. *Claudio Divanti (

Fabio Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

) – Owner of the hotel where the team have their headquarters. Used to flirt with Ashley, much to Mike's dislike. *Mr. Smith (

John Vernon John Keith Vernon (born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz; February 24, 1932 February 1, 2005) was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada. He was best known for playing Dean Wormer ...

) – One of the government representatives of C-5, a secret coalition that tasks H.E.A.T. with their missions. C-5 was composed by various members of the U.N. He is seen only via video link.

Season 2 (1998–99)

*Catherine (Cat) Avery Pascal (

) – Between the first and second seasons, she became a beach-fashion photographer. As one of the original members of the H.E.A.T. team, she now had to deal with the responsibility of being her own boss. Her new cover was of one of the owners of a small boutique called "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". *Tommy Chase (

) – Between the first and second seasons, he started seeing the world with more cynical eyes. He launched a personal fight against drug dealers and small crime. He is the other original member of the H.E.A.T. team to join the new team incarnation. His new cover was of an employee of the small boutique "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". *Nicole Bernard (

Lydie Denier Lydie Denier (born 15 April 1964) is a French-American model and actress. She has appeared in numerous TV series and films. Biography Early life She was born in Pontchâteau, France. Denier was raised in Martinique, attending school at the ...

) – A former French spy that re-organized the H.E.A.T. team to help her track a stolen necklace, but decided to keep working with them. Her cover was of one of the owners of a small boutique called "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". Very serious, she has trouble trusting people, though she has plenty of trust in her new allies. *Joanna Barnes (

Christa Sauls Christa Sauls (born April 15, 1972) is an American model and actress. Career Sauls started her television career in the mid-1990s with roles in '' Step by Step'' and ''Baywatch Nights''. In 1997 she appeared in the '' Conan'' series and had a ...

) – The new computer expert of the team and a protégée of Nicole. She can do anything with a computer, though she can never explain how or what she did. Her cover was of one of the employees of the small boutique "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". Though naive, she struggles to keep up a serious appearance. In Season 2 episode 'Blood Ties', original cast members from Season 1, Spencer Rochfort and Randy Vasquez, returned for a special appearance as their characters Brett Richardson and Marcos Chavez.

Notable guest stars

* James Healey as Niel Strake (Season 1) *

Pedro Armendáriz Jr. Pedro Armendáriz Bohr (April 6, 1940 – December 26, 2011), better known by his stage name Pedro Armendáriz Jr., was a Mexican actor. Life and career Pedro Armendáriz Bohr was born in Mexico City to Mexican-American actor Pedro Armendáriz ...

as Colonel Rodriguez (Season 1) *

Clifton Collins Jr. Clifton Craig Collins Jr. is an American actor. After starting in 1990, with small roles in film and on television, Collins gained attention for his performance as Cpl. Ramon Aguilar, a prisoner "serving" under an imprisoned general played by R ...

as David Kern (Season 1) *

Tristan Rogers Tristan Rogers (born 3 June 1946) is an Australian-American actor. He is best known for playing Robert Scorpio on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and for voicing Jake in Walt Disney Pictures' ''The Rescuers Down Under''. He is curren ...

as John Hardy (Season 1) *

James Booth James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety ...

as Andre Sokol (Season 1) *

Neil Dickson Neil Dickson (born November 26, 1950) is an English actor, who has worked extensively in both American and British film and television. Biography At the age of five, Dickson contracted poliomyelitis, but he was fortunate enough to make a comp ...

as Green Victory Agent (Season 1) *

Christopher Neame Christopher Neame (born 12 September 1947, London) is an English actor now living in the United States. UK career Neame's UK film credits include appearances in two Hammer Horror films: ''Lust for a Vampire'' (1971) and ''Dracula AD 1972'' ( ...

as Werner Steinholtz (Season 1) *

Liliana Komorowska Liliana Komorowska (born 11 April 1956) is a Polish actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in more than fifty films since 1964. Selected filmography References External links * * 1956 births Living people Actresses from Gdańsk Po ...

as Frederika Fluke (Season 1) * Vaitiare Hirshon as Carmen Chavez (Season 1) *

Julie Bowen Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer (born March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom ''Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which she received critical acclaim and six nominations for the Primetim ...

as Danielle Perkins (Season 1) * Nicholas Ball as Derek Perkins (Season 1) *

Andrew Divoff Andrew Daniel Divoff (born July 2, 1955) is a Venezuelan actor and producer.Lanyon, Mary-Justine"A 'Bad Guy' With a Heart of Gold", Lake Arrowhead Magazine (Winter 2015-16), pp. 41-43 retrieved June 30, 2020. Divoff has played many villains in ...

as The Raven (Season 2) *

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

as Victor Garrison (Season 2) *

Chase Masterson Chase Masterson (born Christianne Carafano on February 26, 1963) is an American actress and singer. Early life Chase Masterson was born Christianne Carafano in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As her father was in the Army,Catherine McGoohan Catherine McGoohan (born 31 May 1952) is a British-American actress. Early life McGoohan is the eldest daughter of Irish-American actor Patrick McGoohan and actress Joan Drummond. She has two younger sisters. Career McGoohan appeared in films a ...

as Natasha Simonova (Season 1) and Sister Margaret (Season 2) * Tom Paolino as Finley Fairfax (Season 2) *

Richard Lynch Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'', '' Invasion USA'', ''The Seven-Ups'', ''Scarecr ...

as Elliot Roth (Season 2)

Episodes

Season 1 (1993–94)

The first season was produced for syndication in the United States for the 1993–94 television season.

Season 2 (1998–99)

The second season was produced in 1996 for European distribution and airing in 1997, but was not syndicated in the United States until the 1998–99 television season. The dates listed below are the U.S. airdates.

Home media

Mill Creek Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in 2006. On May 6, 2008, Mill Creek Entertainment released ''Acapulco H.E.A.T.- The Complete series'', an 11-disc boxset featuring all 48 episodes of the series. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are

out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...

. As of 2014, all episodes from season 1 can be watched on YouTube, at the Keller Entertainment Group official ''Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' channel. As of July 2021, the show is airing on a United States digital channel ''American Classic Entertainment'', otherwise known as Ace. * First season DVDs: contain all episodes, with dual soundtrack (English and Spanish); also include several extras, such as promotional pictures, interviews and bios of the cast, and some TV promos. *Second season DVDs: contain all episodes, with dual soundtrack (English and Spanish); also include several extras, such as promotional pictures, cast bios, interviews with Michael Worth and Lydie Denier, and a TV promo. The first and second episode contain production commentaries by Worth.

References

External links

''Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' in Show Guide
* * {{epguides, AcapulcoHEAT 1993 American television series debuts 1999 American television series endings American action television series Fictional intelligence agencies Espionage television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television shows set in Acapulco