''Masquerade'' is an American

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

television series that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from December 15, 1983, until April 27, 1984.

Synopsis

Considered an

amalgam Amalgam most commonly refers to: * Amalgam (chemistry), mercury alloy * Amalgam (dentistry), material of silver tooth fillings ** Bonded amalgam, used in dentistry Amalgam may also refer to: * Amalgam Comics, a publisher * Amalgam Digital ...

of '' Mission: Impossible'' (indeed, ''Mission: Impossible'' alumnus

William Read Woodfield William Read "Billy" Woodfield (January 21, 1928 – November 24, 2001) was an American photographer, television screenwriter, and producer who took black-and-white photographs of American screen actors. He also wrote the screenplay to '' the H ...

was the series' executive story consultant) and ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'', the

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

series starred

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...

as Mr. Lavender, the leader of "Operation Masquerade", a top-secret branch of American Intelligence that conducts missions using ordinary civilians, recruited for their anonymity and their specialized skills. Two trained field agents, Casey Collins (

Kirstie Alley Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 ...

) and Danny Doyle (

Greg Evigan Gregory Ralph Evigan (born October 14, 1953) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He began his career in theater, appearing in the Broadway production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', followed by a stage production of the musical '' Gr ...

) are assigned to chaperone the amateur spies. This concept was essentially identical to ''

Call to Danger ''Call to Danger'' was broadcast as a ''New CBS Tuesday Night Movie'' television film on February 27, 1973. Initially ordered as a pilot, titled ''Deadly Target'', the series was envisioned as a vehicle for Peter Graves should his current serie ...

'', a series concept that had been attempted with three unsuccessful pilot films in the 1960s and 1970s, the last two starring ''Mission: Impossible's''

Peter Graves Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 ...

. The ''Love Boat'' comparison (frequently used in contemporary reviews of this series) stemmed from the show's casting of a different ensemble of well-known actors each week, much as ''Love Boat'' populated its episodes. The first act of every episode depicted the recruitment of a new group of agents, which was invariably followed by a briefing by Mr. Lavender aboard his private plane, ending with Lavender saying, stone-faced: "Welcome to Operation Masquerade".Stephen Vagg, ''Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood'' (Bear Manor Media, 2010) p210-212 The budget was a reported $750,000 an episode. The series debuted with a 90-minute pilot film, followed by 12 episodes before the series was cancelled. This was Kirstie Alley's first television series after her debut in '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' the previous year. Country singer Crystal Gayle performed the theme song. Ratings were weak, and attempts to improve them by changing the time slot did not work either.

Cast

as Lavender *

as Casey Collins *

as Danny Doyle

Ratings

Episodes

References

External links

* *
''Masquerade'' opening theme
at

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1983 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Espionage television series English-language television shows American adventure television series Television series created by Glen A. Larson {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub