''Wizards and Warriors'' is an American comedy adventure fantasy series that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

from February 26 to May 14, 1983. Starring

Jeff Conaway Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway (October 5, 1950 – May 27, 2011) was an American actor. He portrayed Kenickie in the film '' Grease'' and had roles in two television series: struggling actor Bobby Wheeler in ''Taxi'' and security offic ...

Julia Duffy Julia Margaret Duffy (née Hinds; June 27, 1951) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She began her career in television, appearing in minor guest roles before being cast in the role of Penny Davis in the series ''The Doctors (1963 ...

, Walter Olkewicz,

Duncan Regehr Duncan Peter Regehr (born October 5, 1952) is a Canadian writer, multimedia artist, and film and television actor. He was also a figure skater and a classically trained Shakespearean stage actor in his native Canada, before heading to Hollywood ...

, and

Clive Revill Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...

. Eight one-hour episodes were made. The series was created by

Don Reo Don Reo is an American television writer and producer. He created or co-created such shows as '' Blossom'' and ''The John Larroquette Show'' for NBC, ''My Wife and Kids'' for ABC and ''The Ranch'' for Netflix. Other shows for which he has writ ...

for

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

and three of the episodes were directed by

Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...

Summary

In the medieval realm of Aperans, the neighboring kingdoms of Karteia and Camarand engage in repeated conflict. Prince Erik Greystone, who is engaged to Princess Ariel Baaldorf, battles the evil Prince Dirk Blackpool. Both princes employ magic users of various alignments to gain the upper hand against each other.

Cast

Characters are described, according to the newspaper, ''

Wilmington Morning Star ''Star-News'' is an American, English language daily newspaper for Wilmington, North Carolina, and its surrounding area (known as the Lower Cape Fear). It is North Carolina's oldest newspaper in continuous publication. It was owned by Halifax Me ...

''.

Starring

as Prince Erik Greystone. * Walter Olkewicz as Marko, Prince Erik's valet. *

as Dirk Blackpool, the handsome-but-sinister Crown Prince of Karteia. *

as Ariel Baaldorf, the lovely-but-spoiled Crown Princess of Camarand. Her tastes run to "furs, jewels, and leather pants". She has a pet unicorn named Pumpkin. *

as Vector, an evil Karteian sorcerer.

Recurring

* Thomas Hill – Edwin Baaldorf, King of Camarand. Ariel's father. *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

– Traquil, an aging Camarandian wizard. * Tim Dunigan – Geoffrey Blackpool, Prince of Karteia. Dirk's younger brother and frequent aide-de-camp. Less crafty than Dirk, but also nowhere near as vicious. *

Jay Kerr Jay Kerr (born November 16, 1948) is an American actor. A native of Del Rio, Texas, he was raised on a ranch, and raced horses, growing up. He has appeared in various movies and television series including his longest role as "Con Madigan" in the ...

– Prince Justin Greystone, Erik's

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

-brother. * Julie Payne – Lattinia Baaldorf, Queen of Camarand. Ariel's mother. *Randi Brooks – Bethel, a Karteian witch who frequently serves House Blackpool. *Phyllis Katz – Cassandra, a handmaiden in the service of House Baaldorf. *Lonnie Wun – Oriental Guard

US TV Ratings

Episodes

Broadcast and reception

The series debuted as a midseason replacement for the cancelled series '' Bring 'Em Back Alive''. It aired on Saturdays at 8:00pm

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

/ 7:00pm

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. Syndicated columnist Judy Flander praised the series as "witty", including the directing, the writing, and the acting. Due to low ratings, the series was not renewed for the second season and was cancelled. The costume designer Theadora Van Runkle won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series is a retired award that was presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2015, this category and Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special were rearranged as Outst ...

. The series' hairstylist Sharleen Rassi lost a Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling to Edie Panda for the made-for television film ''Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story''.

DVD release

On July 29, 2014,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time via their

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

References

External links

*
Wizardsandwarriors.org
Unofficial Fan Site
Wizards and Warriors
at the Retroist 1983 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings CBS original programming American fantasy television series Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios English-language television shows {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub