''Counterstrike'' is a Canadian/

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

crime-fighting/espionage

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

. The series premiered on American cable channel

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

on July 1, 1990. It ran for three seasons, airing 66 hour-long episodes in total.

Plot

After his wife is kidnapped by

terrorist 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 ...

s, international

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through per ...

Alexander Addington assembles a clandestine team of troubleshooters to help combat terrorism around the world. He recruits Peter Sinclair from

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

to lead the team. They set up a French con artist and art/jewelry thief named Nicole Beaumont and blackmail her into joining because of her valuable criminal connections. The third teammember is Luke Brenner, an American

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

whom they rescue from a Mexican jail. The series' other recurring characters are Bennett and J.J., Alexander's valet and pilot, respectively. In the second season's second episode Peter and Alexander encounter a French reporter named Gabrielle Germont whom they recruit into the team to prevent her from publishing a story about them. In the season's third episode Peter and Gabrielle rescue Hector Stone, an American CIA-operative and former Navy SEAL whose cover has been blown, and invite him to join the team. The character of Alexander's daughter Suzanne Addington, who designed the team's computer systems, was also written out of the series at the beginning of the second season. Suzanne appears in one third season episode, although played by a different actress. In her stead Alexander gets a secretary/confidante named Hélène Previn.

Cast

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

as Alexander Addington (1990–1993) * Simon MacCorkindale as Peter Sinclair (1990–1993) * Cyrielle Clair as Nicole Beaumont (1990–1991) *

Stephen Shellen Stephen Shellen, also known as Stephen Shellenberger (born June 17, 1957), is a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. Fo ...

as Luke Brenner (1990–1991) * Laurence Ashley-Taboulet as Suzanne Addington (1990–1991) * Sophie Michaud as Gabrielle Germont (1991–1993) * James Purcell as Hector Stone (1991–1993) * Patricia Cartier as Hélène Previn (1991–1993) * Andre Mayers as J.J. (1990–1993) * Tom Kneebone as Bennett (1990–1993)

Episodes

Season 1 (1990–91)

Season 2 (1991–92)

Season 3 (1992–93)

Awards and nominations

* 1992 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Simon MacCorkindale) – Nominated * 1992 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Christopher Plummer) – Nominated * 1994 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Sophie Michaud) – Nominated * 1994

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (James Purcell) – WON

Broadcast

''Counterstrike'' aired in the United States on cable channel

, premiering on July 1, 1990. It premiered on November 2, 1991 on

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

in Canada, and on TF1 in France on November 20, 1991. ''Counterstrike'' has since aired in reruns in Canada on Showcase and

TVtropolis DTour (styled as DTOUR) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime, a cable companion to Global with a general entertainment format focusing ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Counterstrike (1990 Tv Series) CTV Television Network original programming Espionage television series 1990s Canadian drama television series 1990 Canadian television series debuts 1993 Canadian television series endings Canadian Screen Award-winning television shows USA Network original programming French drama television series Television shows filmed in Toronto Television series by Alliance Atlantis