''Cracker'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

series based upon the British television crime drama of the same name created by

Jimmy McGovern James Stanley McGovern (born September 1949) is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama series '' Cracker'' (1993–1995), for which he received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He als ...

. It stars

Robert Pastorelli Robert Joseph Pastorelli (June 21, 1954 – March 8, 2004) was an American actor. After he acquired a reputation as a skilled character actor in the 1980s and 1990s, Pastorelli's career went into decline after the death of his girlfriend under my ...

as criminal psychologist Gerry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald and includes a young Josh Hartnett in his first professional role, appearing in several episodes playing Fitz's eldest child.

Robbie Coltrane Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...

, the star of the original series, appears as a villain in one episode. An "innovative but disturbing" take on the standard police-detective genre, the Americanized ''Cracker'' consists of sixteen one-hour episodes set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and was produced by Granada Entertainment. It ran on ABC from September 18, 1997, until January 24, 1998. The remade show was broadcast as ''Fitz'' in some countries, including the UK.

Overview

Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald is an unconventional but brilliant psychologist, an insulting, nosy, loathsome individual. To be able to pay the bills, he gives lectures at colleges, has a small practice in a mini-mall, and has his own radio show. He also helps the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

solve difficult cases, thanks mostly to his own quirks and perversity. These give him an uncanny ability to get inside the criminal mind. But that is only true when he does not have to deal with his own inner demons, which include drinking, gambling, extramarital affairs, and a tense relationship with his wife Judith and his 17-year-old son Michael.

Cast and characters

Main

as Gerry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald *

Angela Featherstone Angela Featherstone is an actress, writer, director, and advocate for children in foster care. She grew up in the Nova Scotia and Manitoba provinces of Canada. Career Modeling Within a year of emancipating herself from foster care at age ...

as Detective Hannah Tyler *

Carolyn McCormick Carolyn Inez McCormick (born September 19, 1959) is an American actress who played Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in the ''Law & Order'' franchise. Life and career McCormick was born and raised in Midland, Texas, and graduated first in her class from ...

as Judith Fitzgerald *

Robert Wisdom Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in '' The Wire,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''Prison Break'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''Vacation Friends''. ...

as Detective Danny Watlington * Josh Hartnett as Michael Fitzgerald *

R. Lee Ermey Ronald Lee Ermey (March 24, 1944 – April 15, 2018) was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film ''Full Metal Jacket'', which earned him a Golden Globe ...

as Lieutenant Fry

Recurring

Scott Sowers Scott Nicolai Sowers (November 5, 1963 April 1, 2018) was an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective Parker in the late 1990s ABC series ''Cracker'' and for his role as Stanley Kowalski on stage in ''A Streetcar Named Desire' ...

as Detective Allen Parker *

Paul Perri Paul John Perri (born November 6, 1953) is an American-Canadian film and television actor. Perri is best known for portraying Edwards and Skinless Parker in '' Hellraiser: Bloodline'', Harry Hume from ''Chaos'', and as Dr. Sidney Bloom from '' ...

as Waldron * Sally Levi (as Sally Livingstone) as Hope Fitzgerald *

Josh Lucas Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer (born June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including ''American Psycho'' (2000), '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' The Deep End'' (2001), '' A Beautiful Mind'' (200 ...

as Lieutenant Macy

Special guest appearances

as David Roberge *

Mariska Hargitay Mariska Magdolna Hargitay (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, director and philanthropist. The daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay and actress Jayne Mansfield, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Peopl ...

as Detective Penny Hatfield *

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series ''American Gothic (1995 TV series), American Gothic'' ...

as Janice *

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on ''Kim Possible'', H ...

as Simon *

Lorraine Toussaint Lorraine Toussaint () is a Trinidadian-American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Black Reel Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Toussaint began her career in theatre before ...

as Tisha Watlington *

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (, ; born 22 August 1967) is an English actor, director, and former fashion model known for his roles as Lock-Nah in ''The Mummy Returns'', Nykwana Wombosi in '' The Bourne Identity'', Heavy Duty in '' G.I. Joe: The R ...

as John Doe *

Peter Sarsgaard John Peter Sarsgaard (; born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. His first feature role was in '' Dead Man Walking'' in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films ''Another Day in Paradise'' and ''Desert Blue''. That same year, Sarsga ...

as Spencer Trent *

Lee Tergesen Lee Allen Tergesen (; born July 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Weird Science'', as Tobias Beecher in HBO's prison drama '' Oz'', and as Evan Wright in '' Generation Kill,'' as well as guest starring in many othe ...

as Dan Green *

Carlos Jacott Carlos Jacott (born July 28, 1967) is an American actor. He has guest-starred in numerous television series, such as ''Seinfeld'', ''Firefly'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel''. He has starred in film ...

as Jim *

Amber Benson Amber Nicole Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced ...

as Amy

Production

Alternate titles considered for the series were ''Cracker: Mind Over Murder'' and ''Fitz''.

Episodes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0118290, Cracker: Mind Over Murder 1997 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings 1990s American crime drama television series American television series based on British television series Television shows set in Los Angeles American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television series by The Kushner-Locke Company Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department