Counterstrike (1990 TV series)
Counterstrike is a Canadian/French crime-fighting/espionage television series. The series premiered on American cable channel USA Network on July 1, 1990. It ran for three seasons, airing 66 hour-long episodes in total.
| Counterstrike | |
|---|---|
 Counterstrike title screen | |
| Also known as | Force de frappe |
| Genre | Action / Adventure |
| Starring | Simon MacCorkindale Christopher Plummer Tom Kneebone |
| Country of origin | Canada France |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 66 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Denis Heroux Robert Lantos Larry Jacobson Sonny Grosso Steven DeNure |
| Producer(s) | Julian Marks |
| Production location(s) | Toronto, Ontario Paris, France |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Alliance Communications Corporation Grosso-Jacobson Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA Network |
| Original release | July 1, 1990 – May 9, 1993 |
Plot
After his wife is kidnapped by terrorists, international industrialist Alexander Addington assembles a clandestine team of troubleshooters to help combat terrorism around the world. He recruits Peter Sinclair from Scotland Yard 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 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 as Alexander Addington (1990–1993)
- Simon MacCorkindale as Peter Sinclair (1990–1993)
- Cyrielle Clair as Nicole Beaumont (1990–1991)
- Stephen Shellen 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)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Dealbreaker" | Mario Azzopardi | Richard Oleksiak | July 1, 1990 |
| 2 | 2 | "Dead in the Air" | Jorge Montesi | Tim Dunphy | July 8, 1990 |
| 3 | 3 | "Now and at the Hour of Our Death" | Mario Azzopardi | Tony DiFranco | July 15, 1990 |
| 4 | 4 | "Art for Art's Sake" | Jorge Montesi | Jim Henshaw | July 22, 1990 |
| 5 | 5 | "Power Play" | Mario Azzopardi | Angelo Stea & Peter Lauterman | July 29, 1990 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Little Purity" | TBA | TBA | August 5, 1990 |
| 7 | 7 | "Son with a Gun" | Paolo Barzman | Christian Watton | August 19, 1990 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Lady of the Rhine" | Paolo Barzman | Eric Watton | August 26, 1990 |
| 9 | 9 | "Knights of Aram" | Jean-Pierre Prévost | Richard Oleksiak | September 9, 1990 |
| 10 | 10 | "Extreme Measures" | Michael Shock | Michael Zettler & Shelly Altman | September 16, 1990 |
| 11 | 11 | "Thanos" | Doug Jackson | Christian Watton | October 7, 1990 |
| 12 | 12 | "Siege" | TBA | TBA | October 14, 1990 |
| 13 | 13 | "Escape Route" | Paolo Barzman | Chantal Renaud | October 28, 1990 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Beginning" | Allan Eastman | Landen Parker | November 10, 1990 |
| 15 | 15 | "Cry of the Children" | Mario Azzopardi | Tony DiFranco | November 17, 1990 |
| 16 | 16 | "Masks" | TBA | TBA | November 24, 1990 |
| 17 | 17 | "Mindbender" | TBA | TBA | December 1, 1990 |
| 18 | 18 | "Regal Connection" | William Fruet | Tony DiFranco | December 15, 1990 |
| 19 | 19 | "Cinema Verité" | René Bonnière | Eric Watton | December 22, 1990 |
| 20 | 20 | "Verathion" | Don Shebib | Chantal Renaud | January 12, 1991 |
| 21 | 21 | "The Millerton Papers" | George Mendeluk | Eric Watton | January 19, 1991 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Dilemma" | TBA | TBA | February 2, 1991 |
Season 2 (1991–92)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" | Allan Eastman | Richard Oleksiak | September 21, 1991 |
| 24 | 2 | "Hidden Assets" | René Bonnière | Tony DiFranco | September 28, 1991 |
| 25 | 3 | "Fall From Grace" | Allan Eastman | Richard Oleksiak | October 5, 1991 |
| 26 | 4 | "It's All in the Game" | Gilbert Shilton | Michael Donovan | October 12, 1991 |
| 27 | 5 | "Hide and Seek" | TBA | TBA | October 19, 1991 |
| 28 | 6 | "Native Warriors" | TBA | TBA | October 26, 1991 |
| 29 | 7 | "Breaking Point" | TBA | TBA | November 2, 1991 |
| 30 | 8 | "Going Home" | TBA | TBA | November 9, 1991 |
| 31 | 9 | "Survival Instinct" | TBA | TBA | November 16, 1991 |
| 32 | 10 | "Night of the Black Moon" | Miklos Lente | Tony DiFranco | November 23, 1991 |
| 33 | 11 | "Fire in the Streets" | TBA | TBA | November 30, 1991 |
| 34 | 12 | "In the Blood" | René Bonnière | Michael Donovan | December 7, 1991 |
| 35 | 13 | "Village of the Damned" | TBA | TBA | December 14, 1991 |
| 36 | 14 | "Prize Package" | Jorge Montesi | Richard Oleksiak & Tony DiFranco | January 4, 1992 |
| 37 | 15 | "The Three Tramps" | William Fruet | Richard Oleksiak & Tony DiFranco | January 11, 1992 |
| 38 | 16 | "Behind Bars" | TBA | TBA | March 14, 1992 |
| 39 | 17 | "Cherchez la Femme" | TBA | TBA | March 21, 1992 |
| 40 | 18 | "Dead Heat" | TBA | TBA | April 4, 1992 |
| 41 | 19 | "La Belle Dame Monique" | Dennis Berry | Martin Brossollet | April 11, 1992 |
| 42 | 20 | "Ripped from the Grave" | Bruno Gantillon | Elizabeth Baxter | April 18, 1992 |
| 43 | 21 | "Trigger Finger" | TBA | TBA | May 2, 1992 |
| 44 | 22 | "The Circus Ring" | TBA | TBA | May 9, 1992 |
Season 3 (1992–93)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1 | "I Remember It Well" | Robin Davis | Jean-Vincent Fournier | September 26, 1992 |
| 46 | 2 | "The Sting" | TBA | TBA | October 3, 1992 |
| 47 | 3 | "Til Death Do Us Part" | TBA | TBA | October 10, 1992 |
| 48 | 4 | "Bastille Day Terror" | Bruno Gantillon | Tony DiFranco | October 17, 1992 |
| 49 | 5 | "No Honour Among Thieves" | Jean-Pierre Prévost | Martin Lager | October 24, 1992 |
| 50 | 6 | "Skin Deep" | TBA | TBA | October 31, 1992 |
| 51 | 7 | "The Curse of the Amber Chamber" | Jorge Montesi | Jean-Vincent Fournier | November 7, 1992 |
| 52 | 8 | "Death S.E.A.L." | TBA | TBA | November 14, 1992 |
| 53 | 9 | "Cyborg" | William Fruet | Richard Oleksiak | November 21, 1992 |
| 54 | 10 | "D.O.A." | TBA | TBA | December 5, 1992 |
| 55 | 11 | "Cat in the Cradle" | TBA | TBA | December 11, 1992 |
| 56 | 12 | "Bosnian Connection" | TBA | TBA | December 20, 1992 |
| 57 | 13 | "Betrayed" | TBA | TBA | January 9, 1993 |
| 58 | 14 | "Clear Cut" | TBA | TBA | February 7, 1993 |
| 59 | 15 | "Free to Kill" | Jean-Pierre Prévost | Tony DiFranco | February 14, 1993 |
| 60 | 16 | "The Hit" | William Fruet | Jean-Vincent Fournier | February 28, 1993 |
| 61 | 17 | "French Twist" | TBA | TBA | March 21, 1993 |
| 62 | 18 | "The Contender" | Allan Eastman | Jean-Vincent Fournier | March 28, 1993 |
| 63 | 19 | "The Raw Truth" | William Fruet | Richard Oleksiak & Tony DiFranco | April 11, 1993 |
| 64 | 20 | "Peacemaker" | TBA | TBA | April 18, 1993 |
| 65 | 21 | "Muerta" | TBA | TBA | May 2, 1993 |
| 66 | 22 | "Bad Guys" | TBA | TBA | May 9, 1993 |
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 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 USA Network, premiering on July 1, 1990. It premiered on November 2, 1991 on CTV in Canada, and on TF1 in France on November 20, 1991. Counterstrike has since aired in reruns in Canada on Showcase and TVtropolis.