Viper was Dodge's way of introducing their new Viper car to the public and it got the point across. The beginning of the series was simple, but for the most point well written. It surrounds a ingenious scientific engineer who designs a weapon to fight crime that doesn't use bullets. The reason is because the scientist himself was placed in a wheelchair due to a stray bullet in a shootout between the police and criminals. The car metamorphs from a red Viper to a gray heavily plated Dodge Viper and uses a energy projectile tazer gun called the Pulse Missile, along with a mobile camera unit not unlike the one used in Speed Racer. It took a little while to carry over, but the CGI grafix were up to speed for the time in television. The characters were stereotyped, but enjoyable. Overall a good series until towards the end when it got bounced around for a time slot and then the cast was changed too many times. It was the automobile sci-fi for the 90s and should be seen not only as a tv series but an add for Dodge Motors, just check the credits, they funded it. Take the time because its not Knight Rider, but it fills a void. Look for it early mornings, and I mean early (4a.m. Central Standard) on the Sci-fi channel. Enjoy.
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thenexusone23 November 2002
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vipertv-120 August 2006A major American city, the day after tomorrow. A city with history, glamour, nightlife and serious crime.
The MetroPolice (MetroPol) are about to unveil the most expensive and secretive weapon in its arsenal: the Viper Project. It is a car a car with a secret identity. In its "Street Mode" the auto can pass as a sleek and powerful performance car. But a shift of a lever activates the Viper's "Defender Mode," transforming it into a high velocity pursuit-and-capture vehicle loaded with the latest defense and tactical equipment. The Viper is MetroPol's last hope against the increasingly sophisticated crimes favored by the Outfit, the powerful and mysterious mob that controls the city's underworld.
But the Viper Project has one flaw: the vehicle is so demanding that a driver cannot be found within MetroPol. Desperate to keep the project alive, Councilman Strand (Jon Polito), a ruthless city official, extends the search to the other side of the law Micheal Payton (James McCaffrey) is the Outfit's best wheel-man, leader of a skilled group of elusive thieves known as the Highwaymen. He is a man of rough edges who relies on his instincts. When Payton's car is demolished in a police pursuit, Strand conspires to replace the comatose Payton's memory with a "created identity." Payton awakens with amnesia and is told that he is Joe Astor, a policeman chosen to drive the Viper.
Astor is teamed with project director Julian Wilkes (Dorian Harewood), the brilliant a meticulous inventor who designed and built the Viper. A stray bullet in a gang crossfire put him in a wheelchair, dearly dashing Julian's hopes of escaping his ghetto neighborhood, but his intelligence and force of will kept him going. Julian trains Astor to drive the car. Though their different temperaments lead to a clash of personalities, the two men become friends and partners.
Complicating Astor's and Wilkes' lives is Frankie Waters (Joe Nipote), the MetroPol motor pool chief and self-professed "car nut." Possessed with a quirky and slightly surreal personality, Frankie's mission is to insert himself into the Viper team and cut himself some action. Frankie eventually allies himself to Astor and Wilkes by virtue of the vast font on information and gossip that funnels through his office.
As the dreaded Outfit grows aware of the car, the organization makes it a target, desiring the powerful vehicle for its own lawless use. When they learn of his former criminal identity, Astor is contacted by one of his old gang who reveals his true outlaw past. Astor reels with the discovery. The former crony attempts to lure Astor back to his previous life, pressuring him to steal the car for the Outfit. Astor ultimately refuses. No matter that the identity he thought was real had been a lie, the lie has become his reality and he has centered himself about it. The brutal Highwaymen retaliate by killing Elizabeth Houston (Sydney Walsh), the hospital therapist with whom Astor has fallen in love.
Then, a sudden reversal of funding devastates the Viper Project following its first, highly successful night battling crime in the streets. The car is scheduled for dismantling. Everything that Wilkes and Astor had been working towards evaporates. Astor discovers that the Outfit is behind the funding reversal. When the mob could not steal the car, it had instead insured that MetroPol would never use the vehicle to oppose them. With a bribe to Councilman Strand, the Outfit has effectively pulled the plug.
Determined to continue their fight against the Outfit, Astor and Wilkes "liberate" the Viper with the help of sympathetic MetroPol commander Delia Thorne (Lee Chamberlin). Astor discovers that during his criminal days he had put away a vast sum of money. This sudden wealth now funds Astor and Wilkes in their private war with the underworld, and allows them to set up their "lair," a combination garage/lab/headquarters secreted within a long-abandoned power station outside the city.
With Joe Astor as a visceral driver, Julian Wilkes the genius mechanic who continually attempts to add to the car's abilities, and Frankie Waters their "mole" within MetroPol, the Viper team works in the shadows for justice as their car begins to acquire a legend of its own -
sgwatts26 April 2006This really was a great television show. It was fast and catchy with a strong cast and great special effects.
i must say though i preferred the red viper to the second blue one that they designed, or so i thought at first but then the blue one grew on me and all was well, needless to say i thought the main character was totally cute as well. Wish they would make the TV series into DVD boxed sets of the complete seasons so we can buy them. I hope that I am not the only one who loves this television show and am hoping that one day i will be able to own all the shows on DVD to enjoy whenever i please, as it would be a waste to let this gem of a series slip away unnoticed. -
Jack_Yan16 June 2006Danny Bilson and Paul de Meo had made their names combining cartoon-style story lines with live action, evidenced with their earlier collaborations, The Flash (1990) and Rocketeer (1991). These were the rage in the early 1990s, probably in the wake of the big-screen version of Batman; meanwhile, television cartoons themselves were becoming more adult-oriented.
Viper was born into this era, and admirably filled the gap between the cartoons and the big-screen adventures. Bilson and de Meo's original pilot for a series had an all-too-familiar storyline that Knight Rider fans might recognize: a man is given a chance at a new life after being given plastic surgery, working for an organization that stands slightly outside official legal channels. But where Viper differs is in its forward-looking style and its script, which could be said to be a scaled-down version of one of Bilson and de Meo's feature films.
A unit within the police department has developed an ultimate weapon: a Dodge Viper with a host of non-lethal gadgets designed to stop villains. But they need a driver, and the only one, according to its designer, Julian Wilkes (Dorian Harewood), appears to be a criminal.
The protagonist begins as Michael Payton (James McCaffrey), a wheel man for organized criminals. He changes sides after a car chase, which results in an accident, and a chip is planted in his head to erase his criminal past. Despite plastic surgery and a new identity, one of his old gang recognizes the reborn Joe Astor as Payton, and forces him to steal the Viper.
Certain eventsnotably the murder of his girlfriendcement Astor's decision to stay on the side of good, but with this darker history. The cartoon influence was obvious from this, complemented by outstanding (for its time) special effects that saw the regular red Viper turn into the 'Defender', a special armoured mode accomplished by individual hexagonal pieces in the bodyshell flipping over. The idea was revolutionary at the time.
The production design also contributed to the cartoon feel. Tim Burton's Batman mixed eras: 1940s clothing with a futuristic Batmobile and computers in the Batcave. Here, the Viper is a 1994 model, but on the streets are Chrysler concept cars; in one scene, car spotters will be able to spot modified Dodge Monacosthese, in fact, were prototype "mules" on the then-unreleased Chrysler LH platform. (It was probably the only time such prototypes were destroyed on a TV show.) While shot for television, Viper's production values were so high that it could pass for a cheaper big-screen movie. While no Batman, lacking its complexity and depth, it ranked above the run-of-the-mill TV movies showing as an NBC Movie of the Week. -
Paul-3081 June 2004A typical case of a show being built around a star,and in this case its a Dodge Viper.The original NBC shows were imaginative and futuristic,with Chrysler being in every scene (future Mopar prototypes got air time,a 1971 'Cuda and a 70 Challenger appeared,and of course the Viper).One episode even featured a 1950s Ford Concept car (it was a handmade clone though)...the car that eventually became the Batmobile at the hands of George Barris.They called the car the Baxley on the show,due to a Mr Baxley being the focus of that episode.A unique show that was unfortunately doomed from its conception. When NBC dropped the show,Dorian Harewood was dropped as well,Gerraro was gone,and so was Astor the "star" of the show.Syndication brought a new driver,a female support member,and a female partner.Franklin Walters remained,but his character was tweaked and not for the good either.Astor returned for the final season,and the female computer specialist disappeared.Would be nice if they could air the NBC episodes again...or on DVD.