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* DiabolicalMastermind: Mel Profitt. According to story editor Eric Blakeney, he was conceived as "a Film/JamesBond villain."
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* [[HouseboatHero Houseboat Villain]]: Mel Profitt lives on a mega-yacht with its own helipad.
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* WealthyYachtOwner: Mel Profitt lives on a mega-yacht with its own helipad.
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* BetterToDieThanToBeKilled: [[spoiler: Sonny's]] demise, when confronted by the prospect of a humiliating death by lethal injection.
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* BetterToDieThanToBeKilled: BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler: Sonny's]] demise, when confronted by the prospect of a humiliating death by lethal injection.
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* BetterToDieThanToBeKilled: [[spoiler: Sonny's]] demise, when confronted by the prospect of a humiliating death by lethal injection.
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** Sonny Steelgrave becomes suspicious of Vinnie when he's told that among a number of driving licenses Vinnie has, is one from Quantico (also in Virginia).
-->"So, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Quantico he was a Marine]]."
-->"Quantico is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI_Academy where they train federal agents]]."
-->"So, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Quantico he was a Marine]]."
-->"Quantico is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI_Academy where they train federal agents]]."
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A U.S. television series centered around Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova (played by actor Ken Wahl), an undercover agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction fictional division]] of the FBI. A major theme was the constant ethical dilemmas faced by the protagonist, who had to befriend criminals with the eventual intention of betraying them.
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A U.S. television series that ran on CBS for four seasons, 1987-1990, centered around Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova (played by actor Ken Wahl), an undercover agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction fictional division]] of the FBI. A major theme was the constant ethical dilemmas faced by the protagonist, who had to befriend criminals with the eventual intention of betraying them.
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Deleted line(s) 115 (click to see context) :
* HeyItsThatGuy: His starring role in ''Wiseguy'' meant that Ken Wahl was no longer described merely as a "Sylvester Stallone look-alike". Kevin Spacey (who played Mel Profitt) would go on to Hollywood fame in the thriller ''{{Se7en}}''. Steven Bauer played Tony Montana's ill-fated sidekick, Manolo Ribera, in ''{{Scarface}}''. Former comedian Jerry Lewis [[TomHanksSyndrome takes on a serious role]] as rag trade businessman Eli Sternberg, while other guest stars included Annette Benning, Stanley Tucci, Robert Davi, Joan Severance, Ron Silver, TimCurry, {{Michael Chiklis}}, Chazz Palminteri, David Strathairn, and politician/actor Fred Thompson as RacistVillain Knox Pooley.
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Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''Series/TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, and David Simon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
to:
Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell Creator/StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''Series/TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, Creator/ChrisCarter, Creator/JossWhedon, and David Simon Creator/DavidSimon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
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* And in the Mafia Wars arc. Don Aiuppo tells Vinnie that Cericco is planning to have him killed, so Vinnie is to follow him and see who he meets. "They will be the assassins." Vinnie reports this to Frank [=McPike=].
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* And in the Mafia Wars arc. Don Aiuppo tells Vinnie that Cericco is planning to have him killed, so Vinnie is to follow him and see who he meets. "They will be the assassins." Vinnie reports this to Frank [=McPike=].
--->'''Vinnie:''' Aiuppo wants me to follow Cericco.
--->'''Frank:''' He wants you to ''kill'' him.
--->'''Vinnie:''' He didn't say that.
--->'''Frank:''' He doesn't have to.
--->'''Vinnie:''' Aiuppo wants me to follow Cericco.
--->'''Frank:''' He wants you to ''kill'' him.
--->'''Vinnie:''' He didn't say that.
--->'''Frank:''' He doesn't have to.
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* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Isaac Twine bets his record company against $10 million of Winston Newquay's money in a single hand of poker. [[spoiler:He loses.]]
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* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Isaac Twine bets his record company against $10 million of Winston Newquay's money in a single hand of poker. [[spoiler:He loses.loses, and later discovers that the game was rigged.]]
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** subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
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** subverted Subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
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* ProperlyParanoid: In his intro episode, Mel Profitt causes a gang war by insisting that an associate's fiancee is a DeepCoverAgent for the federal government. Despite the fact that his only "evidence" is that her family is from Virginia, he turns out to be right.
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Tropes cannot be averted/subverted/whatever \"brutally\"
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** Brutally subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
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** Brutally subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
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* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay and Albert Cerrico.
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* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay and Albert Cerrico.Cerrico.
----
----
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* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Santana and Hillary Stein.
* CigarChomper:
** Vinnie plays one during the Lynchboro arc.
** Jack Bishop, which helps to bring him down.
** Vinnie plays one during the Lynchboro arc.
** Jack Bishop, which helps to bring him down.
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* CoolCar: Amado Guzman's Rolls Royce.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogul Winston Newquay (played with villainous relish by TimCurry). Some of the highly-educated next generation of mafiosi also qualify, such as Rick Pinzolo in the Garment Trade arc.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogul Winston Newquay (played with villainous relish by TimCurry). Some of the highly-educated next generation of mafiosi also qualify, such as Rick Pinzolo in the Garment Trade arc.
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* CoolCar: Amado Guzman's Rolls Royce.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogulCorruptCorporateExecutive:
** Winston Newquay(played and Isaac Twine, record company owners who make bootlegs of their own artists' albums, sell them under the table, and pocket the cash. (Newquay also has his artists invest their money with villainous relish by TimCurry). Some a firm that he secretly controls, allowing him to embezzle from them.)
** Amado Guzman, whose empire ofthe highly-educated next airlines, jewelry stores, and banks conceals a money laundering operation for TheCartel.
** Harriet Weiss, owner of a carting company that illegally disposes of medical waste.
** Jack Bishop, a defense contractor who makes bogus airplane parts and has a whistleblower killed.
** The new generation of mafiosialso qualify, such as style themselves like this, particularly Rick Pinzolo in the Garment Trade arc.Pinzolo, who uses his garment industry connections to work a massive stock scam.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogul
** Winston Newquay
** Amado Guzman, whose empire of
** Harriet Weiss, owner of a carting company that illegally disposes of medical waste.
** Jack Bishop, a defense contractor who makes bogus airplane parts and has a whistleblower killed.
** The new generation of mafiosi
* CutShort: Only one episode of the last story arc was filmed before the show was canceled.
* TheDragon:
** Roger Loccoco, to Mel Proffit.
** Calvin Hollis, to Knox Pooley.
** Richard Bickel, to Winston Newquay.
** Carlo Spoletta, to Joey Grosset.
** Admiral Strichen, to General Masters.
** Sheriff Stem, to Mark Volchek.
** Charlie Boden, to Harriet Weiss.
** Dagoberto Machado, to Amado Guzman.
** Axel Whitman, to Jack Bishop.
* DragonInChief: Calvin Hollis.
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:Carlo Spoletta.]]
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Roger Loccoco.
** Roger Loccoco, to Mel Proffit.
** Calvin Hollis, to Knox Pooley.
** Richard Bickel, to Winston Newquay.
** Carlo Spoletta, to Joey Grosset.
** Admiral Strichen, to General Masters.
** Sheriff Stem, to Mark Volchek.
** Charlie Boden, to Harriet Weiss.
** Dagoberto Machado, to Amado Guzman.
** Axel Whitman, to Jack Bishop.
* DragonInChief: Calvin Hollis.
* DragonTheirFeet: [[spoiler:Carlo Spoletta.]]
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Roger Loccoco.
* IHaveNoSon: Said by Carlotta Terranova after her son goes to prison. [[spoiler:He eventually tells her about his double life, and all is forgiven.]]
* JewishMother: Hillary Stein's mother, Rachel.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Amado Guzman, the self-proclaimed "archangel of betrayal," is murdered with the aid of his manservant, who was secretly loyal to the death squad Guzman ratted out.]]
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Daryl Jenkins is dealt with this way in "Dead Right."
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* PointyHairedBoss: Dewitt Clipton.
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* PointyHairedBoss: Dewitt Clipton.Clipton and Winston Chambers.
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* TheSociopath: Rick Pinzolo.
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* TheSociopath: Rick Pinzolo.Pinzolo and Jack Bishop.
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* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Vinnie and [=McPike=] ''really'' don't like each other at the start of the series.
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* TeethClenchedTeamwork: TeethClenchedTeamwork:
** Vinnie and [=McPike=] ''really'' don't like each other at the start of theseries.series.
** Santana and [=McPike=] despise Winston Chambers (and vice versa).
** Vinnie and [=McPike=] ''really'' don't like each other at the start of the
** Santana and [=McPike=] despise Winston Chambers (and vice versa).
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* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Exploited by Santana in "Dead Right."
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* AmoralAttorney: Roger Totland and Peter Alatorre.
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* AmoralAttorney: Roger Totland and Totland, Peter Alatorre.Alatorre, and Winston Chambers III.
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* BeardOfSorrow: Vinnie grows one after during both of his {{Heroic BSOD}}s.
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* BeardOfSorrow: Vinnie grows one after during both of his {{Heroic BSOD}}s.
* BeingGoodSucks: A hallmark of the series.
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Martinez-Gacha]] has one after being convicted.
* BiggerBad: Martinez-Gacha, head of TheCartel, in the Miami arc.
* BiggerBad: Martinez-Gacha, head of TheCartel, in the Miami arc.
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* CIAEvilFBIGood: Played dead straight in the Mel Profitt arc.
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* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Amado Guzman. As he puts it, he is "the archangel of betrayal."
* CIAEvilFBIGood: Played dead straight in the Mel Profitt arc ''and'' the Miami arc.
* CIAEvilFBIGood: Played dead straight in the Mel Profitt arc ''and'' the Miami arc.
* CoolCar: Amado Guzman's Rolls Royce.
* DiplomaticImpunity: After the fecal matter hits the windmill on his criminal dealings, Amado Guzman takes refuge in the El Salvadoran consulate, where the FBI can't touch him, and then arranges to be smuggled out of the country.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Vinnie is abducted and apparently killed offscreen at the beginning of Season 4. [[UnexplainedRecovery He got better]] in time for the reunion movie.
* EvilAlbino: TheCartel's chief courier in Miami.
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* EvilOldFolks: Don Baglia, "No Money" Mahoney, Don Aiuppo, Harriet Weiss, Charlie Boden.
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* EvilOldFolks: Don Baglia, "No Money" Mahoney, Don Aiuppo, General Masters, Harriet Weiss, Charlie Boden.Boden, and Amado Guzman.
* FakeNationality: Austrian actor Maximillian Schell as the ''very'' Cuban Amado Guzman.
* FakeNationality: Austrian actor Maximillian Schell as the ''very'' Cuban Amado Guzman.
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* FauxAffablyEvil: Rick Pinzolo and Admiral Strichen.
to:
* FauxAffablyEvil: "Pat the Cat" Patrice, Rick Pinzolo and Pinzolo, Admiral Strichen.Strichen, and Amado Guzman.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: Sid Royce.
* HelloAttorney: Hillary Stein.
* HouseboatHero: Michael Santana lives on a broken-down houseboat after he gets disbarred.
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* ImmigrantParents: Vinnie's mother and father.
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* ImmigrantParents: Vinnie's mother Both Terranova and father.Santana.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Winston Newquay, Charlie Boden, and Amado Guzman.
* MobWar: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Mafia War arc]].
* MorallyBankruptBanker: Amado Guzman.
* MorallyBankruptBanker: Amado Guzman.
* PermaStubble: Vinnie sports one whenever he's not working a case.
** The corrupt CIA agent White has a few choice things to say about "Latin males."
* PopCulturedBadass: Dagoberto Machado.
* PopCulturedBadass: Dagoberto Machado.
* PsychoForHire: Cruz Machado.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: "Pat the Cat" Patrice plans to have Vinnie killed after Vinnie helps him assassinate Sonny Steelgrave, because "I despise a betrayer."
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: "Pat the Cat" Patrice plans to have Vinnie killed after Vinnie helps him assassinate Sonny Steelgrave, because "I despise a betrayer."
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* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Winston Newquay has heavy political pull and isn't afraid to throw it around.
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* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections:
** Winston Newquay has heavy political pull and isn't afraid to throw itaround.around.
** Amado Guzman's drug and money laundering operations have been bulletproof for decades because of his involvement in CIA covert ops in Latin America.
** Winston Newquay has heavy political pull and isn't afraid to throw it
** Amado Guzman's drug and money laundering operations have been bulletproof for decades because of his involvement in CIA covert ops in Latin America.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Amado Guzman pulls this on both Santana and Dagoberto Machado. [[spoiler:Santana passes, but Machado fails.]]
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* SmugSnake: Rick Pinzolo and Winston Newquay.
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* SmugSnake: Rick Pinzolo and Pinzolo, Winston Newquay.Newquay, and Amado Guzman.
* SpicyLatina: Dahlia Mendez.
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* TheStarscream: John Kousakis, to Harriet Weiss.
to:
* TheStarscream: TheStarscream:
** John Kousakis, to HarrietWeiss.Weiss.
** Dagoberto Machado, to Amado Guzman.
* StuffedInTheFridge: [[spoiler:Karen Maloy]] and [[spoiler:Dahlia Mendez]].
** John Kousakis, to Harriet
** Dagoberto Machado, to Amado Guzman.
* StuffedInTheFridge: [[spoiler:Karen Maloy]] and [[spoiler:Dahlia Mendez]].
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: General Masters.
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: General Masters.Masters and Amado Guzman.
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* TheVoiceless: Cruz Machado, who had his tongue cut out in prison.
* WhyAreYouNotMySon: Amado Guzman starts to feel this way about Santana, even to the point of referring to him as "son" after a while.
* WhyAreYouNotMySon: Amado Guzman starts to feel this way about Santana, even to the point of referring to him as "son" after a while.
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* BeardOfSorrow: Vinnie grows one after during both of his {{Heroic BSOD}}s.
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* AllJustADream: "Romp."
* BigDamnHeroes: Prescott Wilson does this at the end of the Counterfeit Yen arc.
* BigFancyHouse: Mark Volchek's estate, Gorslava.
* BondOneLiner: After killing [[spoiler:Harriet Weiss]] with a golf club:
-->'''John Kousakis:''' [[spoiler:Harriet]] can't come to the phone right now. She's in the rough.
* BigFancyHouse: Mark Volchek's estate, Gorslava.
* BondOneLiner: After killing [[spoiler:Harriet Weiss]] with a golf club:
-->'''John Kousakis:''' [[spoiler:Harriet]] can't come to the phone right now. She's in the rough.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Harriet Weiss and Charlie Boden make a recalcitrant goon talk by breaking his toes with a bowling pin.
* CorruptHick: Mark Volchek.
* DaddyIssues: Mark Volchek has a bundle of them.
* DirtyOldMan: Mike [=McPike=].
* EpiphanyTherapy: [=McPike=] and Loccoco use this on Mark Volchek.
* EvilOldFolks: Don Baglia, "No Money" Mahoney, Don Aiuppo, Harriet Weiss, Charlie Boden.
* FatBastard: "No Money" Mahoney.
* FreakOut: Sid Royce has a doozy of one when his wife leaves him in "To Die in Bettendorf."
* GoodShepherd: Father Pete Tarranova and Father Pat.
* GrumpyOldMan: Mike [=McPike=].
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Lacey Versailles, madam of the Corvette Club brothel in the Lynchboro arc.
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* IOwnThisTown: Prescott Wilson literally does own an entire town in Utah.
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* IOwnThisTown: IOwnThisTown:
** Mark Volchek, through his ownership of Volchek Mining and Volchek Lumber, controls the town of Lynchboro, Washington with an iron fist.
** Prescott Wilson literally does own an entire town in Utah.
** Mark Volchek, through his ownership of Volchek Mining and Volchek Lumber, controls the town of Lynchboro, Washington with an iron fist.
** Prescott Wilson literally does own an entire town in Utah.
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** Humorously subverted in the Lynchboro arc: Vinnie thinks Volchek is testing him this way when he tells him to "get rid of somebody," but Volchek is really just telling him to throw him off the property. When Vinnie shows up with an urn ostensibly containing the troublemaker's remains, Volchek is shocked.
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* IntrepidReporter: Mark Rogosheke.
* KarmaHoudini:
** [[spoiler:Knox Pooley]] avoids prosecution, gets to keep most of the money he made, and is last seen selling condos in Florida.
** [[spoiler:Charlie Boden]] is never even suspected of wrongdoing, let alone charged with anything.
** Brutally subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
* KarmaHoudini:
** [[spoiler:Knox Pooley]] avoids prosecution, gets to keep most of the money he made, and is last seen selling condos in Florida.
** [[spoiler:Charlie Boden]] is never even suspected of wrongdoing, let alone charged with anything.
** Brutally subverted with [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]], who wriggles out of criminal charges but nevertheless sees his entire life utterly destroyed.
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* KillerCop: Detective Jack Phillips, [[spoiler:Sheriff Stem]], and Assistant Commissioner Charlie Boden.
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* ObliviouslyEvil: Mark Volchek.
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* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Prescott Wilson rolls like that. And it works, too: he muscles his way into a closed-door session of the Senate, tells everyone off without even bothering to be sworn in to testify, and walks right back out. No one bothers to stop him.
* SerialKiller: The Stun Gun Killer in the Lynchboro arc.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Mark Volchek likes to indulge in this.
* SerialKiller: The Stun Gun Killer in the Lynchboro arc.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Mark Volchek likes to indulge in this.
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* TheStarscream: John Kousakis, to Harriet Weiss.
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* VisionaryVillain[=/=]WellIntentionedExtremist: Mark Volchek.
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* ArmoredClosetGay: [[spoiler:Admiral Strichen.]]
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* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Sonny Steelgrave]], [[spoiler:Mel Profitt]] (although he gets someone else to do the deed), and Johnny Coke Bottles.
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* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Sonny Steelgrave]], [[spoiler:Mel Profitt]] (although he gets someone else to do the deed), and [[spoiler:Herb Ketcher]], Johnny Coke Bottles.Bottles, and Kay Gallagher (although she fails).
* EccentricMillionaire: Prescott Wilson, although he's actually a ''billionaire''.
* EccentricMillionaire: Prescott Wilson, although he's actually a ''billionaire''.
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* FauxAffablyEvil: Rick Pinzolo.
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* FauxAffablyEvil: Rick Pinzolo.Pinzolo and Admiral Strichen.
* {{Frameup}}: The Counterfeit Yen arc is this for Vinnie and Kay Gallagher.
* IOwnThisTown: Prescott Wilson literally does own an entire town in Utah.
* NeverMyFault: General Masters is pathological about this, even to the extent of claiming that the disturbing dreams he's had were actually Admiral Strichen's.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Prescott Wilson is based on Howard Hughes.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Prescott Wilson is based on Howard Hughes.
* PointyHairedBoss: Dewitt Clipton.
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* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The Mel Profitt arc (and the pilot episode where Sonny Steelgrave gets into a hotel gunfight with a weapons dealer) draws from the non-fiction {{doorstopper}} ''The Underground Empire'' by James Mills. The eccentric billionaire in the Counterfeit Yen arc is clearly inspired by Howard Hughes.
to:
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The Mel Profitt arc (and the pilot episode where Sonny Steelgrave gets into a hotel gunfight with a weapons dealer) draws from the non-fiction {{doorstopper}} ''The Underground Empire'' by James Mills. The eccentric billionaire in the Counterfeit Yen arc is clearly inspired by Howard Hughes.
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* SubordinateExcuse: [[spoiler:Admiral Strichen]] is having an affair with his ''aide-de-camp''.
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* VillainWithGoodPublicity: General Masters.
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* DigitalPiracyIsEvil: In the Dead Dog Records arc, the OCB treats record bootlegging the same way they previously treated drug smuggling, weapons trafficking, stock fraud, and extortion. (Ironically, this is the arc most subject to piracy since the show's original run, since disputes over the music rights have prevented it from being rebroadcast or released on DVD.)
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* LighterAndSofter: The Dead Dog Records arc is this to the rest of the show. The crimes under investigation are copyright evasion, embezzlement, and tax fraud; violence is almost nonexistent and on one occasion PlayedForLaughs; and the only deaths are two accidents and a heart attack.
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* AffablyEvil: Sonny Steelgrave, Susan Profitt, Knox Pooley, and Don Aiuppo.
to:
* AffablyEvil: Sonny Steelgrave, Susan Profitt, Knox Pooley, Albert Cerrico, and Don Aiuppo.
* AmoralAttorney: Roger Totland and Peter Alatorre.
* AtTheOperaTonight: In "Battle of the Barge."
* FamilyValuesVillain: Albert Cerrico.
* HairTriggerTemper: Sonny Steelgrave, Mel Profitt, Calvin Hollis, Joey Grosset, and Albert Cerrico all suffer from this.
* LadyMacbeth: Gina Grosset.
** In "Sins of the Father," a sting is blown because Carlo Spoletta refuses to do business with black people.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: They show up in the Mafia Wars arc, where they are portrayed as RuthlessForeignGangsters who supply bombs to terrorists.
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* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay.
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* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay.Newquay and Albert Cerrico.
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* DawsonCasting: Eddie Tempest is repeatedly referred to as a "teenage rock star." His actor, Billy Wirth, was 27 at the time he appeared.
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* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] experiences an epic one. [[SanitySlippage He does not handle it well]].
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* TheChamer: Isaac Twine.
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* TheChamer: TheCharmer: Isaac Twine.
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* AbusiveParents: Eli Sternberg is emotionally abusive to his son David.
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* ArmsDealer: Mel Profitt, although his drug business gets more attention.
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* ArmsDealer: TheAlcoholic: Jenny [=McPike=].
* AntagonistInMourning: [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] is crushed by [[spoiler:Isaac Twine]]'s death.
* ArmsDealer:
** Renaldo Sikes in the pilot episode.
** Mel Profitt, although his drug business gets moreattention.attention.
* AsYouKnow: Starting in Season 2, Vinnie, [=McPike=], and the OCB honchos have a habit of gathering every few episodes to tell each other the broad strokes of their current investigation and the identities of the major players (of which they are all already well aware) for the benefit of those in the audience who came in late.
* AntagonistInMourning: [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] is crushed by [[spoiler:Isaac Twine]]'s death.
* ArmsDealer:
** Renaldo Sikes in the pilot episode.
** Mel Profitt, although his drug business gets more
* AsYouKnow: Starting in Season 2, Vinnie, [=McPike=], and the OCB honchos have a habit of gathering every few episodes to tell each other the broad strokes of their current investigation and the identities of the major players (of which they are all already well aware) for the benefit of those in the audience who came in late.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Winston Newquay has a monologue expressing how much he really did love Claudia (all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding) in "Living and Dying in 4/4 Time."
* TheBarnum: Knox Pooley.
* TheBarnum: Knox Pooley.
* TheCastShowoff: [[{{Music/Blondie}} Deborah Harry]], [[{{Music/Eagles}} Glenn Frey]], and Creator/TimCurry all get opportunities to show off their musical talents during the Dead Dog Records arc.
* TheChamer: Isaac Twine.
* CIAEvilFBIGood: Played dead straight in the Mel Profitt arc.
* TheChamer: Isaac Twine.
* CIAEvilFBIGood: Played dead straight in the Mel Profitt arc.
* DarkActionGirl: Renaldo Sikes's "secretary" Raya Montenegro, who turns out to wield a mean machine gun.
* DissonantSerenity: [[spoiler:Susan Profitt]], after she completely loses her mind.
* DownerEnding: The Rag Trade arc. [[spoiler:Eli Sternberg is bankrupted, David and Carole Sternberg are killed, and Raglin flips out, murders Pinzolo, and resigns from the FBI.]]
* EngineeredPublicConfession: [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] falls prey to this old chestnut.
* FixingTheGame: [[spoiler:Winston Newquay rigs his AbsurdlyHighStakesGame with Isaac Twine.]]
* FriendlyEnemies: Isaac Twine and Winston Newquay.
* FriendlyEnemies: Isaac Twine and Winston Newquay.
* {{Gaslighting}}: Roger Loccoco does this to Susan Profitt after [[spoiler:Mel's death]].
* GoAmongMadPeople: In "White Noise," Vinnie checks into a hospital for a physical and, due to the machinations of Daryl Elias, ends up committed to the psychiatric ward, where he is kept physically restrained and drugged at all times.
* GoAmongMadPeople: In "White Noise," Vinnie checks into a hospital for a physical and, due to the machinations of Daryl Elias, ends up committed to the psychiatric ward, where he is kept physically restrained and drugged at all times.
* HollywoodHeartAttack: [[spoiler:Isaac Twine]] suffers two of them in "Living and Dying in 4/4 Time."
* [[HouseboatHero Houseboat Villain]]: Mel Profitt lives on a mega-yacht with its own helipad.
* [[HouseboatHero Houseboat Villain]]: Mel Profitt lives on a mega-yacht with its own helipad.
* ImmigrantParents: Vinnie's mother and father.
* MrExposition: This seems to be Mark Sirmac's role in the OCB.
* OrderliesAreCreeps: The head orderly in "White Noise" certainly is.
* OutWithABang: [[spoiler:Eddie Tempest and Claudia Newquay.]]
* OverlordJr: Aldo Baglia tries mightily to be this, but fails. Rick Pinzolo does a better job of it.
* OrderliesAreCreeps: The head orderly in "White Noise" certainly is.
* OutWithABang: [[spoiler:Eddie Tempest and Claudia Newquay.]]
* OverlordJr: Aldo Baglia tries mightily to be this, but fails. Rick Pinzolo does a better job of it.
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* ScaryBlackMan: The machete-wielding ex-Ton Ton Macoute boss in the Guzman arc. When he makes the fatal mistake of insulting Guzman's manhood, however...
to:
* ScaryBlackMan: RunningGag: People love to make fun of Rick Pinzolo's juicer. When [[spoiler:David Sternberg]] finally loses it, he takes great pleasure in destroying the contraption in front of Pinzolo.
* SanitySlippage:
** Mel Profitt wasn't exactly a paragon of rationality to begin with, but he starts to come completely unglued in the second half of his story arc. [[spoiler:His sister Susan loses her mind after his death.]]
** [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] has a complete mental breakdown and ends up institutionalized.
* ScaryBlackMan:
** The machete-wielding ex-Ton Ton Macoute boss in the Guzman arc. When he makes the fatal mistake of insulting Guzman's manhood, however...
* SanitySlippage:
** Mel Profitt wasn't exactly a paragon of rationality to begin with, but he starts to come completely unglued in the second half of his story arc. [[spoiler:His sister Susan loses her mind after his death.]]
** [[spoiler:Winston Newquay]] has a complete mental breakdown and ends up institutionalized.
* ScaryBlackMan:
** The machete-wielding ex-Ton Ton Macoute boss in the Guzman arc. When he makes the fatal mistake of insulting Guzman's manhood, however...
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Winston Newquay has heavy political pull and isn't afraid to throw it around.
* TheSociopath: Rick Pinzolo.
* {{Superdickery}}: The promos for "The One That Got Away" showed Vinnie threatening to shoot Bobby Travis and Winston Newquay, neither of which happened in the actual episode.
* TrophyWife: Claudia Newquay.
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* VigilanteMan: After white supremicists murder his brother Pete (a Catholic priest) Vinnie considers killing the man responsible. Vinnie eventually decides to bring him to justice [[spoiler:only for the villain to be killed in custody by local police for his role in the death of a black officer.]]
to:
* VigilanteMan: After white supremicists murder his brother Pete (a Catholic priest) Vinnie considers killing the man responsible. Vinnie eventually decides to bring him to justice [[spoiler:only for the villain to be killed in custody by local police for his role in the death of a black officer.]]]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Happens at least once per story arc, usually in epic, scenery-chewing fashion.
* VillainousIncest: Mel and Susan Profitt are shown as strongly as possible (given late-'80s standards and practices) to have an incestuous relationship.
* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay.
* VillainousBreakdown: Happens at least once per story arc, usually in epic, scenery-chewing fashion.
* VillainousIncest: Mel and Susan Profitt are shown as strongly as possible (given late-'80s standards and practices) to have an incestuous relationship.
* WickedCultured: Winston Newquay.
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* DomesticAbuser: Winston Newquay verbally abuses his wife Claudia, and she physically abuses him right back.
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* SmugSnake: Rick Pinzolo.
to:
* SmugSnake: Rick Pinzolo.Pinzolo and Winston Newquay.
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* DoNotCallMePaul: Winston Newquay was born Samuel Fishbein, and the easiest way to get under his skin is to call him "Sammy."
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* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Isaac Twine bets his record company against $10 million of Winston Newquay's money in a single hand of poker. [[spoiler:He loses.]]
* DaChief: [=McPike=] is this to Vinnie in the first season. Once [=McPike=] and Vinnie start to actually like each other, Paul Beckstead is brought in to fill this role for both of them.
* DeadpanSnarker: [=McPike=], all the way.
* TheDon: Don Baglia and Don Aiuppo.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Sonny Steelgrave]], [[spoiler:Mel Profitt]] (although he gets someone else to do the deed), and Johnny Coke Bottles.
* DeadpanSnarker: [=McPike=], all the way.
* TheDon: Don Baglia and Don Aiuppo.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Sonny Steelgrave]], [[spoiler:Mel Profitt]] (although he gets someone else to do the deed), and Johnny Coke Bottles.
* FireForgedFriends: Vinnie and [=McPike=].
* TheGamblingAddict: Isaac Twine.
* TheGamblingAddict: Isaac Twine.
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* HauledBeforeASenateSubCommittee: Happens twice to Vinnie regarding the above conspiracies; first as a witness, then as a suspect.
to:
* HauledBeforeASenateSubCommittee: HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: Happens twice to Vinnie regarding the above conspiracies; first as a witness, then as a suspect.
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* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In the first episode Sonny Steelgrave, already partly suspicious of Vinnie, declares the only way he can prove himself is to [[spoiler:shoot a prosecutor who's been hounding him.]]
to:
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten:
** In the first episode Sonny Steelgrave, already partly suspicious of Vinnie, declares the only way he can prove himself is to [[spoiler:shoot a prosecutor who's been hounding him.]]]]
** Roger Loccoco has Vinnie join him on a hit before bringing him into the Proffits' business.
** In the first episode Sonny Steelgrave, already partly suspicious of Vinnie, declares the only way he can prove himself is to [[spoiler:shoot a prosecutor who's been hounding him.
** Roger Loccoco has Vinnie join him on a hit before bringing him into the Proffits' business.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Rick Pinzolo really deserves what Raglin does to him.
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
* PoliceBrutality: During the Pilgrims of Promise arc, the NYPD thinks Vinnie killed an off-duty cop and they beat nine kinds of hell out of him before [=McPike=] and Elias manage to spring him. When the real killer is arrested, he's last seen antagonizing these same cops...and is later [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch reported to have hanged himself in his cell]].
to:
* PoliceBrutality: PoliceBrutality:
** During the Pilgrims of Promise arc, the NYPD thinks Vinnie killed an off-duty cop and they beat nine kinds of hell out of him before [=McPike=] and Elias manage to spring him. When the real killer is arrested, he's last seen antagonizing these same cops...and is later [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch reported to have hanged himself in hiscell]].cell]].
** During the Rag Trade arc, Raglin pistol whips Pinzolo and breaks his jaw. [[spoiler:At the end of the arc, he guns Pinzolo down in cold blood to protect Vinnie's cover.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:
** Knox Pooley and his follower Calvin Hollis, leaders of the white supremacist group [[ThoseWackyNazis Pilgrims of Promise]]. [[spoiler:Pooley turns out to be a ConMan just in it for the money, while Hollis suffers a VillainousBreakdown after Pooley rejects him.]]
** Mel Profitt has a tendency to hurl ethnic slurs at Vinnie when he's upset with him.
** During the Pilgrims of Promise arc, the NYPD thinks Vinnie killed an off-duty cop and they beat nine kinds of hell out of him before [=McPike=] and Elias manage to spring him. When the real killer is arrested, he's last seen antagonizing these same cops...and is later [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch reported to have hanged himself in his
** During the Rag Trade arc, Raglin pistol whips Pinzolo and breaks his jaw. [[spoiler:At the end of the arc, he guns Pinzolo down in cold blood to protect Vinnie's cover.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:
** Knox Pooley and his follower Calvin Hollis, leaders of the white supremacist group [[ThoseWackyNazis Pilgrims of Promise]]. [[spoiler:Pooley turns out to be a ConMan just in it for the money, while Hollis suffers a VillainousBreakdown after Pooley rejects him.]]
** Mel Profitt has a tendency to hurl ethnic slurs at Vinnie when he's upset with him.
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* [[RacistVillain Racist Villains]]: Knox Pooley and his follower Calvin Hollis, leaders of the white supremicist group [[ThoseWackyNazis Pilgrims of Promise]]. [[spoiler:Pooley turns out to be a ConMan just in it for the money, while Hollis suffers a VillainousBreakdown after Pooley rejects him.]]
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* SmugSnake: Rick Pinzolo.
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* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Vinnie and [=McPike=] ''really'' don't like each other at the start of the series.
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* AffablyEvil: Sonny Steelgrave, Susan Profitt, Knox Pooley, and Don Aiuppo.
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* TheCaligula: Mel Profitt.
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* EvilBrit: Winston Newquay.
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* FauxAffablyEvil: Rick Pinzolo.
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* InsufferableGenius: Mel Profitt and Johnny Medley.
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* PoliceBrutality: During the Pilgrims of Promise arc, the NYPD thinks Vinnie killed an off-duty cop and they beat nine kinds of hell out of him before [=McPike=] and Elias manage to spring him. When the real killer is arrested, he's last seen antagonizing these same cops...and is later [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch reported to have hanged himself in his cell]].
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* TookALevelInJerkass: Daryl Elias, in the episode "White Noise."
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Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, and David Simon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
to:
Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''TheATeam''), ''Series/TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, and David Simon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:323:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wiseguy09m_1510.jpg]]
A U.S. television series centered around Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova (played by actor Ken Wahl), an undercover agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction fictional division]] of the FBI. A major theme was the constant ethical dilemmas faced by the protagonist, who had to befriend criminals with the eventual intention of betraying them.
Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, and David Simon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
----
!!Tropes in this series include:
* ArmsDealer: Mel Profitt, although his drug business gets more attention.
* AuditThreat: In the Eli Sternberg arc, [=McPike=] is trying to get some information from a company that does business with the group that they are investigating. They refuse, until [=McPike=] says "If you don't let me in, I will call my friends at the IRS. They eat guys like you for breakfast". The company lets him in immediately.
* BecomingTheMask: Vinnie's OCB [[TheHandler handler]] Frank [=McPike=] often has to remind him that his job is to lock up the bad guys, not be their friend. It doesn't help that Vinnie is regarded as a trusted associate by the criminals, and a scumbag lowlife by the police.
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: [=McPike=] has a tendency to bug any place Vinnie is likely to be. Played for laughs when Vinnie is in bed with his LoveInterest Amber Twine.
-->'''Amber''': "Aren't you going to tell [=McPike=] about this?"
-->'''Vinnie''': "Don't you know? [=McPike=]'s already listening '''(shouts at bedstead)''' HEY MCPIKE!"
* TheCartel: Cuban-American crime lord Armando Guzman, investigated by Vinnie's [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replacement]] Michael Santana.
* ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory: Averted as Vinnie uses his own identity, including an eighteen-month prison sentence to establish his credentials as a criminal. Unfortunately this alienates him from his own mother, who doesn't know he's a federal agent.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogul Winston Newquay (played with villainous relish by TimCurry). Some of the highly-educated next generation of mafiosi also qualify, such as Rick Pinzolo in the Garment Trade arc.
* EvilDuo: International ArmsDealer Mel Profitt and his sister Susan. As teens they killed their foster brother (by hanging him upside down until he passed out, then throwing him in the swimming pool) when he found out about their [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous relationship]]. Together they form a "psychotic critical mass", as [=McPike=] describes it.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Roger Loccoco. Also the prosecutor Vinnie 'kills' to prove himself to Sonny, though an ambitious prosecutor willing to hide for years just to uphold an agent's cover is [[FridgeLogic a bit unlikely]].]]
* GovernmentConspiracy: A secret group within the Washington D.C. hierarchy plans to use Mel Profitt to finance a coup against a communist regime in the Caribbean. When Vinnie causes this plan to fail [[WronglyAccused they frame him]] as the mastermind behind another conspiracy to destabilise the Japanese economy with [[CounterfeitCash counterfeit yen]].
* HammerSpace: In the first episode TheMafia [[spoiler:is surprised to see an ArmsDealer bring a woman to their meeting. As things go badly we see her casually unbuttoning her skirt (how she does this [[NotDistractedByTheSexy without attracting attention]] is not explained), then she somehow produces an [[CoolGuns Ingram MAC-10]] and starts blazing away. Now admittedly the MAC-10 is quite small for an SMG, but it's still a large chunk of metal to be hiding [[TrouserSpace between your legs]] while wearing a tight skirt. It's worth noting that this was based on a scene in ''The Underground Empire'' where the narrator noticed two women at an arms deal were concealing firearms between their legs just from the way they sat down.]]
* HauledBeforeASenateSubCommittee: Happens twice to Vinnie regarding the above conspiracies; first as a witness, then as a suspect.
* HeroicBSOD: Vinnie considers resigning after his first target (Atlantic City mob boss Sonny Steelgrave) commits suicide rather than face prison; when the suicide of another target reminds him of this event he suffers a complete breakdown and flees the OCB. The protagonist of the Garment Trade Arc, retired agent John Henry Raglin, suffers PTSD from an earlier case where two whistleblowers were murdered.
* HeyItsThatGuy: His starring role in ''Wiseguy'' meant that Ken Wahl was no longer described merely as a "Sylvester Stallone look-alike". Kevin Spacey (who played Mel Profitt) would go on to Hollywood fame in the thriller ''{{Se7en}}''. Steven Bauer played Tony Montana's ill-fated sidekick, Manolo Ribera, in ''{{Scarface}}''. Former comedian Jerry Lewis [[TomHanksSyndrome takes on a serious role]] as rag trade businessman Eli Sternberg, while other guest stars included Annette Benning, Stanley Tucci, Robert Davi, Joan Severance, Ron Silver, TimCurry, {{Michael Chiklis}}, Chazz Palminteri, David Strathairn, and politician/actor Fred Thompson as RacistVillain Knox Pooley.
* IdenticalGrandson: Vinnie Terranova's dad (in an episode based around his father's diary). But they gave him a moustache.
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In the first episode Sonny Steelgrave, already partly suspicious of Vinnie, declares the only way he can prove himself is to [[spoiler:shoot a prosecutor who's been hounding him.]]
* IncrediblyLamePun: After loan shark Johnny "Coke Bottles" (for his thick glasses) is DrivenToSuicide, the next day's headline reads "Bottles Cashes In"
* InitiationCeremony: Played for humor when Vinnie becomes a made man -- Sonny thinks it's no longer relevant in this day and age, while none of the old-time mobsters can agree on what the correct procedure is.
* MadnessMantra: Mel Profitt's "Only the toes, knows".
* TheMafia: Sonny Steelgrave, Garment Trade and Mafia War arcs.
* MissionControl: Daniel Burroughs, AKA "Lifeguard", a disabled agent who communicates mostly via telephone (posing as Vinnie's "Uncle Mike"). Vinnie calls him daily to pass on and receive information; he also has codewords for when he's in trouble.
* PetTheDog: Most villains have these moments at one time or another, leading to {{Wangst}} on the part of the hero. It's Vinnie's own mother who points out that Adolf Hitler and Attila the Hun had moments of genuine compassion too, but that didn't offset the evil that they did.
* ProfessionalKiller: Roger Loccoco [[spoiler:who turns out to be a DeepCoverAgent for the CIA.]]
* [[RacistVillain Racist Villains]]: Knox Pooley and his follower Calvin Hollis, leaders of the white supremicist group [[ThoseWackyNazis Pilgrims of Promise]]. [[spoiler:Pooley turns out to be a ConMan just in it for the money, while Hollis suffers a VillainousBreakdown after Pooley rejects him.]]
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The Mel Profitt arc (and the pilot episode where Sonny Steelgrave gets into a hotel gunfight with a weapons dealer) draws from the non-fiction {{doorstopper}} ''The Underground Empire'' by James Mills. The eccentric billionaire in the Counterfeit Yen arc is clearly inspired by Howard Hughes.
* ScaryBlackMan: The machete-wielding ex-Ton Ton Macoute boss in the Guzman arc. When he makes the fatal mistake of insulting Guzman's manhood, however...
** Hilariously subverted when music mogul Newquay is locked up in a cell with a ScaryBlackMan who's twice as big as he is. Newquay clearly [[PrisonRape fears the worst]], only to have his fellow inmate join him in an enthusiastic duet of "Soul Man".
* SchrodingersCat: Ken Wahl returned for a reunion movie in 1996, with no explanation of what happened to him in the Guzman arc.
* StarMakingRole: The Mel Profitt arc put KevinSpacey on the map.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: After Ken Wahl broke his ankle in an on-set accident, he was replaced by Anthony Denison (playing John Henry Raglin). This was WrittenInInfirmity as Vinnie having his leg broken by loan-shark Johnny "Coke Bottles". After a dispute with the producers Ken Wahl was replaced by actor Steven Bauer, playing disbarred Cuban-American prosecutor Michael Santana. Vinnie had ostensibly been killed by a death squad while investigating the smuggling of Salvadorean refugees.
* TownWithADarkSecret: Lynchboro, Seattle; run as the personal fiefdom of Mark Volchek [[spoiler:and unknown to him, harbouring a SerialKiller.]] It turns out that Volchek is actually an IneffectualSympatheticVillain. [[spoiler:He suffers from a phobia of death, so intends to build a [[HumanPopsicle cyrogenic storage hospital]] for the entire town so no-one will ever die.]] Frank [=McPike=] and Roger Loccoco [[EpiphanyTherapy snap him out of it]] though.
* TroubleEntendre: Mark Volchek orders Vinnie to "get rid" of a teenager who tried to shoot him, and is shocked when Vinnie returns with a jar [[FakingTheDead supposedly containing the boy's ashes]]. They decide on a codeword to avoid future "misunderstandings".
* VigilanteMan: After white supremicists murder his brother Pete (a Catholic priest) Vinnie considers killing the man responsible. Vinnie eventually decides to bring him to justice [[spoiler:only for the villain to be killed in custody by local police for his role in the death of a black officer.]]
A U.S. television series centered around Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova (played by actor Ken Wahl), an undercover agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction fictional division]] of the FBI. A major theme was the constant ethical dilemmas faced by the protagonist, who had to befriend criminals with the eventual intention of betraying them.
Created by veteran hit producer StephenJCannell and Frank Lupo (yes, the same pair responsible for ''TheATeam''), ''Wiseguy'' veered from the traditional "bad guy of the week" {{police procedural}} by breaking the drama into multi-episode {{Story Arc}}s that followed an [[TheInfiltration infiltration]] -- and its charismatic criminal target -- to its logical conclusion, no matter the cost to criminal, innocent civilian, or cop (though there were standalone {{Breather Episode}}s in later seasons, mostly dealing with the personal lives of the characters). The show influenced writers like Chris Carter, Joss Whedon, and David Simon to build on the trope of showing both sides of the morality play in humanizing detail.
----
!!Tropes in this series include:
* ArmsDealer: Mel Profitt, although his drug business gets more attention.
* AuditThreat: In the Eli Sternberg arc, [=McPike=] is trying to get some information from a company that does business with the group that they are investigating. They refuse, until [=McPike=] says "If you don't let me in, I will call my friends at the IRS. They eat guys like you for breakfast". The company lets him in immediately.
* BecomingTheMask: Vinnie's OCB [[TheHandler handler]] Frank [=McPike=] often has to remind him that his job is to lock up the bad guys, not be their friend. It doesn't help that Vinnie is regarded as a trusted associate by the criminals, and a scumbag lowlife by the police.
* BigBrotherIsEmployingYou: [=McPike=] has a tendency to bug any place Vinnie is likely to be. Played for laughs when Vinnie is in bed with his LoveInterest Amber Twine.
-->'''Amber''': "Aren't you going to tell [=McPike=] about this?"
-->'''Vinnie''': "Don't you know? [=McPike=]'s already listening '''(shouts at bedstead)''' HEY MCPIKE!"
* TheCartel: Cuban-American crime lord Armando Guzman, investigated by Vinnie's [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replacement]] Michael Santana.
* ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory: Averted as Vinnie uses his own identity, including an eighteen-month prison sentence to establish his credentials as a criminal. Unfortunately this alienates him from his own mother, who doesn't know he's a federal agent.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Music industry mogul Winston Newquay (played with villainous relish by TimCurry). Some of the highly-educated next generation of mafiosi also qualify, such as Rick Pinzolo in the Garment Trade arc.
* EvilDuo: International ArmsDealer Mel Profitt and his sister Susan. As teens they killed their foster brother (by hanging him upside down until he passed out, then throwing him in the swimming pool) when he found out about their [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous relationship]]. Together they form a "psychotic critical mass", as [=McPike=] describes it.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Roger Loccoco. Also the prosecutor Vinnie 'kills' to prove himself to Sonny, though an ambitious prosecutor willing to hide for years just to uphold an agent's cover is [[FridgeLogic a bit unlikely]].]]
* GovernmentConspiracy: A secret group within the Washington D.C. hierarchy plans to use Mel Profitt to finance a coup against a communist regime in the Caribbean. When Vinnie causes this plan to fail [[WronglyAccused they frame him]] as the mastermind behind another conspiracy to destabilise the Japanese economy with [[CounterfeitCash counterfeit yen]].
* HammerSpace: In the first episode TheMafia [[spoiler:is surprised to see an ArmsDealer bring a woman to their meeting. As things go badly we see her casually unbuttoning her skirt (how she does this [[NotDistractedByTheSexy without attracting attention]] is not explained), then she somehow produces an [[CoolGuns Ingram MAC-10]] and starts blazing away. Now admittedly the MAC-10 is quite small for an SMG, but it's still a large chunk of metal to be hiding [[TrouserSpace between your legs]] while wearing a tight skirt. It's worth noting that this was based on a scene in ''The Underground Empire'' where the narrator noticed two women at an arms deal were concealing firearms between their legs just from the way they sat down.]]
* HauledBeforeASenateSubCommittee: Happens twice to Vinnie regarding the above conspiracies; first as a witness, then as a suspect.
* HeroicBSOD: Vinnie considers resigning after his first target (Atlantic City mob boss Sonny Steelgrave) commits suicide rather than face prison; when the suicide of another target reminds him of this event he suffers a complete breakdown and flees the OCB. The protagonist of the Garment Trade Arc, retired agent John Henry Raglin, suffers PTSD from an earlier case where two whistleblowers were murdered.
* HeyItsThatGuy: His starring role in ''Wiseguy'' meant that Ken Wahl was no longer described merely as a "Sylvester Stallone look-alike". Kevin Spacey (who played Mel Profitt) would go on to Hollywood fame in the thriller ''{{Se7en}}''. Steven Bauer played Tony Montana's ill-fated sidekick, Manolo Ribera, in ''{{Scarface}}''. Former comedian Jerry Lewis [[TomHanksSyndrome takes on a serious role]] as rag trade businessman Eli Sternberg, while other guest stars included Annette Benning, Stanley Tucci, Robert Davi, Joan Severance, Ron Silver, TimCurry, {{Michael Chiklis}}, Chazz Palminteri, David Strathairn, and politician/actor Fred Thompson as RacistVillain Knox Pooley.
* IdenticalGrandson: Vinnie Terranova's dad (in an episode based around his father's diary). But they gave him a moustache.
* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In the first episode Sonny Steelgrave, already partly suspicious of Vinnie, declares the only way he can prove himself is to [[spoiler:shoot a prosecutor who's been hounding him.]]
* IncrediblyLamePun: After loan shark Johnny "Coke Bottles" (for his thick glasses) is DrivenToSuicide, the next day's headline reads "Bottles Cashes In"
* InitiationCeremony: Played for humor when Vinnie becomes a made man -- Sonny thinks it's no longer relevant in this day and age, while none of the old-time mobsters can agree on what the correct procedure is.
* MadnessMantra: Mel Profitt's "Only the toes, knows".
* TheMafia: Sonny Steelgrave, Garment Trade and Mafia War arcs.
* MissionControl: Daniel Burroughs, AKA "Lifeguard", a disabled agent who communicates mostly via telephone (posing as Vinnie's "Uncle Mike"). Vinnie calls him daily to pass on and receive information; he also has codewords for when he's in trouble.
* PetTheDog: Most villains have these moments at one time or another, leading to {{Wangst}} on the part of the hero. It's Vinnie's own mother who points out that Adolf Hitler and Attila the Hun had moments of genuine compassion too, but that didn't offset the evil that they did.
* ProfessionalKiller: Roger Loccoco [[spoiler:who turns out to be a DeepCoverAgent for the CIA.]]
* [[RacistVillain Racist Villains]]: Knox Pooley and his follower Calvin Hollis, leaders of the white supremicist group [[ThoseWackyNazis Pilgrims of Promise]]. [[spoiler:Pooley turns out to be a ConMan just in it for the money, while Hollis suffers a VillainousBreakdown after Pooley rejects him.]]
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The Mel Profitt arc (and the pilot episode where Sonny Steelgrave gets into a hotel gunfight with a weapons dealer) draws from the non-fiction {{doorstopper}} ''The Underground Empire'' by James Mills. The eccentric billionaire in the Counterfeit Yen arc is clearly inspired by Howard Hughes.
* ScaryBlackMan: The machete-wielding ex-Ton Ton Macoute boss in the Guzman arc. When he makes the fatal mistake of insulting Guzman's manhood, however...
** Hilariously subverted when music mogul Newquay is locked up in a cell with a ScaryBlackMan who's twice as big as he is. Newquay clearly [[PrisonRape fears the worst]], only to have his fellow inmate join him in an enthusiastic duet of "Soul Man".
* SchrodingersCat: Ken Wahl returned for a reunion movie in 1996, with no explanation of what happened to him in the Guzman arc.
* StarMakingRole: The Mel Profitt arc put KevinSpacey on the map.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: After Ken Wahl broke his ankle in an on-set accident, he was replaced by Anthony Denison (playing John Henry Raglin). This was WrittenInInfirmity as Vinnie having his leg broken by loan-shark Johnny "Coke Bottles". After a dispute with the producers Ken Wahl was replaced by actor Steven Bauer, playing disbarred Cuban-American prosecutor Michael Santana. Vinnie had ostensibly been killed by a death squad while investigating the smuggling of Salvadorean refugees.
* TownWithADarkSecret: Lynchboro, Seattle; run as the personal fiefdom of Mark Volchek [[spoiler:and unknown to him, harbouring a SerialKiller.]] It turns out that Volchek is actually an IneffectualSympatheticVillain. [[spoiler:He suffers from a phobia of death, so intends to build a [[HumanPopsicle cyrogenic storage hospital]] for the entire town so no-one will ever die.]] Frank [=McPike=] and Roger Loccoco [[EpiphanyTherapy snap him out of it]] though.
* TroubleEntendre: Mark Volchek orders Vinnie to "get rid" of a teenager who tried to shoot him, and is shocked when Vinnie returns with a jar [[FakingTheDead supposedly containing the boy's ashes]]. They decide on a codeword to avoid future "misunderstandings".
* VigilanteMan: After white supremicists murder his brother Pete (a Catholic priest) Vinnie considers killing the man responsible. Vinnie eventually decides to bring him to justice [[spoiler:only for the villain to be killed in custody by local police for his role in the death of a black officer.]]
