Stephen Joseph Cannell (February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010) was an American television producer and writer, known for creating or co-creating such highly successful series as The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, Hardcastle and McCormick, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. Suffered from dyslexia. Famously appeared in his Vanity Plates working at a typewriter and also as the on camera host of
Scene of the Crime and U.S. Customs Classified; he also acted on occasion, most notably as the Big Bad on Renegade (another series from his company), and wrote a number of novels, most notably a crime-thriller series featuring LAPD detective Shane Scully.
Also played poker with a fictional crime writer. He died in 2010; his seat, chips, and whiskey remain at his spot to this day. (Cannell has a posthumous executive producer credit on 21 Jump Street and its sequel; he also helped produce some movies when he was actually with us, such as the movie version of The A-Team and The Poker House. His company produced at least one regular non-pilot Made-for-TV Movie, 1981's Midnight Offerings written by frequent collaborator Juanita Bartlett (also creator of The Quest - see below).
Series from Cannell (created or co-created by, except where noted with an asterisk):
- Chase
- Toma
- The Rockford Files
- Baretta
- City of Angels
- Richie Brockelman: Private Eye (with Steven Bochco; Spin-Off from The Rockford Files)
- Baa Baa Black Sheep
- The Duke
- Stone (with Levinson and Link - Cannell had previously written for their best-known creation - namely "Double Exposure")
- Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (the first series to come from Stephen J. Cannell Productions)
- The Greatest American Hero (the first series to feature his legendary vanity plate)
- The Quest*
- The Rousters
- The A-Team
- Hardcastle and McCormick
- Hunter (NBC)*
- Riptide (1984)
- The Last Precinct
- Stingray (1985)
- J.J. Starbuck
- Wiseguy
- 21 Jump Street
- Sonny Spoon
- Unsub* (has "Developed by" credit)
- Top of the Hill
- Booker (Spin-Off from 21 Jump Street)
- Broken Badges
- Street Justice
- Silk Stalkings (Cannell's longest-running series, lasting eight seasons)
- The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (a co-production with Walt Disney Television)
- The Commish
- Personals* (game show)
- Palace Guard
- Renegade
- The Hat Squad
- Missing Persons*
- Cobra
- Caesar's Challenge* (game show; also the final game show to air on NBC Daytime)
- Traps
- Hawkeye*
- Marker
- Profit*
Tropes:
- Adam Westing: Guest-stars in a few episodes of Diagnosis: Murder as Jackson Burley - an insufferably-hammy television writer prone to Malapropism and best known for equally-hammy action series.Burley: You know what they say - you can walk the talk, but don't run the gun if you you can't stand the hand.
Steve Sloan: That's what I always say. - The Cameo: Regularly on Castle as himself, and in episodes of his own Tenspeed And Brown Shoe and Silk Stalkings.
- Compilation Movie: The three-part series opener of City of Angels, "The November Plan," was later edited into a feature film and released to cinemas internationally under that title.
- Descended Creator: Cannell himself played the evil Lt. Donald Dixon on Renegade.
- Follow the Leader: The Last Precinct, Cannell's only Sitcom (an hour-long show however; created with regular collaborator Frank Lupo - the pairing also generated The A-Team, Riptide and Wiseguy), was clearly patterned after Police Academy (in the pilot a character even says "How [the cops] got out of the police academy I'll never know"). Also Adam West plays the Lessard equivalent.
- Nice Guy: Despite the fact that his popular self-titled production logo scared some fans (particularly children), he was known as a really decent and likable guy. For most children of The '80s, his face and logo was as beloved as another certain cult classic logo, a reassurance that they just watched (or will be watching) a very cool action adventure show. Also, when The Simpsons paid homage to his closing logo in the episode. "The Front", he loved it so much, upon meeting showrunner at the time, Mike Reiss, he gave him a hug.
- What Could Have Been: 1980's Nightside was a pilot for a never-made series which was created by Cannell and Glen A. Larson. Stephen J. Cannell and Glen A. Larson - it would have been a 1980s TV dream come true.
- In 1997 CBS asked him to oversee a revival of Hawaii Five-O, but it didn't turn out too well (among other things, he brought back Chin Ho — who had been Killed Off for Real). Said pilot has never been made available to the public in any form to this day, and with the successful new version almost certainly will never be screened in the future.
