DEA (1990 TV series)

*DEA*
DEA
Genre	Drama
Created by	Richard Di Lello
Written by	Michael Ahnemann; Richard Di Lello
Directed by	Rob Bowman; Colin Bucksey
Starring	Christopher Stanley
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer	Richard Di Lello
Producers	Michael Ahnemann; Gordon Freeman; Cyrus Nowrasteh; Peter McCabe
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	Lorimar Television
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	September 7, 1990 –; May 24, 1991

D.E.A. is an American drama series which was aired on Fox as part of its 1990–91 lineup.^[1]^[2]

D.E.A. was based on true stories of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Shot in cinéma vérité style, the program combined recreated scenes using actors with actual surveillance footage and film of actual newscasts covering the stories depicted.^[3]

Cast

Jenna Gago as Teresa Robles
Tom Mason as Bill Stadler
Miguel Sandoval as Rafael Cordera
Alan Scarfe as Schliemann
Byron Keith Minns as Jimmy Sanders
Christopher Stanley as Nick Biaggi
David Wohl as Phil Jacobs

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"DEA (Pilot)"	Peter Werner	Richard Di Lello	September 7, 1990 (1990-09-07)
2	"Aftermath"	Colin Bucksey	Richard Di Lello	September 14, 1990 (1990-09-14)
3	"Under Presidential Seal"	David Jackson	Michael Ahnemann	September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21)
4	"Jumping the Trampoline"	Colin Bucksey	Ann Powell & Rose Schacht	September 28, 1990 (1990-09-28)
5	"Prime Mover"	Mark Sobel	David Peckinpah	October 5, 1990 (1990-10-05)
6	"Bloodsport"	Unknown	Cyrus Nowrasteh	October 12, 1990 (1990-10-12)
7	"MethLab"	Peter Ellis	Peter McCabe	October 26, 1990 (1990-10-26)
8	"Moving Mary Jane"	David Jackson	Michael Ahnemann	November 2, 1990 (1990-11-02)
9	"The Fat Lady Sings Alone"	Unknown	Michael Ahnemann	April 19, 1991 (1991-04-19)
10	"Dance with the Devil"	Peter Ellis	Peter McCabe	April 26, 1991 (1991-04-26)
11	"The Connection"	Unknown	Cyrus Nowrasteh	May 3, 1991 (1991-05-03)
12	"White Lies"	Rob Bowman	David E. Peckinpah	May 10, 1991 (1991-05-10)
13	"Zero Sum Game"	Unknown	Garner Simmons	May 24, 1991 (1991-05-24)

Production

The original concept of the show came from showrunner/creator Richard DiLello, who claimed that he'll create a hybrid format for the show that will combine elements of documentary (including newsreel footage and interviews) with drama.^[4]

The project was soon pitched to Lorimar Television, which was in turn pitched to the fast-growing Fox Broadcasting Company.^[5]

On May 14, 1990, the Fox Broadcasting Company announced that they would pick up the series for the new Friday night schedule, alongside reality program America's Most Wanted, which was shown at 8:00-9:00pm.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Fox apparently had considerable confidence in this concept. When the initial version garnered low ratings and was put on hiatus,^[9] before its return the program was retooled into DEA—Special Task Force, which placed more emphasis on the agents' personal lives and showed less graphic violence. The revamped show premiered in April 1991,^[10] but also failed to achieve significant ratings and the program was canceled for good in June 1991.^[11]

Reception

The show received mostly positive reviews by critics. The San Francisco Examiner called the show "the biggest breakthrough of the new season."^[12]

References

^ "D.E.A. (1990 - 1991)". wga.org. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
^ "DEA". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
^ "TV REVIEW : 'DEA' Fights Drugs With Style". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^ "The Ready for Prime Time Players" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-06-18. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
^ "Lorimar reveals its fall line" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-03-05. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
^ "The fall of living dangerously" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-06-04. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
^ "Fall TV Schedules Aim at the Young and Restless : Fox: Upstart Network to Pit Its Champ, 'The Simpsons' Against 'Cosby'". Los Angeles Times. May 30, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^ "Fox in The Network Henhouse". The New York Times Magazine. July 15, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^ "Dramas Drubbed As Hour Turns Sour". www.variety.com. 1991-02-17. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
^ "Healthy 'Stat'". www.variety.com. 1991-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
^ "Fox Network Goes Out on a Limb Again". Los Angeles Times. May 22, 1991. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^ "Fox's arresting DEA". San Francisco Examiner. 1990-09-07.

Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present

External links

[1] "D.E.A. (1990 - 1991)". wga.org. Retrieved 2024-04-09.

[2] "DEA". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved 2024-04-09.

[3] "TV REVIEW : 'DEA' Fights Drugs With Style". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

[4] "The Ready for Prime Time Players" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-06-18. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

[5] "Lorimar reveals its fall line" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-03-05. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

[6] "The fall of living dangerously" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1990-06-04. Retrieved 2021-09-12.

[7] "Fall TV Schedules Aim at the Young and Restless : Fox: Upstart Network to Pit Its Champ, 'The Simpsons' Against 'Cosby'". Los Angeles Times. May 30, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

[8] "Fox in The Network Henhouse". The New York Times Magazine. July 15, 1990. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

[9] "Dramas Drubbed As Hour Turns Sour". www.variety.com. 1991-02-17. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[10] "Healthy 'Stat'". www.variety.com. 1991-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

[11] "Fox Network Goes Out on a Limb Again". Los Angeles Times. May 22, 1991. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

[12] "Fox's arresting DEA". San Francisco Examiner. 1990-09-07.

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