Multi-episode story arcs advanced American TV serialization outside soaps.
Why it matters
Episode guide
76 episodes across 4 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.
At a glance
Deep-cover agent Vinnie infiltrates criminal orgs for the OCB over long story cycles.
Network & studio
- CBS — broadcast network
Why watch now
Watch for the cultural DNA of the 1980s — and the star power that made living rooms feel like red carpets.
Cultural impact
Multi-episode story arcs advanced American TV serialization outside soaps.
Creators
Stephen J. Cannell · Frank Lupo
Key cast
- Ken Wahl as Vinnie Terranova
- Jonathan Banks as Frank McPike
- Jim Byrnes as Daniel Burroughs
Flash facts
- CBS (1987–1990).
- Cannell/Lupo creation with arc structure.
- Jonathan Banks pre-Breaking Bad intensity.
- Influential on later serialized crime TV.
FAQ
What network aired Wiseguy?
Wiseguy is associated with CBS (1987–1990).
Why is Wiseguy in the TV Flash top 100 for the 1980s?
Multi-episode story arcs advanced American TV serialization outside soaps.
Who are the key names behind Wiseguy?
Creators and principals include Stephen J. Cannell, Frank Lupo.
Official & further reading
External sites for further reading — TV Flash is not affiliated with these networks or studios.
Back to the decade
More from the 1980s — Glitz, Soaps & Nighttime Neon. All shows.
Also on the dial
Related & side shows
The Kids in the Hall
Canadian sketch anarchists — Head Crusher, Chicken Lady, and fearless queer bits.
Pee-wee's Playhouse
Saturday morning surrealism — secret word screaming and design-school chaos.
Family Matters
Perfect Strangers spin-off that got Urkel'd into a phenomenon.
Beauty and the Beast
Tunnel-world romance with Perlman's leonine hero and Hamilton before Terminator 2.
Kate & Allie
Two divorced moms, one Greenwich Village brownstone, SNL-caliber comic precision.
Simon & Simon
Brother PIs — one denim, one preppy — riding Magnum's lead-in wave.