Cracker (US TV series)
Encyclopedia
Cracker is an American
crime drama series produced by Granada Entertainment
for ABC
and based upon the British
television crime drama of the same name
created by Jimmy McGovern
.
An innovative but disturbing take on the standard police-detective genre, the Americanized Cracker consists of sixteen one-hour episodes set in Los Angeles
. It stars Robert Pastorelli
as criminal psychologist Gerry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald and a young Josh Hartnett
. Robbie Coltrane
, the star of the original series, appears as a villain in one episode. The remade show was broadcast as Fitz in some countries, including the UK.
True Romance
Episodes 1 & 2
Original Air Dates—18 September 1997 & 25 September 1997
Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald is an alcoholic, self-hating psychologist and compulsive gambler who lectures at local community colleges and hosts a radio-call in show, while assisting the Los Angeles police department in various crimes. Fitz is asked to help track down a female serial killer of men who writes him love notes, claiming to be in love with Fitz. With the clock ticking and minimal evidence to move the investigation along, Fitz must find a way to locate the killer before she strikes again. On a personal front, Fitz is also having problems at home: Judith, his wife and a feminist author, is on the verge of throwing in the towel on their marriage despite their newborn baby. Michael, Fitz's 17-year-old son, finds it extremely difficult to relate to his equally troubled father. Michael, becomes the next target for attack by the serial killer, Janice, who claims to be in love with Fitz and he must race against the clock to find the killer before Michael becomes Janice's latest victim.
Madwoman
Episode 3
Original Air Date—2 October 1997
When an amnesia victim, covered in blood, is found near the scene of a brutal murder aboard a moving train, the police are convinced they have their killer and bring Fitz in to get a confession. Fitz, however, is less convinced of the suspect's guilt, and takes it upon himself to help the man, the 'John Doe' recover his memory while he searches for the real killer. Meanwhile, at Judith's insistence, Fitz attends a Gambler's Anonymous meeting, which culminates in Fitz leading the members in a betting frenzy.
Lemmings Will Fly
Episode 4
Original Air Date—9 October 1997
When a teacher is suspected of killing a young male student, Fitz' mesmerizing interrogation leads to a startling conclusion that the teacher, Mr. Quint, is gay and was trying to seduce the student being a pedophile. Meanwhile, Fitz considers a getaway proposition from Detective Hannah Tyler after discovering that Judith is dating their marriage counselor Garson Shepherd.
Hell Hath No Fury
Episode 5
Original Air Date—16 October 1997
When a newborn baby goes missing from a local hospital, Fitz becomes convinced that the kidnapper is a woman, regardless of the eye witnesses and videotape evidence. But the truth ends up being more surprising than any wild suspicions following the apprehension of a suspect, who is a maternity nurse, the real abductor is her transvestite brother. Meanwhile, Fitz and Michael are in bitter disagreement over Michael's ex-girlfriend and her re-appearance into their lives. Also, Fitz also attempts to communicate with his wife Judith, which ends up being a mistake.
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Episode 6
Original Air Date—23 October 1997
Fitz joins forces with the Los Angeles police department as they track a severely disturbed young couple, a junkie named Tina, and a stuttering mentally disturbed man named Sean, who have fallen in love with each other while on a murderous rampage. Meanwhile, Judith rejects Fitz' latest plea to move back home after discovering that he continues to suffer from his gambling addiction and refuses to seek professional help.
Sons and Lovers
Episode 7
Original Air Date—6 November 1997
When a teenage boy is accused of murdering his promiscuous mother, Fitz retraces the victim's final hours, determined to find another explanation for the vicious crime despite opposition from his grumpy boss, Lt. Fry, who thinks the teenager is guilty. Meanwhile, Fitz's family bonding efforts at Sunday dinner blow up in his face due to his jealousy over Judith and his lackluster efforts to bond with his son Michael and daughter Hope, and Judith's overprotective mother.
Talk to Me
Episode 8
Original Air Date—13 November 1997
When Colleen McBeal, a controversial radio personality, is being stalked by one of her listeners, Fitz's investigation yields shocking and deadly results when it's revealed that Colleen and her manager Jeffrey have faked the stalking for publicity ratings, and then Jeffrey is murdered by a real stalker/listener. Meanwhile, Fitz discovers that Judith has plans to spend a romantic evening with their marriage counselor, Garson Shepherd, so he retaliates by taking Tyler out to the same restaurant just to make Judith angry and jealous.
If
Episodes 9 & 10
Original Air Dates—17 January 1998 & 24 January 1998
Fitz assists the police in tracking down a serial sniper whose killings of four African-American woman have all the ear markings of being revenge killings. Following a clue of numbers of the number of bullet hits on the bodies, Fitz determines the sniper to be motivated by the L.A. riots in 1992. However, the sniper, is shown to be a distraught man who is motivated on behalf of his severely injured, comatose wife. During this, Tyler begins dating a handsome K-9 cop, named Dale, while Watlington deals with Lt. Fry's handling of the case as well as his ex-wife Tisha's decision to re-marry a younger man who is an ex-con. Meanwhile, Judith asks Fitz to watch over their newborn son while she interviews for a new job, and she admits to being unfaithful to Fitz with their marriage councilor. Fitz and the police are startled to discover that the next target for the sniper is someone they all have a relationship with: Watlington's ex-wife Tisha who's boyfriend, Ronnie Brooks, was involved in the incident that put John Ramon's wife in a coma during the 1992 race riots. Things get even more under pressure when Ramos takes Tisha hostage at the hospital, leading to a standoff between him and Fitz in Ramos' wife's room. Meanwhile, Judith's admission of her betrayal somehow brings both herself and Fitz together again over their newborn son.
An American Dream
Episode 11
Original Air Date—11 December 1997
When a famous porn star/stripper, named Dee Dee Wilder, is found murdered in her house, Fitz and the police investigate. At first, the evidence seems to indicate that her possessive manager is involved, until circumstances soon point to the young lady's estranged father. Meanwhile, Fitz has a heart attack, which brings Judith back for a temporary reconciliation, while his daughter Hope tries to persuade him to change his lifestyle.
The Club
Episode 12
Original Air Date—26 February 1999
When a wealthy teenage girl is found murdered at a local rave, Fitz investigates and discovers that her friends are a clique of wealthy and spoiled teens who have formed a sex club, and the list of suspects soon narrows down to the murdered girl's boyfriend, Spencer, who's older brother died from AIDS years earlier. Meanwhile, Fitz and Judith deal with Hope who has gotten into trouble at school over her own activities with carousing for boys.
Best Boys
Episode 13
Original Air Date—5 March 1999
Fitz and the police investigate the brutal murder of a nosy landlady and a social worker in which evidence points to a troubled juvenile delinquent and his factory worker boss whom have formed an "unnatural" association and killing people they see to keep them apart from each other, leading to Fitz to try to defuse a standoff between the youth and his former stepmother. Meanwhile, Tyler announces her engagement to Dale while Lt. Fry announces his promotion to chief detective, while Fitz's home life gets worse when Judith becomes jealous about all the time he's spending around Tyler and the other detectives.
Faustian Fitz
Episode 14
Original Air Date—12 March 1999
Fitz is hired by David Roberge, a famous child actor-turned-Hollywood studio mogul, to help clear his name when a teenage model is found murdered on the grounds of Roberge's Hollywood mansion, leading to conflicts with Fitz's former employer Lt. Macy and the other detectives on the police force, all of whom are still reeling from the shock of Hannah Tyler's murder. On the home front, Fitz doesn't welcome a visit from his estranged father Emory, while Judith, Michael and Hope have mixed feelings of Mr. Fitzgerald's presence in their household.
First Love
Episode 15 & 16
Original Air Date—22 May 1999
Fitz assists the police and the new commanding officer, the younger and better educated but less experienced Lt. Monroe Macey, Lt. Fry's replacement, in tracking a serial killer of three women when a police officer becomes a victim, and suspicion points to the officer's partner, Pete Renaldi, whom holds a clue to the killer's identity which prompts Tyler to go undercover to romance Renaldi to look for clues. Meanwhile on Fitz home front, Judith becomes nervous when she thinks that she might be pregnant again while Michael wants a car for himself in the aftermath of turning 18. When Detective Hannah Tyler is abducted by the killer, who is Officer Palmer's deranged wife Linda who's jealous over Pete Renauldi's attraction to Tyler, Fitz, Lt. Macy, Parker, and Watlington interrogate Officer Renauldi's connection to the murders. When red tape prevents them from making headway, Fitz takes it upon himself to interrogate Renauldi himself to know the identity of the killer he's protecting by divulging into the dirty officer's past and of his connection with Linda Palmer, unaware that she has by this time shot and killed Tyler after she makes a half-baked attempt to escape, and Linda then decides to settle the score with Renauldi herself.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
crime drama series produced by Granada Entertainment
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and based upon the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television crime drama of the same name
Cracker (UK TV series)
Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
created by Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
.
An innovative but disturbing take on the standard police-detective genre, the Americanized Cracker consists of sixteen one-hour episodes set in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It stars Robert Pastorelli
Robert Pastorelli
Robert Joseph Pastorelli was an American actor. He had many roles on TV, in movies, and on the stage, including the seven years he played the portly painter Eldin Bernecky on the television series Murphy Brown. His last role was as an oddball hit man in Be Cool, reuniting him with Michael star...
as criminal psychologist Gerry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald and a young Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
. Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, the star of the original series, appears as a villain in one episode. The remade show was broadcast as Fitz in some countries, including the UK.
Overview
Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald is an unconventional but brilliant psychologist, an insulting, nosy, loathsome individual. To be able to pay the bills, he gives lectures at colleges, has a small practice in a mini-mall, has his own radio show. He also helps the Los Angeles police department solve difficult cases thanks mostly to his own quirks and perversities which give him an uncanny ability to get inside the criminal mind. But that is only true when he does not have to deal with his own inner demons, which include drinking, gambling, extramarital affairs, and a tense relationship with his wife Judith and his 17-year-old son Michael.Main Cast
- Robert PastorelliRobert PastorelliRobert Joseph Pastorelli was an American actor. He had many roles on TV, in movies, and on the stage, including the seven years he played the portly painter Eldin Bernecky on the television series Murphy Brown. His last role was as an oddball hit man in Be Cool, reuniting him with Michael star...
as Gerry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald - Carolyn McCormickCarolyn McCormickCarolyn Inez McCormick is an American actress best known for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet on Law & Order franchise.-Life and career:McCormick was born in Midland, Texas to a father who owned an oil drilling company...
as Judith Fitzgerald - Josh HartnettJosh HartnettJoshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
as Michael Fitzgerald - Angela FeatherstoneAngela FeatherstoneAngela Eileen Featherstone is a Canadian actress. She is best known for playing Chloe, in Friends.Angela Featherstone was a model in the 1980's. She has been an actress since 1992 in films and television. While acting Featherstone created sitcoms she sold to Sony, DreamWorks and NBC television...
as Detective Hannah Tyler - Robert WisdomRobert WisdomRobert Wisdom is an American actor. He is a graduate of Columbia University.-Biography:Wisdom was born in Washington, D.C. to Jamaican parents. He appeared in four of the five seasons of HBO program The Wire as Howard "Bunny" Colvin...
as Detective Danny Watlington - Scott SowersScott SowersScott Sowers is an American actor.He appeared in the 1995 film Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and has played detectives and police officers in various television series, including Cracker, where he played Detective Parker from 1997 to 1999. He appeared in A Season for Miracles and Law & Order:...
as Detective Parker - Paul PerriPaul PerriPaul John Perri is an American-born Canadian-American film and television actor. Perri is best known for portraying Edwards and Skinless Parker in Hellraiser: Bloodline, Harry Hume from Chaos, and as Dr. Sidney Bloom from Manhunter.-Background:Perri and his wife, Michele Miner are the parents of...
as Waldron - Sally Livingstone as Hope Fitzgerald
- Josh LucasJosh LucasJosh Lucas is an American actor. He has appeared in many films, including Glory Road, A Beautiful Mind, and Poseidon.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Macy
Stories
All 16 episodes are 60 minutes long.True Romance
Episodes 1 & 2
Original Air Dates—18 September 1997 & 25 September 1997
Gerry "Fitz" Fitzgerald is an alcoholic, self-hating psychologist and compulsive gambler who lectures at local community colleges and hosts a radio-call in show, while assisting the Los Angeles police department in various crimes. Fitz is asked to help track down a female serial killer of men who writes him love notes, claiming to be in love with Fitz. With the clock ticking and minimal evidence to move the investigation along, Fitz must find a way to locate the killer before she strikes again. On a personal front, Fitz is also having problems at home: Judith, his wife and a feminist author, is on the verge of throwing in the towel on their marriage despite their newborn baby. Michael, Fitz's 17-year-old son, finds it extremely difficult to relate to his equally troubled father. Michael, becomes the next target for attack by the serial killer, Janice, who claims to be in love with Fitz and he must race against the clock to find the killer before Michael becomes Janice's latest victim.
Madwoman
Episode 3
Original Air Date—2 October 1997
When an amnesia victim, covered in blood, is found near the scene of a brutal murder aboard a moving train, the police are convinced they have their killer and bring Fitz in to get a confession. Fitz, however, is less convinced of the suspect's guilt, and takes it upon himself to help the man, the 'John Doe' recover his memory while he searches for the real killer. Meanwhile, at Judith's insistence, Fitz attends a Gambler's Anonymous meeting, which culminates in Fitz leading the members in a betting frenzy.
Lemmings Will Fly
Episode 4
Original Air Date—9 October 1997
When a teacher is suspected of killing a young male student, Fitz' mesmerizing interrogation leads to a startling conclusion that the teacher, Mr. Quint, is gay and was trying to seduce the student being a pedophile. Meanwhile, Fitz considers a getaway proposition from Detective Hannah Tyler after discovering that Judith is dating their marriage counselor Garson Shepherd.
Hell Hath No Fury
Episode 5
Original Air Date—16 October 1997
When a newborn baby goes missing from a local hospital, Fitz becomes convinced that the kidnapper is a woman, regardless of the eye witnesses and videotape evidence. But the truth ends up being more surprising than any wild suspicions following the apprehension of a suspect, who is a maternity nurse, the real abductor is her transvestite brother. Meanwhile, Fitz and Michael are in bitter disagreement over Michael's ex-girlfriend and her re-appearance into their lives. Also, Fitz also attempts to communicate with his wife Judith, which ends up being a mistake.
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Episode 6
Original Air Date—23 October 1997
Fitz joins forces with the Los Angeles police department as they track a severely disturbed young couple, a junkie named Tina, and a stuttering mentally disturbed man named Sean, who have fallen in love with each other while on a murderous rampage. Meanwhile, Judith rejects Fitz' latest plea to move back home after discovering that he continues to suffer from his gambling addiction and refuses to seek professional help.
Sons and Lovers
Episode 7
Original Air Date—6 November 1997
When a teenage boy is accused of murdering his promiscuous mother, Fitz retraces the victim's final hours, determined to find another explanation for the vicious crime despite opposition from his grumpy boss, Lt. Fry, who thinks the teenager is guilty. Meanwhile, Fitz's family bonding efforts at Sunday dinner blow up in his face due to his jealousy over Judith and his lackluster efforts to bond with his son Michael and daughter Hope, and Judith's overprotective mother.
Talk to Me
Episode 8
Original Air Date—13 November 1997
When Colleen McBeal, a controversial radio personality, is being stalked by one of her listeners, Fitz's investigation yields shocking and deadly results when it's revealed that Colleen and her manager Jeffrey have faked the stalking for publicity ratings, and then Jeffrey is murdered by a real stalker/listener. Meanwhile, Fitz discovers that Judith has plans to spend a romantic evening with their marriage counselor, Garson Shepherd, so he retaliates by taking Tyler out to the same restaurant just to make Judith angry and jealous.
If
Episodes 9 & 10
Original Air Dates—17 January 1998 & 24 January 1998
Fitz assists the police in tracking down a serial sniper whose killings of four African-American woman have all the ear markings of being revenge killings. Following a clue of numbers of the number of bullet hits on the bodies, Fitz determines the sniper to be motivated by the L.A. riots in 1992. However, the sniper, is shown to be a distraught man who is motivated on behalf of his severely injured, comatose wife. During this, Tyler begins dating a handsome K-9 cop, named Dale, while Watlington deals with Lt. Fry's handling of the case as well as his ex-wife Tisha's decision to re-marry a younger man who is an ex-con. Meanwhile, Judith asks Fitz to watch over their newborn son while she interviews for a new job, and she admits to being unfaithful to Fitz with their marriage councilor. Fitz and the police are startled to discover that the next target for the sniper is someone they all have a relationship with: Watlington's ex-wife Tisha who's boyfriend, Ronnie Brooks, was involved in the incident that put John Ramon's wife in a coma during the 1992 race riots. Things get even more under pressure when Ramos takes Tisha hostage at the hospital, leading to a standoff between him and Fitz in Ramos' wife's room. Meanwhile, Judith's admission of her betrayal somehow brings both herself and Fitz together again over their newborn son.
An American Dream
Episode 11
Original Air Date—11 December 1997
When a famous porn star/stripper, named Dee Dee Wilder, is found murdered in her house, Fitz and the police investigate. At first, the evidence seems to indicate that her possessive manager is involved, until circumstances soon point to the young lady's estranged father. Meanwhile, Fitz has a heart attack, which brings Judith back for a temporary reconciliation, while his daughter Hope tries to persuade him to change his lifestyle.
The Club
Episode 12
Original Air Date—26 February 1999
When a wealthy teenage girl is found murdered at a local rave, Fitz investigates and discovers that her friends are a clique of wealthy and spoiled teens who have formed a sex club, and the list of suspects soon narrows down to the murdered girl's boyfriend, Spencer, who's older brother died from AIDS years earlier. Meanwhile, Fitz and Judith deal with Hope who has gotten into trouble at school over her own activities with carousing for boys.
Best Boys
Episode 13
Original Air Date—5 March 1999
Fitz and the police investigate the brutal murder of a nosy landlady and a social worker in which evidence points to a troubled juvenile delinquent and his factory worker boss whom have formed an "unnatural" association and killing people they see to keep them apart from each other, leading to Fitz to try to defuse a standoff between the youth and his former stepmother. Meanwhile, Tyler announces her engagement to Dale while Lt. Fry announces his promotion to chief detective, while Fitz's home life gets worse when Judith becomes jealous about all the time he's spending around Tyler and the other detectives.
Faustian Fitz
Episode 14
Original Air Date—12 March 1999
Fitz is hired by David Roberge, a famous child actor-turned-Hollywood studio mogul, to help clear his name when a teenage model is found murdered on the grounds of Roberge's Hollywood mansion, leading to conflicts with Fitz's former employer Lt. Macy and the other detectives on the police force, all of whom are still reeling from the shock of Hannah Tyler's murder. On the home front, Fitz doesn't welcome a visit from his estranged father Emory, while Judith, Michael and Hope have mixed feelings of Mr. Fitzgerald's presence in their household.
First Love
Episode 15 & 16
Original Air Date—22 May 1999
Fitz assists the police and the new commanding officer, the younger and better educated but less experienced Lt. Monroe Macey, Lt. Fry's replacement, in tracking a serial killer of three women when a police officer becomes a victim, and suspicion points to the officer's partner, Pete Renaldi, whom holds a clue to the killer's identity which prompts Tyler to go undercover to romance Renaldi to look for clues. Meanwhile on Fitz home front, Judith becomes nervous when she thinks that she might be pregnant again while Michael wants a car for himself in the aftermath of turning 18. When Detective Hannah Tyler is abducted by the killer, who is Officer Palmer's deranged wife Linda who's jealous over Pete Renauldi's attraction to Tyler, Fitz, Lt. Macy, Parker, and Watlington interrogate Officer Renauldi's connection to the murders. When red tape prevents them from making headway, Fitz takes it upon himself to interrogate Renauldi himself to know the identity of the killer he's protecting by divulging into the dirty officer's past and of his connection with Linda Palmer, unaware that she has by this time shot and killed Tyler after she makes a half-baked attempt to escape, and Linda then decides to settle the score with Renauldi herself.