The Agency (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Agency is a CBS
television
drama that followed the inner-workings of the CIA
. The series was created by Michael Frost Beckner
and was executive produced by Michael Frost Beckner
, Shaun Cassidy Productions
and Radiant Productions
in association with Universal Network Television and CBS Productions. It aired from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons. It featured unprecedented filming from the actual CIA headquarters.
The show was controversial regarding its exploration of current international affairs and its treatment of the ethical conflicts inherent in intelligence work. Beckner's pilot script, written in March of 2001, posited a re-invented CIA tasked with a "War on Terror" after Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization plots a lethal attack on the west. The pilot was to premiere at CIA Headquarters on September 18, 2001 and set to air on CBS September 21, 2001, however, the actual 9/11 attacks convinced the network to hold the pilot and instead air a later episode. That first episode was aired later as the third episode of the first season.
The series in its first season became known for Beckner's eerily predictive story lines. "A Slight Case of Anthrax" aired just prior to the anthrax attacks in Washington D.C.; "In our Own Backyard", which suggested that the former KGB had lost, what were then speculative, "suitcase" nukes hidden with deep cover moles in the U.S., aired hours before the Russian Federation announced that indeed it had planted suitcase nuclear devices in the United States during the Cold War and as many as eighty suitcases were unaccounted for; "The Peacemakers" portrayed a rogue Pakistani general killed by a hellfire missile fired from a Predator drone weeks before covert U.S. forces killed a Pakistani terrorist with such a device. Conspiracy theorists have posited that Beckner actually worked for the CIA, but this is unsubstantiated.
The September 11, 2001 terrorist events changed the way Americans viewed topical entertainment and "The Agency", at the time, was arguably its most topical offering. The producers of the series quickly responded to this new American perspective on world affairs, but CBS
chose to cancel the show shortly after the second season's final episode.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
drama that followed the inner-workings of the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. The series was created by Michael Frost Beckner
Michael Frost Beckner
Michael Frost Beckner is an American screenwriter, novelist and creator of film and television works.- Personal life :Beckner is married to former vice president of film acquisitions at Buena Vista / Sr. Vice President, Motion Picture Group, Walt Disney Studios, Anne Sterling...
and was executive produced by Michael Frost Beckner
Michael Frost Beckner
Michael Frost Beckner is an American screenwriter, novelist and creator of film and television works.- Personal life :Beckner is married to former vice president of film acquisitions at Buena Vista / Sr. Vice President, Motion Picture Group, Walt Disney Studios, Anne Sterling...
, Shaun Cassidy Productions
Shaun Cassidy
Shaun Paul Cassidy is an American actor, singer, writer, and producer. He is the eldest son of Academy Award winning actress Shirley Jones, and the second son of Tony award-winning actor Jack Cassidy...
and Radiant Productions
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen is a German film director and screenwriter. His films include The NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
in association with Universal Network Television and CBS Productions. It aired from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons. It featured unprecedented filming from the actual CIA headquarters.
The show was controversial regarding its exploration of current international affairs and its treatment of the ethical conflicts inherent in intelligence work. Beckner's pilot script, written in March of 2001, posited a re-invented CIA tasked with a "War on Terror" after Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization plots a lethal attack on the west. The pilot was to premiere at CIA Headquarters on September 18, 2001 and set to air on CBS September 21, 2001, however, the actual 9/11 attacks convinced the network to hold the pilot and instead air a later episode. That first episode was aired later as the third episode of the first season.
The series in its first season became known for Beckner's eerily predictive story lines. "A Slight Case of Anthrax" aired just prior to the anthrax attacks in Washington D.C.; "In our Own Backyard", which suggested that the former KGB had lost, what were then speculative, "suitcase" nukes hidden with deep cover moles in the U.S., aired hours before the Russian Federation announced that indeed it had planted suitcase nuclear devices in the United States during the Cold War and as many as eighty suitcases were unaccounted for; "The Peacemakers" portrayed a rogue Pakistani general killed by a hellfire missile fired from a Predator drone weeks before covert U.S. forces killed a Pakistani terrorist with such a device. Conspiracy theorists have posited that Beckner actually worked for the CIA, but this is unsubstantiated.
The September 11, 2001 terrorist events changed the way Americans viewed topical entertainment and "The Agency", at the time, was arguably its most topical offering. The producers of the series quickly responded to this new American perspective on world affairs, but CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
chose to cancel the show shortly after the second season's final episode.
Cast
- Gil BellowsGil BellowsGil Bellows is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for the roles of Tommy Williams in The Shawshank Redemption, Billy Thomas in the television series Ally McBeal and as CIA agent Matt Callan in the television series The Agency.-Early life:Bellows was born in Vancouver, British...
- Matt Callan (Season 1) - Daniel BenzaliDaniel BenzaliDaniel Benzali is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor.-Biography:Benzali was born in Rio de Janeiro to Brazilian Jewish parents...
- Deputy Director Robert Quinn (Episodes 14-44, recurring previously) - Beau BridgesBeau BridgesLloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
- Senator/Director Tom Gage (Episodes 14-44) - Rocky CarrollRocky CarrollRoscoe "Rocky" Carroll is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Joey Emerson on the FOX comedy-drama Roc, as Dr. Keith Wilkes on the medical drama Chicago Hope, and as Leon Vance on the CBS drama NCIS and its spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:Carroll was born Roscoe Fulton Carroll...
- Carl Reese - David ClennonDavid ClennonDavid Clennon is an American actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of Miles Drentel in the ABC series Thirtysomething, a role he reprised on Once and Again....
- Joshua Nankin - Ronny CoxRonny CoxDaniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American character actor, singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Personal life:Cox, the third of five children, was born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the son of Lounette and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy. He grew up in Portales, New Mexico...
- Director Alex Pierce (Episodes 1-10) - Jason O'MaraJason O'MaraJason O'Mara is an Irish actor who starred in the American television network dramas In Justice and Life on Mars. He now appears in the Fox series Terra Nova.- Career :He performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company...
- A.B. Stiles (Season 2) - Will PattonWill PattonWilliam Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
- Jackson Haisley - Gloria ReubenGloria ReubenGloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
- Lisa Fabrizzi (Episodes 1-13, 21-22) - Richard Speight, Jr.Richard Speight, Jr.Richard Speight, Jr. is an American actor, probably best known for his recurring role as Deputy Bill Kohler on the TV series Jericho prior to its cancellation...
- Lex (Season 2, recurring previously) - Paige TurcoPaige TurcoJean Paige Turco is an American actress. She is known for playing April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.-Early life:...
- Terri Lowell
Episodes
The Agency consisted of 2 Seasons and 44 episodes.DVD releases
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 |
|---|---|---|
| The Agency (2 Episodes from Season 1) | N/A | October 4, 2004 |