| Jack of All Trades | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy |
| Created by | Eric A. Morris |
| Starring | Bruce Campbell Angela Dotchin Stuart Devenie Chris Easley |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bruce Campbell Sam Raimi |
| Location(s) | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Running time | 22 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | January 17, 2000 – December 2, 2000 |
Jack of All Trades is a half-hour long syndicated comedy/action television series which ran for two seasons in 2000. With Cleopatra 2525, it formed the Back2Back Action Hour and both shows were notable for being the first American non-animated action series to be produced in the half-hour format since the 1970s. The show was canceled in the middle of its second season.
The program is set at the turn of the 19th Century on the fictional French-controlled island of Palau-Palau in the East Indies. Jack Stiles is an American secret agent sent there by President Jefferson. While there, he meets his British contact and love interest, English spy Emilia Rothschild. Together, the two work to stop Napoleon and various other threats to the United States. To the public, Jack is seen as Emilia's servant (she sometimes serves as his), but when the need arises, he transforms into a masked hero: the Daring Dragoon.
The show contained many on-going gags, such as deliberate historical inaccuracies (such as Canada being a French territory rather than part of the British Empire), Jack being responsible for many important historical events but not receiving credit, Emilia inventing a miraculous invention in an obvious deus ex machina, and Jack and Emilia's ongoing romantic tension.
In many ways, the show was meant to be a historical fantasy in the vein of Campbell's 1993-1994 western series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and the 1965-1969 adventure show The Wild Wild West. The swashbuckling Jack Stiles character also resembles the flamboyant Autolycus ("the King of Thieves"), a recurring role Campbell played on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess (both were produced by Sam Raimi).
As the show's producer and star, Bruce Campbell had an opportunity to use many one-liner jokes for which he is known.
Contents |
Season 1
| Episode Number | Episode title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Return of the Dragoon" | 22 January 2000 |
| 1-2 | "Sex and the Single Spy" | 29 January 2000 |
| 1-3 | "The Floundering Father" | 5 February 2000 |
| 1-4 | "Once You Go Jack..." | 12 February 2000 |
| 1-5 | "The People's Dragoon" | 19 February 2000 |
| 1-6 | "Raging Bully" | 26 February 2000 |
| 1-7 | "Daddy Dearest" | 4 March 2000 |
| 1-8 | "One Wedding and an Execution" | 11 March 2000 |
| 1-9 | "Croque for a Day" | 15 April 2000 |
| 1-10 | "Dead Woman Walking" | 22 April 2000 |
| 1-11 | "Love Potion No. 10" | 29 April 2000 |
| 1-12 | "Up the Creek" | 6 May 2000 |
| 1-13 | "X Marquis the Spot" | 13 May 2000 |
| 1-14 | "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Opera" | 20 May 2000 |
Season 2
| Episode Number | Episode title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | "A Horse of a Different Color" | 7 October 2000 |
| 2-2 | "Shark Bait" | 14 October 2000 |
| 2-3 | "Monkey Business" | 28 October 2000 |
| 2-4 | "The Morning After" | 4 November 2000 |
| 2-5 | "Croquey in the Pokey" | 11 November 2000 |
| 2-6 | "One, Two, Three, Give Me Lady Liberty" | 18 November 2000 |
| 2-7 | "Hamnesia" | 25 November 2000 |
| 2-8 | "Seventy Brides for One Brother" | 2 December 2000 |
The show used a rollicking theme song sung by a bunch of early 19th Century barflies. The tune and lyrics are based on the Marines' Hymn. The theme song was nominated for the "Outstanding Main Theme Title Song" Emmy in 2000. It lost to The West Wing.
Many episodes of Jack of All Trades involved real historical figures, usually drastically parodied for the sake of humor. Furthering the show's intentional inaccuracies, some of these figures died before the show's 1801 time period.
The following is a list of historical figures who appeared on the show:
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  | DVD Talk's Review of The Complete Series - Jack of All Trades - The Complete Series : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video |
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