Gabriel's Fire
Gabriel's Fire is an American crime drama television series created by Donald R. Boyle, Coleman Luck and Jacqueline Zambrano that ran on ABC from September 12, 1990 to June 6, 1991 in the United States during the 1990–91 television season. A revamped version of the series, entitled Pros and Cons, aired briefly the following season.
| Gabriel's Fire | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Lorimar Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 12, 1990 – June 6, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Pros and Cons |
Overview
The main character, Gabriel Bird, was played by James Earl Jones. He was a former Chicago police officer who, over twenty years prior, had been wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a fellow police officer. In fact, he shot the officer to protect a defenseless mother and child whom the officer was about to murder in cold blood during a 1969 police raid. Unbeknownst to Bird, the raid had been merely a pretext for the police to attack the members of a militant black nationalist organization.
This incident in the character's background was inspired by the 1969 death of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, who was shot and killed during a raid upon his residence conducted by Chicago police and other law enforcement personnel. On the show, the street on which the raid involving Bird had occurred was identified as "Hampton Street".
When Bird is released, he starts working as a private detective, hired by the lawyer who had helped free him.
Pros and Cons
Characters
- Gabriel Bird, played by James Earl Jones
- Jamil, played by Brian K. Grant
- Victoria Heller, played by Laila Robins
- Louis Klein, played by Dylan Walsh
- Josephine, played by Madge Sinclair
Awards
- James Earl Jones
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (1991)
- Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie (1993)
- Madge Sinclair
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1991)
- David Opatoshu
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (1991); playing Max Goldstein in the episode "A Prayer for the Goldsteins"
References
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows