"The Master" (1984) TV series

Creator:

Michael Sloan

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 January 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Action

Tagline:

The Master Is Here! He's the supreme warrior. Even his eyes can kill you. His student is the supreme heartthrob. His eyes can melt you

Plot:

An aging American ninja master and his headstrong young apprentice search for the elder man's daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Ninja | Ninjitsu | Cult Favorite | Kung Fu | Katana

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lee Van Cleef	...	John Peter McAllister / ... (7 episodes, 1984)
Timothy Van Patten	...	Max Keller (6 episodes, 1984)
Shô Kosugi	...	Okasa (5 episodes, 1984)
Cynthia Lea Clark	...	Bridesmaid / ... (3 episodes, 1984)
Andrea Gray	...	Dancer on Phone / ... (2 episodes, 1984)

Also Known As:

Master Ninja (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

60 min | 60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Michael Sloan Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When Okasa throws a shuriken to the Master, a guard is clearly standing behind him with a gun pointed at him. After the shot of Okasa ducking away, we cut back to the Master but the guard is no longer there.

Quotes:

Max Keller: Don't worry, I won't leave this bar through the window.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja I (#4.22)" (1992)

For fans of Van Clief and indiscriminate fans of anything 'ninja-oriented'

I thought that the first couple of episodes of "The Master" (later released as "Master Ninja I') had some nice moments. Lee Van Clief may have been far too old, flabby, and frail to physically convince the audience that he could be a ninja master (amazing how "he" lost his gut whenever the stunt double stood in for him in the black ninja costume) but he did project a certain old school machismo and he could always deliver a good line. Yes, Demi Moore stuck out like a sore thumb in episode 1, and the wheelchair chick and the dancer from episode two delivered some of the worst lines in the history of television, but still...There were some decent stunts (for a TV series) and some energetic sword fights and a few decent attempts at wry East-meets-West humor. It was never 'great' the way "The Fugitive" was great, but it didn't actively suck...at first. And episode 2 had one great line (even though Van Patten flubbed it): "I knew the Master would find a way to get me up on a tightrope sooner or later." Given the situation, it was pretty funny.

The problem lay in the fact that a) the producers rapidly ran out of ideas after the first few episodes, reducing the show to a buddy version of "Then Came Bronson", and b) Timothy Van Patten's mush-mouthed delivery and frozen faced acting got old quick and c) there was very little chemistry between the two lead actors. Anyone who wasn't a male adolescent with an obsession with martial arts would find very little to interest them, especially since the series producers watered down the 'ninja' content extensively - they seemed to be trying to increase the series' appeal to American audiences, but they only alienated that core element who was only watching the show for the ninja action in the first place.

Especially annoying was the fact that Van Patten was supposed to be some kind of "Tiger Beat" teen-idol and had a different love interest in every episode, but the lack of chemistry between him and his female of the week was apparent even to a blind man. To be fair to Van Patten, the writers put him in some incredibly contrived situations and gave him some very dopey dialog to convey his hipness...I'm not sure Cary Grant could have pulled off some of those scenes.

Although I spend a lot of time thinking about and practicing martial arts, I gave up on this series by episode 4, and every time I checked in on it for a minute or two (as the season wore on) I found even less to keep me going back. It looks like everyone else agreed, and the show sank without a trace. Too bad...but the series was a day late (to cash in on Bruce Lee) and a dollar short (wasn't willing to live up to the potential of its concept).