Acapulco H.E.A.T.

Acapulco H.E.A.T.
Acapulco H.E.A.T. title, as it appeared during the first season.
Created by	Max A. Keller & Micheline H. Keller
Starring	Catherine Oxenberg Brendan Kelly John Vernon Fabio Lanzoni Lydie Denier Alison Armitage Christa Sauls Michael Worth Holly Floria Graham Heywood Spencer Rochfort Randy Vasquez
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	48
Production
Location(s)	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Balenciaga Productions M6 Films CNC Les Films du Triangle Film Groupe S. A. (1993–94) France Triangle Films (1996) Max Keller & Micheline Keller Productions
Distributor	All American Television Keller Entertainment Group Peter Rodgers Organization
Release
Original network	Syndication (United States) M6 (France)
Original release	September 28, 1993 – June 5, 1999

Acapulco H.E.A.T. was a 1993 syndicated television series. It followed the adventures of the Hemisphere Emergency Action Team [H.E.A.T.], a group of top-secret agents based in Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco in Mexico, recruited by "C-5", a secret, inter-governmental coalition to fight terrorism and other international crimes. To keep a low profile, the team posed as models and photographers representing a beach-fashion business. The show returned for a second season (production started in 1996) with a new and smaller cast; it aired in Europe in 1997, and in the USA during 1998–99.

Synopsis

Led by Ashley Hunter-Coddington (Catherine Oxenberg), a former MI6 operative, and Mike Savage (Brendan Kelly), a former CIA agent, the H.E.A.T. members fight international terrorism and other crimes. They receive their assignments from "Mr. Smith" (John Vernon), the mysterious head of C-5, a secret governmental organization linked to the United Nations. The team operates from both Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and internationally under the 'cover' of a beach fashion enterprise.^[1] The team's members are: Catherine "Cat" Avery Pascal (Alison Armitage), a former cat-burglar who had to choose between life imprisonment and working in H.E.A.T. for a year in order to have a "clean-slate"; Tommy Chase (Michael Worth), a martial arts expert with a deep understanding of human psychology; Brett Richardson (Spencer Rochfort), a former Navy SEAL with a vast knowledge of explosives; Krissie Valentine (Holly Floria), a computer genius who can do anything with computers, no matter the situation and, who eventually becomes romantically involved with teammate, Marcos Chavez (Randy Vasquez), a member of Mexico's Los Federales, and whose local contacts in their base-of-operations prove very helpful; Arthur Small (Graham Heywood), owner of Acapulco H.E.A.T. Beach Fashion who manages both the team's logistics and its members' false identities in the "Beach Fashion Enterprise" and, Claudio Divanti (Fabio), owner of the hotel where the team is headquartered.

Catherine ("Cat") Avery Pascal and Tommy Chase are the only original characters to return in Season Two. The Season Two storyline explained the time gap (about 3 years) between seasons by stating that the (Season One) H.E.A.T. team had disbanded a few years after the events of Season One. In the interim, "Cat" became a beach-fashion photographer, and Tommy became a "lone wolf". The two were recruited by ex-spy Nicole Bernard (Lydie Denier) and her protégée, Joanna Barnes (Christa Sauls) a computer expert. They continued fighting international crime backed by private investors; their "cover": owners of a beach-fashion boutique ("Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashion").^[2]

Production

The show — which had a memorable theme song, "I Feel the Heat,"^[3] sung by Sable Jeffries (first season) and Pepper Mashay (second season) — initially lasted only one season (1993–94), but was brought back for a second season with a mostly new cast. This second season was produced for distribution in Europe in 1996 but also aired in the U.S. during the 1998–99 television season. A total of 48 episodes were made.

Cast and characters

Season 1 (1993–94)

• Ashley Hunter-Coddington (Catherine Oxenberg) – A former British MI6 operative and one of the co-leaders of the H.E.A.T. team. She is the daughter of an ambassador. Her mother was killed by Red Brigade members while she was still a child. This traumatic event triggered the need to become a government agent. Her codename is "Sarong" and she worked undercover as a fashion photographer and beach fashion designer.
• Michael "Mike" Savage (Brendan Kelly) – A former CIA agent and co-leader of the H.E.A.T. team. He also posed as a photographer for the agency and his codename is "Platform".
• Catherine (Cat) Avery Pascal (Alison Armitage) – A French ex-cat burglar, who was required to join the team after being arrested for her crimes. She had to stay with the team for a year in order to avoid prison sentence. She eventually accepted that being on the side of justice was far better. She poses as one of the models of the agency and her codename is "High Dive".
• Brett Richardson (Spencer Rochfort) – A former Navy SEAL and the team's weapons and explosive expert. Posed as one of the team's models and his codename is "Deep End".
• Krissie Valentine (Holly Floria) – A computer expert. She provides the team with useful information and research for their missions. Poses undercover as one of the models of the agency and, through the season, got romantically involved with Marcos. Her codename is "Spring Board".
• Marcos Chavez (Randy Vasquez) – A member of the Federales in Mexico and an expert in undercover missions. He was romantically involved with Krissie. He poses as the responsible for providing transportation for the equipment the team uses during their work in fashion (and actually, with the equipment used on their missions). Also, most of if family member served has providers of useful information. His codename is "Agua Azul".
• Tommy Chase (Michael Worth) – A government member responsible for personality analyses. He is an expert in martial arts and has the "zen warrior" mentality. Poses as one of the team male models and his codename is "Backflip".
• Arthur Small (Graham Heywood) – Owner of the beach fashion enterprise, Acapulco Heat beach fashion, which served has the cover for the H.E.A.T. members. Also, helped sort out the logistics of each mission.
• Claudio Divanti (Fabio) – Owner of the hotel where the team have their headquarters. Used to flirt with Ashley, much to Mike's dislike.
• Mr. Smith (John Vernon) – One of the government representatives of C-5, a secret coalition that tasks H.E.A.T. with their missions. C-5 was composed by various members of the U.N. He is seen only via video link.

Season 2 (1998–99)

• Catherine (Cat) Avery Pascal (Alison Armitage) – Between the first and second seasons, she became a beach-fashion photographer. As one of the original members of the H.E.A.T. team, she now had to deal with the responsibility of being her own boss. Her new cover was of one of the owners of a small boutique called "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions".
• Tommy Chase (Michael Worth) – Between the first and second seasons, he started seeing the world with more cynical eyes. He launched a personal fight against drug dealers and small crime. He is the other original member of the H.E.A.T. team to join the new team incarnation. His new cover was of an employee of the small boutique "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions".
• Nicole Bernard (Lydie Denier) – A former French spy that re-organized the H.E.A.T. team to help her track a stolen necklace, but decided to keep working with them. Her cover was of one of the owners of a small boutique called "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". Very serious, she has trouble trusting people, though she has plenty of trust in her new allies.
• Joanna Barnes (Christa Sauls) – The new computer expert of the team and a protégée of Nicole. She can do anything with a computer, though she can never explain how or what she did. Her cover was of one of the employees of the small boutique "Acapulco HEAT Beach Fashions". Though naive, she struggles to keep up a serious appearance.

In Season 2 episode 'Blood Ties', original cast members from Season 1, Spencer Rochfort and Randy Vazquez, returned for a special appearance as their characters Brett Richardson and Marcos Chavez.

Notable guest stars

• James Healey as Niel Strake (Season 1).
• Pedro Armendáriz Jr. as Colonel Rodriguez (Season 1).
• Clifton Collins Jr. as David Kern (Season 1).
• Tristan Rogers as John Hardy (Season 1).
• James Booth as Andre Sokol (Season 1).
• Neil Dickson as Green Victory Agent (Season 1).
• Christopher Neame as Werner Steinholtz (Season 1).
• Liliana Komorowska as Frederika Fluke (Season 1).
• Vaitiare Hirshon as Carmen Chavez (Season 1).
• Julie Bowen as Danielle Perkins (Season 1).
• Nicholas Ball as Derek Perkins (Season 1).
• Andrew Divoff as The Raven (Season 2).
• David Carradine as Victor Garrison (Season 2).
• Chase Masterson as Gwen (Season 2).
• Catherine McGoohan as Natasha Simonova (Season 1) and Sister Margaret (Season 2).
• Tom Paolino as Finley Fairfax (Season 2).
• Richard Lynch as Elliot Roth (Season 2).

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	22		September 28, 1993	May 21, 1994
	2	26		September 23, 1998	June 5, 1999

Season 1 (1993–94)

The first season was produced for syndication in the United States for the 1993–94 television season.

List of Acapulco H.E.A.T. season 1 episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title [4]	Directed by [4]	Original air date	Prod. code [4]
1–2	1–2	"Code Name: Checkmate (Parts 1 & 2)"	Kevin James Dobson	September 28, 1993	101–102
3	3	"Code Name: Honeymoon Lost"	Sidney Hayers	October 9, 1993	103
4	4	"Code Name: Strange Bedfellow"	Herri Safran	October 16, 1993	109
5	5	"Code Name: Million Dollar Ladies a.k.a. Vanished"	Sidney Hayes	October 23, 1993	111
6	6	"Code Name: Feminine Institution"	Harry Ambrose	October 30, 1993	105
7	7	"Code Name: Desert Dragon"	Harry Ambrose	November 6, 1993	112
8	8	"Code Name: Archangel"	Henri Safran	November 13, 1993	104
9	9	"Code Name: Arabesque"	Sidney Hayers	November 20, 1993	107
10	10	"Code Name: Body Double"	Harry Ambrose	November 27, 1993	113
11	11	"Code Name: Perfect Specimen"	Harry Ambrose	December 4, 1993	106
12	12	"Code Name: Easy Riders"	Sidney Hayers	January 22, 1994	115
13	13	"Code Name: Rip Van Winkle"	Sidney Hayers	January 29, 1994	114
14	14	"Code Name: The Stalking Horse"	Sidney Hayers	February 5, 1994	119
15	15	"Code Name: Frameup"	Sidney Hayers	February 12, 1994	108
16	16	"Code Name: Ghosts"	Sidney Hayers	February 19, 1994	116
17	17	"Code Name: Stranded"	Sidney Hayers	February 26, 1994	120
18	18	"Code Name: Shamrock"	Harry Ambrose	March 5, 1994	110
19	19	"Code Name: Stalemate (Part 1)"	Harry Ambrose	April 30, 1994	117
20	20	"Code Name: Stalemate (Part 2)"	Harry Ambrose	May 7, 1994	118
21	21	"Code Name: Deep Six"	Sidney Hayers	May 14, 1994	121
22	22	"Code Name: Assassin"	Harry Ambrose	May 21, 1994	122

Season 2 (1998–99)

The second season was produced in 1996 for European distribution and airing in 1997, but was not syndicated in the United States until the 1998–99 television season. The dates listed below are the U.S. airdates.

List of Acapulco H.E.A.T. season 2 episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title [4]	Directed by	Original air date (U.S.)	Prod. code [4]
23	1	"Code Name: The Raven (Part 1)"	Henri Safran	September 23, 1998	201
24	2	"Code Name: The Raven (Part 2)"	Henri Safran	September 30, 1998	202
25	3	"Code Name: Spear of Destiny"	Frank Charles	October 7, 1998	208
26	4	"Code Name: Day of the Dead"	Henri Safran	October 14, 1998	218
27	5	"Code Name: Dream Girl"	Peter George	October 21, 1998	209
28	6	"Code Name: The Killing Club"	Henri Safran	October 28, 1998	206
29	7	"Code Name: Mr. Paradise"	Brianne Murphy	November 4, 1998	213
30	8	"Code Name: The Mouse That Squeaked"	Brianne Murphy	November 11, 1998	221
31	9	"Code Name: Easy Green"	Frank Charles	November 18, 1998	203
32	10	"Code Name: Dangerous Bait"	Frank Charles	November 25, 1998	205
33	11	"Code Name: Million Dollar Man"	Brianne Murphy	December 2, 1998	223
34	12	"Code Name: Death of a Friendship"	Henri Safran	January 23, 1999	216
35	13	"Code Name: Sister Soothsayer"	Frank Charles	January 30, 1999	207
36	14	"Code Name: Hot Chains"	Brianne Murphy	February 6, 1999	217
37	15	"Code Name: Till Death Do Us Part"	Henri Safran	February 13, 1999	212
38	16	"Code Name: Cumshaw"	Brianne Murphy	February 20, 1999	211
39	17	"Code Name: Phantom"	Henri Safran	February 27, 1999	224
40	18	"Code Name: Bucket of Blood"	Henri Safran	March 6, 1999	210
41	19	"Code Name: Cult Zero"	Henri Safran	March 13, 1999	214
42	20	"Code Name: Blood Ties"	Henri Safran	April 24, 1999	215
43	21	"Code Name: Matador"	Henri Safran	May 1, 1999	222
44	22	"Code Name: Juice"	Henri Safran	May 8, 1999	204
45	23	"Code Name: Lollipop, Lollipop"	Brianne Murphy	May 15, 1999	219
46	24	"Code Name: The Stolen Leg"	Peter George	May 22, 1999	220
47	25	"Code Name: Flight 401"	Henri Safran	May 29, 1999	225
48	26	"Code Name: I Remember"	Henri Safran	June 5, 1999	226

DVD releases

Mill Creek Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in 2006. On May 6, 2008, Mill Creek Entertainment released Acapulco H.E.A.T.- The Complete series, an 11-disc boxset featuring all 48 episodes of the series.

As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print. As of 2014, all episodes from season 1 can be watched on YouTube, at Keller Entertainment Group official Acapulco H.E.A.T. channel.

• First season DVD's: contains all episodes, with dual soundtrack (English & Spanish); Also, included several extras, such has promotional pictures, interview with the cast and bios for each one of them and some TV promos.
• Second season DVD's: contains all episodes, with dual soundtrack (English and Spanish); Also, included several extras, such has promotional pictures, cast bios, interviews with Michael Worth and Lydie Denier and a TV promo. The first & second episode contain production commentary's by actor Michael Worth.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
Acapulco H.E.A.T.: The Complete First Season	22	June 27, 2006
Acapulco H.E.A.T.: The Complete Second and Final Season	26	October 31, 2006
Acapulco H.E.A.T.: The Complete Series	48	May 6, 2008

References

1. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
2. Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
3. "Acapulco H.E.A.T. (Season 1) Intro - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
4. From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search 'Title': "Acapulco HEAT"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2016-06-20.

External links

• Acapulco H.E.A.T. in Show Guide
• Acapulco H.E.A.T. at the Internet Movie Database
• Acapulco H.E.A.T. at TV.com
• Acapulco H.E.A.T. Episode Guide