The Pretender was a fresh TV series released in the mid 90’s that ran four seasons and spawned two made-for-TV movies. Thank you Star World for the show, and I only wish you would show the movies one day.
What’s it about?
Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) is a Pretender. As a five-year-old in 1963, he was taken from his home and ’’adopted’’ by The Centre, a mysterious Delaware-based think tank. The reason? His superior intellect - Jarod can ’’pretend’’ to be anything he wants: doctor, lawyer, engineer, astronaut - you name it.
The series kicks off 30 years later, once he realizes his efforts were not being used for good, Jarod escapes from the Centre. Psychiatrist and surrogate father Sydney (Patrick Bauchau) and tormentor in chief Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) have been assigned to bring hi back. Every time, Jarod eludes their grasp, but not before helping some stranger who’s been dealt an injustice. Along the way, he hopes to figure out who he is and where he came from.
Weiss’s portrayal is simply fantastic. We can feel his hurt, his happiness when he finds something new (like tasting ice cream) and root for hi when he escapes from his tormentors.
Overall, the underlaying story is about how we can help each other and the strength of the human spirit.
A lot of answers haven’t been answered in the series that had ended quite dramatically. However, the legacy of Jarod lives on.
And yeah, the DVDs for the first 2 seasons are out. The rest are on their way.