Shark Bytes

Here's a possibility as to why it was cancelled. There is a real person (now in hiding) who uses the name "Svali". You can google it or "search" the name at henrymakow.com. She was for years trapped in what is loosely called the illuminati underground. Normal people by day (she was a nurse)... horrible goings on at Masonic Temples and other locations by night. Again, you will have to google it to get the whole story. Jeff Szymanski at "arcticbeacon.com" also has a series of interviews with "Svali" in his archives, if memory serves.

"Svali" claims that much of what was included in the plots of this program were true or very close to true. In its first season, she said she was shocked, and wondered aloud to her husband, "why are they being allowed to show this to the public?"

This was an interesting program - I was unaware at the time it was on tv that any of that could possibly be close to real life for anyone. But I do suspect at this point that it was cancelled because it was too hot to handle and/or bigwigs in Virginia objected.

I have labored under the impression for years that Miss Parker's first name was never used. However in reviewing the series again, I was struck by one instance in "Jeraldo" (First season). Sydney and MP are trapped in a building. In a flash back to Catherine's funeral Sydney sends the young MP upstairs to get some sleep. As he kneels down to her level he appears to say "You get some sleep Millie...." It goes by real quick. Check it out.

I think the reason the show ended was that
Jerod "pretended" to get fat, then lost all the weight super-fast and started hawking sandwiches during the commercials.
The produces got super pissed and killed the writers, only to realize the crappy 4th season was the best they could do.

I've harped on this point on other posts for other shows, but the only theing wrong with this show was the network execs.
Right in the middle of a plotline NBC canceled the show. It was picked up by an American (I'm from Canada) cable network to finish the polt. This was before the time of 'grey market' Direct-TV in Canada, so I never got to see to plot wrapped up.
This was pathetic move...not everyone has cable...who'd really want it whith the way their fees hove skyrocketed over the years.
Thank god for DVD's of TV shows

I've read Michael T. Weiss was just sick of fans calling him Jarod in public. So he insisted the show wind down.

NEVER jumped. I think some people may be missing the progression of the show. In the first season Jarod had just escaped the Centre and was very naive about the real world. As each season went on, he had more experience with the inhumanity of the people in this world and it started to rub off on him. Yes his character got darker but I think it was a normal progression from living in a real world where people are not very nice. The show wasn't cancelled due to poor ratings, It was one of the best rated shows NBC ever had on a Saturday night. There were just some stupid people at NBC that thought that Extreme Football would have more viewers.. they were wrong. The movies weren't as good as the series because Steve and Craig wanted to delve more into the background of the Centre as opposed to the 'righting wrongs'. I preferred the righting wrongs... but this is still my favorite show ever.

Boy did I have soft spot for this show. I liked the premise of Jarod, his character, the tragic background, his dedication to righting wrongs, his loner, town-to-town thing kind of like Richard Kimball/Fugitive, but done much better.
Can't put my finger on the jump, so O declined to vote. Jarod didnt seem in it for goodness anymore later in series; more like vengeance. The Centre became a cliched and tiresome 'bogeyman.'
That's all I can say bad. Overall quite an underrated gem in TV drama.

what aired was good, I'd rather leave it at that.

It didn't end with the forth season. The made two made for TV movies that you can probably find on eBay. That's how I got mine. Be warned, they'll make you hate the producers for ruining a goodthing...

This is one of my favorite shows. It wasn't until the fourth season that it started to go downhill. It got canceled right as Jerod found a living family member WHICH HE'S BEEN SEARCHING FOR IN ALL THE OTHER EPISODES. What's up with cutting it off there?!!!It could have continued for at least another season and the loose ends pulled together. The Jerod character was probably one of the reasons for the cancelation. He started getting darker and he lost most of that joy of helping others. Instead, he just wanted revenge for the wronged people. It never really jumped the shark until the episode when he ties that guy he knew from a previous episode to a cross and sets it on fire. It used to be family friendly before then. Oh the humanity!

I don't believe it ever jumped the shark, I think had it been given a fair chance the show would still be on.

It was one of the first since the Avengers (with Diana Rigg) that a woman was given a strong role. Andrea Parker played it well.

The show was more about surviving against all odds. I think it was one of those shows you really had to keep with to get into. Yes it had it's strange episodes, but there is not a series on that didn't. AND it is sci-fi.

When Miss Parker got a boyfriend, who thought he'd entice her with his new telescope. "Come on, it's a full moon, let's go stargazing." What kind of idiot goes stargazing during a full moon?

As a T.V. show I believe pretender never jumped the shark although the story line did get way out like some wierd attempt to make it some kind of buffy the vampire slayer x-files look- alike. It does seem like there is some creedance to the possibility of existance of space aliens. It does seem like somewhere around end of third season they came abducted the writing, directing and production staff did partial lobatomies on them and sent them back(unfortunately) for it seemed no one was able to tie up a plot line to a story without running off to limboland and the movies if you could call them that were totally sorry. made things only more way out there. It became a far cry from the original story. Jarrod would go out using his brains and training to right an injustice no matter what a persons race or social standing and learn about himself through the eyes like a child Wow ice cream pez candy and donuts [why do they call this the hole if this is?] who is the man in the yellow hat? etc. He was like the grownup who could do all these amazing things and still maintain some innocence we seeem to loose as adults; despite the centres influence in his life. I enjoyed the characters Miss Parker, Sydney,Broots and even Angelo [sad he lost his oppurtunity to be restored to what he was though.] If they were to restore it to it's original story I would gladly watch it again. If it is to just continue the sellout they were presenting toward the end and those "movies" I wouldn't buy for my dog to chew up; may it rest. I'll continue to watch the original storyline ones; too bad for the networks they could still be running a good show.

The idea that Jarod and the Centre was predestined and it was all written down in some ancient book on the island of the haunted was absurd, and offensive. I am a huge fan of the show but this movie isn't part of the Pretender series to me.

I can't believe that the pretender ever left the air. It was such a great show, and despite the fact that every episode was essentially layed out the same and followed a formula, it was still pretty good. And just when the conspiracies were getting good--POOF--gone. The movies didn't even really successfully wrap things up. Will Jarrod ever find is parents?? ARG! I want to know!--and i don't mean his dad because those few episodes weren't that great. I want him to find his mom. Darn you NBC!