The Highwayman! Oy!

Ah, the good 'ol days. The days when you could build an entire network show around a vehicle. Airwolf... Knight Rider... even the Dukes of Hazzard. If a writer came into a network office today pitching a show like that, he'd get laughed out of the room faster than you could say "General Lee."

But in the 80s, vehicle shows were all the rage. No "you've been voted off the island" here; instead, it was all about horsepower, lasers and talking cars. And amidst all of the big movers and shakers of the genre, there existed a short-lived thunder-ball of fresh cheese called "The Highwayman."

OK, so get this: Fast forward to post-apocalyptic America. Society is in a shambles, and getting back on it's feet. Oh, and apparently, everyone seems to live in the midwest near Phoenix. Anyway, the federal government has appointed a team of federal marshals to "right wrongs where ordinary laws do not reach," and to transport secret stuff around. That being said, this team drives around in a huge 18-wheeler loaded with a bazillion rocket launchers, guns, and a secret, detachable helicopter. Whoo hoo!

The team itself was made up of such stellar actors as Sam J. Jones (aka "Flash Gordon"), Jane Badler ("Diana" from the awesome "V" series), Tim Russ ("Tuvok" from the train wreck called "Star Trek Voyager")... and last but not least, the "big" draw of the show: JACKO.

Mark "Jacko" Jackson was a former Aussie football player who ignited the screen in the late 80's as the extremely painful spokesman for Energizer batteries: Each commercial ending with his charming "OY!" Apparently, a network executive felt that this was just enough dramatic training to qualify him to sit shotgun in televised, bizarro "Mad Max."

Well, the public didn't think so. The show lasted a mere 10 episodes, and was never heard from again. Some conjecture that the show WAS good, but the writer's strike at the time halted production, and then made it next to impossible to ressurrect the show later. However, common sense tells us that a show about a couple of dumbasses and a battery spokesman riding around in Mack truck armed with warheads wouldn't have survived in the soon-to-come "Nirvana" era. In short, the death of this show was quick and merciful.

And what of Jacko? That's a mystery for another day. But we can only hope he hasn't been spit out the bottom of the Austrailan porn industry. Oy!

Still hungry for more Highwaymen? Check the IMDB
You can also find more at Sci Fi 2k or Whom.uk
You can also check out an old Jacko Energizer commercial here