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Sidekicks is a martial arts television series, a spin-off of the Walt Disney 1986 special, The Last Electric Knight.[1] The series starred Ernie Reyes Jr. as Ernie Lee, the Last Electric Knight, and Gil Gerard as Sergeant Jake Rizzo. Sidekicks aired as part of ABC's Friday night primetime lineup during the 1986–1987 season at 9 pm. After Life with Lucy was cancelled, Sidekicks moved to Saturdays at 8 pm.
| Sidekicks | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action / Adventure / Martial arts |
| Written by | Jeremy Lew Steve Stoliar |
| Directed by | James Fargo |
| Starring | Ernie Reyes Jr. Gil Gerard Nancy Stafford Keye Luke |
| Theme music composer | Rare View |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Production | |
| Editor | Bille Brame |
| Running time | 30 min |
| Production companies | Motown Productions Walt Disney Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | The Disney Channel ABC |
| Release | September 26, 1986 – June 13, 1987 |
Sergeant Jake Rizzo (Gil Gerard) is chosen by Sabasan as tutor of his grandson Ernie Lee (Ernie Reyes, Jr.), the last heir of an ancient clan of special martial artists and a highly trained karate fighter.
Through the series, Ernie often tends to get into dangerous situations where bullies at school or in the streets of Los Angeles threaten him or his friends, or in dangerous situations where his adoptive father ends up needing his help after criminals which he has captured try to escape or try to harm him. With help of his quick moves, unique powerful skills and the clever advice of his deceased grandfather, Ernie manages every time to overcome all of the dangerous situations he gets into and manages to overwhelm his opponents.
- Ernie Lee (Ernie Reyes Jr.) - the Last Electric Knight and the main character of the series, Ernie is a young boy who specializes in martial arts.
- Sergeant Jake Rizzo (Gil Gerard) - Ernie's adoptive father, works as a police officer.
- Sabasan (Keye Luke) - Ernie's deceased grandfather, who appears through the series in short flashbacks. As Ernie is faced with new dilemmas in each episode, he often meditates in order to reach the appropriate solution. In a similar fashion to Luke's role as Master Po in Kung Fu, Ernie recalls advice previously given to him by Sabasan which helps him in the present.
- Patricia Blake (Nancy Stafford) - Sergeant Rizzo's love interest.
- Capt. Blanks (Vinny Argiro) - Rizzo and Mooney's commanding officer.
- Det. R.T. Mooney (Frank Bonner) - Sgt. Rizzo's partner.
TV movie
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Last Electric Knight" | James Fargo | Dan Gordon | February 16, 1986 |
Season 1
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Are These Your Kicks?" | Allen Reisner | Richard Chapman & Bill Dial | September 26, 1986 |
| 2 | "Open House" | Kim Manners | Steve Stoliar | October 3, 1986 |
| 3 | "I Hate the Neighbors" | Allen Reisner | Bob Comfort | October 17, 1986 |
| 4 | "My Dad the Crook" | Vincent McEveety | W. Reed Moran | October 24, 1986 |
| 5 | "Down and Out in Van Nuys" | Vincent McEveety | Elia Katz | October 31, 1986 |
| 6 | "Thrill of the Chase" | Ric Rondell | Bob Comfort | November 7, 1986 |
| 7 | "Catherine the Not-So-Great" | Helaine Head | John Kostmayer | November 14, 1986 |
| 8 | "My Dad's Bigger Than Yours" | Nick Havinga | Chris Miller & Michael Sutton | November 22, 1986 |
| 9 | "The Birds and the Killer Bees" | Linda Day | W. Reed Moran | November 29, 1986 |
| 10 | "I Remember Mama, But Does She Remember Me?" | Kim Manners | Richard Chapman & Bill Dial | December 13, 1986 |
| 11 | "Grey Belts" | Sig Neufeld | Gary Rosen | December 20, 1986 |
| 12 | "The Cousin Who Fell to Earth" | Victor Lobl | Casey Kelly | January 3, 1987 |
| 13 | "The Boy Who Saw Too Much" | Allen Reisner | W. Reed Moran | January 10, 1987 |
| 14 | "Just for Kicks" | Sigmund Neufeld Jr. | David Peckinpah | January 17, 1987 |
| 15 | "Kicked Upstairs" | Judy Vogelsang | Richard Chapman & Bill Dial | January 31, 1987 |
| 16 | "An Eye for an Ear" | Ric Rondell | Richard Chapman & Bill Dial | February 7, 1987 |
| 17 | "The Next Best Thing to Winning" | Allen Reisner | Mike Piller | February 14, 1987 |
| 18 | "The Patusani Always Rings Twice" | Ric Rondell | W Reed Moran | February 21, 1987 |
| 19 | "Petty Cache" | Jay Broad | Steve Stoliar | February 28, 1987 |
| 20 | "The Worst of the Mohicans" | Allen Reisner | Gary Rosen | March 7, 1987 |
| 21 | "Playing for Keeps" | Kim Manners | Thomas Perry & Jo Perry | June 6, 1987 |
| 22 | "Read Between the Lines" | Gil Gerard | Bill Luetscher | June 13, 1987 |
- Le Chevalier Lumière (French title)
- ילד הקראטה (Yeled Ha-Karate) (Israeli title, translated: The Karate Kid)
- El Karateca eléctrico (Latin American title)
- Compañeros (Spanish title)
- El Pequeño Karateca (Argentinian, Chilean, Colombian and Venezuelan title)
- O Pequeno Mestre (Brazilian title)
- 태권소년 어니 (Korean title)
- 功夫小子 (Gongfu Xiaozi) (Chinese title)
- Az utolsó(elektromos)lovag (Hungarian title)
- Partnerzy (Polish title, translated: Partners)
- Partnerid (Estonian title, translated: Partners)
DePasse Entertainment as successor to Motown Productions and Disney-ABC Domestic Television as a successor to Walt Disney Television currently own series rights.
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