Whiz Kids (TV series)
| Whiz Kids | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
Science fiction Action/Adventure |
| Created by | Philip DeGuere Bob Shayne |
| Starring |
Matthew Laborteaux Todd Porter Jeffrey Jacquet Andrea Elson Melanie Gaffin Max Gail A Martinez |
| Theme music composer |
Paul Chihara (uncredited) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (adaptation) |
| Composer(s) | Paul Chihara J. A. C. Redford Ian Underwood David Bell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Philip DeGuere |
| Producer(s) | Joe Gannon Bob Shayne James Crocker |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Editor(s) | Ellen Ring Jacobson |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Universal Television |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 5, 1983 – June 2, 1984 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Simon & Simon |
Whiz Kids is an American science fiction adventure television series created by Philip DeGuere and Bob Shayne that originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1983 to June 2, 1984, lasting one season and consisting of 18 episodes. The 60-minute series follows four high school tenth-graders (portrayed by Matthew Laborteaux, Todd Porter, Jeffrey Jacquet and Andrea Elson) who use their sophisticated knowledge of computers to become amateur detectives, solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice. Although the series experienced a notable backlash from critics for its portrayal of teenage computer hackers, the program garnered four Youth in Film Award nominations for its young stars, as well as a fifth nomination as "Best New Television Series" of 1983.
Philip DeGuere conceived Whiz Kids after recognizing the importance of computers in his work as a television producer and believed the "new" technology could make an interesting premise for a series. Prior to the series' premiere in October 1983, the premise of teenage computer geniuses hacking into other computers was often compared to, and thought to have been inspired by, that of the feature film WarGames, which had been released in May 1983 and became a hit during that summer. However, DeGuere repeatedly stated that his idea for the show was originally conceived in 1981 and was subsequently validated when Time named the computer its 1982 "Man of the Year."
After conceiving the idea in 1981, DeGuere spent months researching the technology and developing the premise before pitching it to CBS. The network saw potential and, in January 1983, they commissioned a $2-million pilot which DeGuere delivered three months later. CBS was impressed and green-lighted the series for a debut in the fall of that same year. When explaining the decision to build the show around high school age characters, DeGuere stated, "We specifically cast them at an age where it would be fun to watch them grow. [...] If the show clicks, we'll follow them right through college."
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