Tour of Duty season 1

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Tour of Duty
Season 1
No. of episodes	21
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 24, 1987 (1987-09-24) – April 30, 1988 (1988-04-30)
Season chronology
Next → Season 2

This is a list of episodes from the first season of Tour of Duty with episode summaries.

Production

Cast

Terence Knox as SSG Clayton Ezekiel "Zeke" Anderson
Stephen Caffrey as 2LT Myron Goldman
Joshua D. Maurer as Roger Horn
Steve Akahoshi as Randy "Doc" Matsuda
Tony Becker as Daniel "Danny" Purcell
Eric Bruskotter as Scott Baker
Stan Foster as Marvin Johnson
Ramón Franco as Alberto Ruiz
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. as Marcus Taylor
Kevin Conroy as CPT Rusty Wallace

Crew

Producers:

Zev Braun - Executive Producer
Bill L. Norton - Co-Executive Producer
Ronald L. Schwary - Producer
Rick Husky - Supervising Producer
Steve Bello - Co-Producer
Steven Phillip Smith - Co-Producer

Writers:

Steve Duncan (2 episodes)
L. Travis Clark (2 episodes)
Bill L. Norton (3 episodes)
Steven Phillip Smith (4 episodes)
Rick Husky (3 episodes)
Steve Bello (2 episodes)
Brad Radnitz (1 episode)
J. David Wyles (2 episodes)
Robert Burns Clark (3 episodes)
David Hume Kennerly (1 episode)
Dennis Foley (1 episode)
Jim Beaver (1 episode)
Bruce Reisman (2 episodes)
Christian Darren (1 episode)
Peter Lubliner (1 episode)
Ronald L. Schwary (1 episode)

Directors:

Bill L. Norton (7 episodes)
Aaron Lipstadt (2 episodes)
Jim Johnson (2 episodes)
Reynaldo Villalobos (2 episodes)
Randy Roberts (2 episodes)
Stephen L. Posey (2 episodes)
Ronald L. Schwary (1 episode)
Charles Correll (1 episode)
Bill Duke (1 episode)
James L. Conway (1 episode)
Robert Iscove (1 episode)

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Rating/share (households)
1	1	"Pilot"	Bill L. Norton	Steve Duncan & L. Travis Clark	September 24, 1987 (1987-09-24)	10.6/17^[1]
After Firebase Ladybird suffers heavy casualties, Sergeant Anderson (Terence Knox) goes to recruit new soldiers to replace men he lost. He selects the best from a group of new recruits and meets, for the first time, their new platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Goldman (Stephen Caffrey).
2	2	"Notes From the Underground"	Bill L. Norton	Bill L. Norton	October 1, 1987 (1987-10-01)	10.3/17^[2]
The platoon gets attacked by the Viet Cong (VC), who strike and then disappear into tunnels. The GIs enter the tunnels to find the missing Taylor (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), only to get trapped when the tunnel caves in.
3	3	"Dislocations"	Aaron Lipstadt	Steven Phillip Smith	October 8, 1987 (1987-10-08)	12.0/19^[3]
Among the villagers being relocated by the platoon is a beautiful woman (guest star Tia Carrere) to whom Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) is attracted. When they are attacked on the trail, Goldman's life is saved by a VC, who turns out to be the woman's husband.
4	4	"War Lover"	Jim Johnston	Rick Husky	October 15, 1987 (1987-10-15)	10.4/17^[4]
The men find themselves assigned to assist a "hot shot" sergeant (guest star William Russ) with a mission to destroy an enemy bridge. Tempers reach a breaking point when Anderson (Terence Knox) finds a Vietnamese child and the sergeant wants the child killed.
5	5	"Sitting Ducks"	Aaron Lipstadt	Steve Bello	October 29, 1987 (1987-10-29)	10.8/16^[5]
The company provides security for an irrigation project, but it seems the VC know the Americans' every move. The platoon is assigned a guide named Tran (guest star Mako), but every time the Americans leave the village, they are mysteriously ambushed.
6	6	"Burn, Baby, Burn"	Reynaldo Villalobos	Story by : L. Travis Clark & Steve Duncan Teleplay by : L. Travis Clark & Steve Duncan & Steven Phillip Smith	November 5, 1987 (1987-11-05)	10.2/16^[6]
Racial tension leads to violence when a militant black soldier named Tucker (guest star Ving Rhames) and a white racist named Innes (guest star Mark Rolston) both end up in Bravo Company. When the white soldier is killed with a bayonet belonging to Johnson (Stan Foster), black and white members of the company clash.
7	7	"Brothers, Fathers and Sons"	Bill L. Norton	Bill L. Norton	November 12, 1987 (1987-11-12)	9.5/14^[7]
Anderson (Terence Knox), Johnson (Stan Foster), and Baker (Eric Bruskotter) are shot down after catching a ride in a helicopter. As they head back to base, they encounter a woman giving birth as she is dying. Anderson ends up taking care of the baby, and the three soldiers end up battling with the VC - with tragic results.
8	8	"The Good, the Bad and the Dead"	Reynaldo Villalobos	Brad Radnitz	November 19, 1987 (1987-11-19)	10.8/17^[8]
A drunken GI steals a jeep and gets arrested. Anderson (Terence Knox) recognises him as his former drill sergeant Aubrey Decker (guest star Tim Thomerson). Anderson helps to get him acquitted and gets him drafted into the squad, but his old friend immediately begins to disobey orders.
9	9	"Battling Baker Brothers"	Bill L. Norton	Story by : Bill L. Norton Teleplay by : Bill L. Norton & David Wyles	December 10, 1987 (1987-12-10)	10.6/17^[9]
When Baker's (Eric Bruskotter) twin brother Karl (guest star Karl Bruskotter) shows up, the two end up fighting and nearly destroy the base. When his brother's helicopter goes down the next morning, Baker goes after him but gets captured by the VC.
10	10	"Nowhere to Run"	Randy Roberts	Rick Husky	December 17, 1987 (1987-12-17)	10.7/17^[10]
Purcell (Tony Becker) has just received a "Dear John" letter. After that, the bridge he was assigned to secure gets blown up. When he escorts a dying baby and its mother to a med evacuation center, Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) is reunited with an old flame; an Army nurse named Lt. Nikki Raines (Pamela Gidley).
11	11	"Roadrunner"	Jim Johnston	Robert Burns Clark	January 7, 1988 (1988-01-07)	12.5/18^[11]
Anderson's (Terence Knox) confidence is shaken when he is almost killed by a barrage of mortar fire. When the soldiers are ordered to rescue downed pilots from an occupied valley, Anderson questions his ability to lead.
12	12	"Pushin' Too Hard"	Bill L. Norton	Story by : David Hume Kennerly & Dennis Foley Teleplay by : Steven Phillip Smith	January 14, 1988 (1988-01-14)	11.7/17^[12]
Bravo company is sent on a reconnaissance mission to capture a prisoner. With them is an attractive female reporter named Vickie Adams (guest star Talia Balsam) who is intent on getting combat footage, but she quickly becomes a distraction to the men.
13	13	"USO Down"	Ronald L. Schwary	Jim Beaver	January 21, 1988 (1988-01-21)	11.5/17^[13]
A USO band, including three female dancers, are rushed to a helicopter to be flown to their next destination. The helicopter is shot down and the entire crew is killed, leaving the troupe's lives in the hands of Bravo Company.
14	14	"Under Siege"	Stephen L. Posey	Story by : Steve Bello Teleplay by : Steve Bello & Robert Burns Clark	February 11, 1988 (1988-02-11)	12.5/19^[14]
A captain joins the platoon as the new leader and is immediately popular with the men. His arrival is fortuitous because there is evidence that the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) is planning a big push right over Firebase Ladybird. However, Anderson (Terence Knox) is wary of the new captain's tactics.
15	15	"Soldiers"	Bill L. Norton	Rick Husky	February 18, 1988 (1988-02-18)	11.9/17^[15]
Purcell (Tony Becker) is given emergency medical leave to visit his sick father in Hawaii. When he arrives, he learns his father has taken up with a much younger woman. Meanwhile, Taylor (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.) and Ruiz (Ramón Franco) get sent there for some R&R and witness negative reactions to the war.
16	16	"Gray-Brown Odyssey"	Randy Roberts	Bruce Reisman	February 25, 1988 (1988-02-25)	12.9/19^[16]
When Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and Horn (Joshua D. Maurer) are ambushed in their jeep, their companions are killed and they are separated. Goldman is temporarily blinded, but Horn manages to capture a female VC, whom Goldman forces at gunpoint to lead him to safety.
17	17	"Blood Brothers"	Charles Correll	Christian Darren	March 12, 1988 (1988-03-12)	9.0/16^[17]
Goldman's (Stephen Caffrey) estranged father arrives, a retired general on a fact-finding mission for Washington. Meanwhile, Ruiz (Ramón Franco) begins to suspect there is a heroin supplier on the base.
18	18	"The Short Time"	Bill Duke	Story by : Bruce Reisman & Peter Lubliner Teleplay by : Bruce Reisman	March 19, 1988 (1988-03-19)	10.5/18^[18]
Taylor (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.) must address his mixed emotions about his return home. His hatred for the war conflicts with the strong bond he has with his fellow soldiers and his uncertainty about life back home.
19	19	"Paradise Lost"	James L. Conway	Robert Burns Clark	March 26, 1988 (1988-03-26)	9.8/19^[19]
The squad meets a mysterious ex-GI living among the natives. Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) follows orders to help fortify the natives against the VC, but what follows is exactly what the mystery man warned him about.
20	20	"Angel of Mercy"	Unknown	Unknown	April 9, 1988 (1988-04-09)	9.5/17^[20]
A wounded NVA colonel is captured by the platoon and Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) and Anderson (Terence Knox) are hit in a firefight. All three are taken to the nearby hospital, where Goldman once again meets up with his former girlfriend, Nurse Lt. Nikki Raines, and hears some unexpected news.
21	21	"The Hill"	Robert Iscove	Steven Phillip Smith	April 30, 1988 (1988-04-30)	8.3/15^[21]
Goldman (Stephen Caffrey) enjoys a brief R&R with Nikki, but she refuses to marry him. When he returns to base, he finds out his unit has been assigned to help take Hill 1000, which they've taken before and lost. Meanwhile, Horn (Joshua D. Maurer) refuses to follow orders at the risk of court martial.

References

^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 30, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305922933.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 7, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305953326.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 14, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305948452.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 21, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305935736.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 4, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305974535.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 11, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305982086.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 18, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305968968.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 25, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305958854.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 16, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305994379.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 23, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305975402.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. January 13, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 305977792.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. January 20, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306006998.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. January 27, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 305976622.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 17, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306012742.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. February 24, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 305993630.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 2, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306042747.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 16, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306030149.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 23, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306010273.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. March 30, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 305993024.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. April 13, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306023207.
^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 4, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306041364.

Sources

Tour of Duty Season 1 - TV.com

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