Wesley Snipes And David Caruso's Failed '90s Series Was Meant To Replace Mission: Impossible
Wesley Snipes and David Caruso could've used some help with a little-known drama series titled "H.E.L.P.," scheduled as a mid-season replacement for 1988's "Mission: Impossible" relaunch.
H.E.L.P. (Harlem Eastside Life-saving Program) aired from March 3 to April 7 of 1990. It features the New York Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services under one roof working together to face different crises. It was certainly an interesting premise, but even with considerable talent working on the project, ABC only kept it on the air for six episodes.
John Mahoney of "Frasier" fame starred as Chief Patrick Meacham alongside Caruso (Frank Sordoni) and Snipes (Lou Barton). Most interesting of all, however, is that "H.E.L.P." was created by Dick Wolf, David Black, and Christopher Crowe, not long before "Law & Order" made its debut.
H.E.L.P. featured a crew that would accomplish great things
Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" premiered mere months after the final episode of "H.E.L.P." David Black became a producer on "Law & Order" and "CSI: Miami." Furthermore, cinematographer Constantine Makris, episode director E.W. Swackhamer, and editor Mark Newman moved on to Wolf's next project. A handful of creative minds behind "H.E.L.P." swiftly pivoted to "Law & Order" and went on to make history.
So why did "Law & Order" become a huge success while "H.E.L.P." collapsed instantly? An exact answer might not be available, but the Saturday 8:00 p.m. timeslot "H.E.L.P." occupied probably had something to do with it. Competing against established hits NBC's "ALF" and Fox's "Cops," "H.E.L.P." was the 89th overall most-watched show among broadcast programs that year. It all worked out in the end — eventual Marvel star Wesley Snipes, along with a handful of his "H.E.L.P." colleagues, went on to have stellar careers.