Vengeance Unlimited was a TV series broadcasted during 1998-1999 on ABC which lasted for just one season of sixteen episodes. The show starred Michael Madsen as Mr. Chapel, a mysterious and pragmatic character keen on serving justice to those who have been ignored by the law (similar to The Equalizer). The show originally aired Thursdays at 8:00 pm up against NBC's Top 5 hits Friends and Jesse (TV series).
Premise
When Mr. Chapel takes a case, his demand is simple. Either pay a very high fee, $1 million, or promise to do him a favor at some time in the future—whatever, whenever and wherever he needs you—then your debt will be paid in full. In the series pilot, it becomes clear that Mr. Chapel has been doing this for quite some time, as he calls in more than one such favor to help his clients. A running joke throughout the series came whenever one of Mr. Chapel's former clients paid their debt. Mr. Chapel would say, "We're even. I'm out of your life. Forever." The client would invariably respond, "Thank God!"
Chapel makes few promises. Those that he does make, he will fulfill (or die trying). On one occasion, he handcuffs one man in a car, with a dump truck hurtling toward it; when the man gives in, Chapel dives into the car to unlock the cuffs and pull the man to safety at the last instant.
Episode list
# Cruel and Unusual (Pilot).
# Victim of Circumstances.
# Eden.
# Bitter End.
# Justice.
# Ambition.
# Security.
# Dishonorable Discharge.
# Noir.
# Vendetta.
# Confidence.
# Judgment.
# Clique.
# Critical.
# Legalese.
# Friends.
Ratings and Cancellation
The show was cancelled by ABC, after ranking only 109th out of 156 shows, with an average viewership of just 7.1 million viewers. The show ranked 4th in its timeslot, being beaten by NBC's
Friends (2nd, 23.5 million) and
Jesse (TV series) (4th, 20.1 million), CBS's
Promised Land (1996 TV series) (51st, 11.5 million), and FOX's
World's Wildest Police Videos (77th, 9.6 million). However, the show did beat out UPN's Thursday Night at the Movies (145th, 2.5 million) and WB's
The Wayans Bros. (134th, 3.5 million) and
The Jamie Foxx Show (129th, 3.8 million).
External links
Vengeance Unlimited at the TV IV Wiki
Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television
Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows
Category:1998 television series debuts
Category:1999 television series endings
Category:1990s American television series
