Cover Up (TV series)


Cover Up is a television series that aired for one season on CBS from September 22, 1984, to April 6, 1985. Created by Glen A. Larson, it starred Jennifer O'Neill, Jon-Erik Hexum, Antony Hamilton, and Richard Anderson.
The series earned mediocre ratings, but is remembered for the untimely death of Hexum from a fatal accident from the misuse of a prop handgun with a blank cartridge against his head. That lead to not only Hexum's role being recast, but also stricter industry armorer rules about the handling of firearm props in recognition of the hazards of blanks.

Plot

Following the death of her husband, fashion photographer Dani Reynolds discovers that he was actually an undercover CIA agent. When she learns he was murdered, she recruits Mac Harper, a former Special Forces soldier, to help her find the killers.
Dani accepts an offer from Henry Towler, her husband's boss, to take his place as an agent. She uses her photography work as a cover, accompanied by Mac as her model, and Henry dispatches the pair all over the world to assist American citizens in trouble or apprehend criminals. Once they reach a destination, they typically have to act on their own judgment and experience with little or no expectation of outside help.
After the death of actor Jon-Erik Hexum, who played Mac, the episode "Writer's Block" introduced Dani's new assistant, Jack Striker. Jack was a CIA agent who, like Mac, operated under the cover of a model.
At the end of "Writer's Block", the following message was displayed instead of the closing credits to explain that Hexum would no longer appear in the series:
"When a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for milleniums...John Hexum died in October of this year... but the lives he touched will continue to be brightened by his light... forever... and ever..."

Cast

Production

Jon-Erik Hexum appeared in eight episodes, including the pilot. He was replaced by Antony Hamilton for the remainder of the season. Jennifer O'Neill appeared in all of the episodes. Despite the change in the lead male character, the ratings held steady throughout the winter of 1984–85, though insufficient to avoid cancellation after its first season.

On-set accident

During a break between scenes on the set on Friday, October 12, 1984, Hexum became bored with filming delays. He began playing Russian roulette with a fully functional .44 Magnum revolver whose cylinder was empty except for one chamber loaded with a blank cartridge. He jokingly spun the cylinder, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. The firing pin struck the blank, discharging it and generating enough force to fracture his skull. A bone fragment the size of a quarter was driven into Hexum's brain, causing massive hemorrhaging, and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He was declared brain dead on October 18 and taken off life support that same day.