

60 minSeason 4 • Episode 9
LatestVinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer.
Acting
Ken Wahl's unraveling — watch his eyes go hollow across seasons.
Direction
Cannell's rotating arcs keep every mob story fresh.
Score
Mike Post's guitar-driven theme that screams Reagan-era anxiety.
Creators
Stephen J. Cannell, Frank Lupo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ken Wahl walked off set in Season 3 due to a dispute, forcing a hasty recast with Steven Bauer — that's why 'Michael Santana' suddenly exists.
Wiseguy invented the 'arc-based' TV drama that Breaking Bad and The Wire would later perfect — each crime family got a novelistic 10-episode treatment unheard of in 1987.