My interview with Parker Stevenson about “Probe” on ABC in 1988:
Parker Stevenson and Ashley Crow, in a promotional photo for Probe on ABC in 1988.
Probe is one of the best short-lived genre TV series you've never heard of.
It ran for seven episodes, from March 7 through April 14 of 1988, on ABC.
It was the joint creation of legendary science fiction author Isaac Asimov and William Link, the latter of whom also co-created (with Richard Levinson) such critically and commercially successful mysteries as Columbo and Murder, She Wrote.
It costarred Parker Stevenson of The Hardy Boys as eccentric scientist Austin James, and Ashley Crow — who would later play Sandra Bennet on NBC’s Heroes — as his exasperated secretary, and potential love interest, Michelle “Mickey” Castle.
And it remains Stevenson’s favorite, of all the shows he’s worked on, so back in 2015, I decided to contact him about it. In spite of his hectic schedule, as both an actor and a professional photographer, he was gracious enough to answer my questions via email.
Q: I recall you saying in an interview at the time that you’d decided you were done with series television, until Probe changed your mind. Given that stance, how did you come to be involved in this show?
A: Having recently worked for ABC and Universal on The Hardy Boys, they came back to me with the offer for Isaac Asimov’s Probe. The chance to be in an ongoing TV series overseen by Isaac Asimov was too hard to resist. In truth, I was lucky to get the offer.
Q: In another interview, I believe you alluded to becoming a more avid reader as you got older. Were you already acquainted with Isaac Asimov’s works by the time you started working on this show? Likewise, were you a fan of any of William Link’s other shows, such as Columbo?
A: I knew of [Asimov] as one of the great minds of the 20th Century, but had read little of his actual writings. That changed when I committed to being on the show. I was very aware of William Link’s other shows. He was a major force in TV programming at the time. But it was Michael Wagner who I worked the most closely with. He was a really gifted writer, and I hoped to continue working with Michael after Probe ended, but he died too early, and that was a great loss.
Q: You’ve mentioned identifying with the character of Austin James to a certain extent. Which of his traits were you able to connect with most easily, and which did you find the most fun to portray?
A: Too much of Austin James was me, which isn’t exactly a good thing. What made it easy but uncomfortable to play him is that I have the same degree of limited attention span, obsession with “why,” idiosyncrasy, and I’m mostly a loner. I also talk way too fast.
Q: Your onscreen partner was Ashley Crow as Mickey Castle, and your characters had a very casual yet engaging chemistry. What was it like working with her?
A: Ashley was relatively new to series television, and she was a breath of fresh air, which I’m sure is why she was cast. It was easy, easy, so easy working with her, and that’s not always the case.
Q: You’ve alluded in several interviews to staying in touch with your Hardy Boys costar Shaun Cassidy. Given your expressed fondness for Probe, are there any members of its cast or crew that you’ve remained in contact with?
A: Yes, I have gotten to see the director of the pilot, Alan Levy, sporadically over the years, and the director Rob Bowman, who I worked with many times on Baywatch, and who went on to work on The X-Files and, more recently, Castle. Both are talented filmmakers and good men.
Q: Like many television shows in the 1980s, Probe had a bit of a “ship-tease” between its male and female leads. Do you know if there were any plans to go any further in hinting at a possible romance between Austin and Mickey? Furthermore, what would have been your preference for how their relationship would have been handled?
A: No one ever mentioned consummating any relationship between Austin or Mickey, but it would have been a mistake, as it was at the time on Remington Steele. The effort to create some quick ratings numbers never plays out in the end, when the relationship loses its flirtatious energy.
Q: Probe tackled a number of heady topics and concepts, from artificial intelligence to the morality of animal experimentation. Were there any scientific subjects that you might have enjoyed seeing featured in an episode of the show?
A: I always thought Asimov’s perspective on the question of how societal pressures and conventions and/or the advertising industry’s marketing affect our choices, thinking and behavior would have been really interesting to see play out.
Q: Which are your most and least favorite episodes of the show, both to work on and to watch later on?
A: My favorite episode on Probe was one called “Metamorphic Anthropoidic Prototype Over You.” It starred an orangutan named Sunshine. I swear she was smarter than all of us put together. I loved the season of episodes we made because they were all so different, each from each other, and from any other show on at the time.
Q: If I remember correctly, you touted the long hours you put in on set, something like 10 hours at a stretch on some days. Were those typical hours for a TV show at the time, or were there specific demands to producing Probe that forced you to burn the midnight oil? Moreover, what were the biggest challenges to producing a show like Probe?
A: 10 hours a day was standard, but 12, 14, 16 and even 18 often occurred, especially on Fridays, when the union specified turnaround could be protected. That is all fine if you love what you are doing. What was unusual at the time was the fact that the show was filmed on location in Phoenix to save money. I guess it was the start of what would be called “runaway” production leaving the state of California.
Q: Given the number of 1980s entertainment franchises that have been successfully revived, do you know if anyone has considered bringing back Probe? The dynamic between Austin and Mickey seems to have inspired Mulder and Scully on The X-Files, which has itself influenced countless other shows.
A: I haven’t heard any talk about resurrecting Probe, but if it was, I would beg to be part of it.
Q: What fates do you imagine might have befallen the show’s characters by now, 27 years later?
A: Mickey would most likely be happily married with grown kids and living in Connecticut, while Austin would probably be in hiding like Howard Hughes in the desert somewhere.
Q: Are there any questions that I haven’t asked that you’d like to answer? In short, is there anything that I’ve left out here?
A: Why was working on Probe so fun? Because it was ahead of its time and smarter than the average show.
My thanks again to Parker Stevenson for sharing his informative insights on a show that surely deserved more of a chance.
