Frank Lupo, Writer-Producer Known for ‘The A-Team,’ ‘Wiseguy,’ Dies at 66
Frank Lupo, the TV writer-producer who was a frequent collaborator with Stephen J. Cannell in the 1980s on such high-octane dramas as “The A-Team,” “Hunter” and “Wiseguy,” has died. He was 66.
Lupo died Feb. 18 at his home in Florida, according to his sister, Linda Joy Sullivan.
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Lupo’s work in TV took off in the late 1970s when he wrote for such series as “Battlestar Galactica,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “B.J. and the Bear” and “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo.”
Lupo worked on the Universal Television lot in the same era as Cannell, the prolific showrunner behind “The Rockford Files” and “Baretta.” Lupo wrote several episodes of Cannell’s ABC dramedy “The Greatest American Hero.”
Lupo and Cannell then co-created “The A-Team,” the action-drama with touches of comedy that became a massive hit for NBC in 1983. Cannell, who died in 2010, famously took the bold step of launching his own independent production banner on the back of “A-Team.”
Lupo was a co-creator and key producing partner with Cannell on such subsequent Stephen J. Cannell Prods. hits as NBC’s “Hunter,” starring Fred Dreyer, “Riptide” and “Werewolf.” Lupo and Cannell also co-created the much-praised CBS drama “Wiseguy,” starring Ken Wahl as an undercover FBI agent trying to penetrate the world of organized crime. The series also featured future “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” co-star Jonathan Banks as Wahl’s cynical FBI boss.
Other Cannell-produced series credits included “The Last Precinct” and “Stingray.”
Outside of Cannell’s orbit, Lupo worked on the 1989-90 NBC drama “Hardball,” first season of CBS’ “Walker, Texas Ranger” with Chuck Norris and the 1992-93 Lee Majors drama “Raven” for CBS.
In recent years, Lupo penned numerous pilots for NBC, ABC and Fox. He worked on a short-lived revival of “Hunter” for NBC in 2003. Among his final credits was a 2007 episode of Syfy drama series “Painkiller Jane.”
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