On this day April 10, 1985, the crime drama Double Dare premiered on CBS, starring Billy Dee Williams in a rare television lead role. The series followed the story of Billy Diamond, a smooth talking con man who teams up with a straight laced former cop to take down criminals using brains, charm, and street smarts.
The show blended action and humor with an odd couple dynamic and aimed to deliver something a little different than the typical police drama. With only 7 episodes aired, Double Dare didn’t get the chance to build much of a following before CBS pulled the plug. Double Dare stands out for giving Billy Dee Williams a starring TV role in the middle of his big screen fame following the Star Wars trilogy, and it remains a forgotten piece of mid 80s television history.
Fun fact: Double Dare was not related to the famous Nickelodeon game show of the same name, which premiered the following year.
Trivia question: What Star Wars actor starred in the short lived CBS crime drama Double Dare in 1985?