Frank Lupo Passes On

Frank Lupo, who co-created The A-Team, Wiseguy, and other shows with Stephen J. Cannell, died on February 18 2021 at the age of 66. The cause was cardiac arrest.

Frank Lupo was born on January 11 1955 in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School and majored in English at the New School in Manhattan. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-Seventies and was hired by Universal. It was there that he met Stephen J. Cannell. In the late Seventies he wrote episodes of Sword of Justice, Battlestar Galactica, B.J. and the Bear, and Galactica 1980.

;In the early Eighties, he wrote episodes of Magnum P.I. and The Quest before writing several episodes of The Greatest American Hero, the first  series on which he worked with Stephen J. Cannell. He co-created the shows The A-Team, Riptide, Hunter, The Last Precinct, and Wiseguy with Mr. Cannell. He also created the series Werewolf. He wrote episodes of Stingray, Something is Out There, and Hardball.

In the Nineties he created the show Raven. He wrote episodes of the shows Walker, Texas Ranger; and Lawless. He wrote an episode of Painkiller Jane.

Mr. Lupo also served as a producer or executive producer on the shows Galactica 1980; The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo; The Greatest American Hero; The A-Team; Riptide; Hunter; Stingray; The Last Precinct; Werewolf; Something is Out There; Walker, Texas Ranger; and Fortune Hunter.

Frank Lupo was part of some well-remembered shows. The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, and Wiseguy remain remembered to this day. And while some of the shows on which he worked might be considered guilty pleasures, he did work on some truly good TV series. Wiseguy, with a format consisting of serialized story arcs was well ahead of its time. It was also a character driven show at a time when many crime dramas were action-oriented. And while Frank Lupo was best known for his crime dramas, the short-lived sitcom The Last Precinct starring Adam West is a must-see. As a writer and producer, Frank Lupo created many hours of enjoyable television.