Viper

Viper is an American action-adventure television series about a special United States task force set up by the federal government to fight crime in the fictional city of Metro City, California that is perpetually under siege from one crime wave after another. The weapon used by this task force is an urban assault vehicle that masquerades as a Dodge Viper RT/10 roadster and coupe (later, the Viper GTS). The series takes place in "the near future". The primary brand of vehicles driven in the show were Chrysler or subsidiary companies. The series ran on NBC for one season in 1994 before being revived two years later for three more seasons of first-run syndication. Reruns of the series have appeared on Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network. The Viper Defender "star car" was designed by Chrysler Corporation engineers unlike most Hollywood film/television cars that are usually customized by film picture designers. The exterior design of the car was produced by Chrysler stylist Steve Ferrerio. NBC run The original series began filming in Los Angeles Area in early 1993 and was planned to debut on CBS in Fall 1993. However, it was first delayed when Stephen J. Cannell also named his new TV show Viper. After a lawsuit by Chrysler Corporation, Cannell renamed his show Cobra. The premiere of Viper was delayed further when CBS deemed the series to be too violent and decided to bury it. However, due to Chrysler's backing, production of the series proceeded, and was picked up by NBC. The series originally aired on NBC during the 1993–1994 season, debuting on January 2, 1994 with a two-hour pilot movie, as a mid-season replacement for Against the Grain in NBC's Friday Night 8PM slot. After falling ratings, the series was canceled in April 1994.