Skag

Lore & Background

Skag originated as a three-hour television movie that aired on January 6, 1980 (as an installment of The Big Event). Over a week later, it then premiered as a weekly series, Thursdays at 10/9c, which ran from January 17, 1980, until its cancellation on February 21, 1980. Skag focused on the life of a foreman at a Pittsburgh steel mill. Malden described his character, Pete Skagska, as a simple man trying to keep his family together. The series was created by Abby Mann, and executive produced by Mann and Lee Rich.

In Their Own Story

Grey adjusted his grip on the rocket launcher, watching the shadows shift. Three pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the smoke of the destroyed lab. The Skags snarled, saliva dripping from elongated jaws as they crouched for a charge. He didn't flinch. As the lead mutant lunged, Grey fired a grenade mid-air. The explosion bloomed in orange fire, sending the creature flying backward into a wall of sparks. Two more remained, circling the perimeter. He waited, breath held, until they committed to their lunge.

Reader's Guide

The opening three-hour movie pilot introduces viewers to 56-year-old Pete 'Skag' Skagska (Malden), a hard-working steel mill foreman of Serbian-Orthodox ancestry. Throughout the rest of the movie and the brief five-episode run of the series, Skag is forced to make some monumental decisions in his life, as he slowly regains his physical abilities and comes to terms with the fact that retirement may come early. The series pilot episode earned critical praise and high ratings, but ratings quickly dropped off and NBC canceled the series after five episodes. One leftover episode of Skag remained after the cancellation, and did not air on NBC.

Did You Know?

• Skag originated as a three-hour television movie that aired on January 6, 1980.
• The series ran for only five episodes, from January 17 to February 21, 1980.
• Karl Malden played the lead role of Pete Skagska.
• The series was created by Abby Mann and executive produced by Mann and Lee Rich.