THE BOURNE IDENTITY on ABC. The year was 1988 and there was only four major TV networks. They included ABC-CBS-NBC-FOX and each competed for top TV ratings.
Throughout the 1980's. The TV mini-series crossed over from 2 to 4 nights and grabbed massive TV viewership. Each network bought the latest popular novels and adapted them into movies.
ABC bought the rights to the best selling CIA book, "The Bourne Identity" (1980). They cast Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne and Jaclyn Smith as Marie St. Jacques.
"The Bourne Identity" aired over two nights on May 8-9, 1988. The first night garnered 24.8 million TV viewers overall. The second night grabbed 22.0 million TV viewers.
The TV mini-series stayed real close to the novel in terms of character and detail. (The 2002 film, "The Bourne Identity" with Matt Damon covered only the surface of that novel).
Jason Bourne (Chamberlain) is shot on a boat who washes ashore onto a beach. He wakes up with amnesia and is told that a micro-chip has been implanted into his hip. There is a bank account number on that chip too. He is also told that he had plastic surgery on his face.
He gets to the Foreign bank and is noticed as Jason Bourne. No one will tell him who he is as several men try to kill him. His memory comes back slowly and he discovers that he is a cold-blooded assasin. It goes deeper than that because he also discovers that his real name is David. Through it all... He faces espionage, CIA killers, double crosses and the dead bodies which keep piling up. The final action sequences are fantastic.
Go here for... THE BOURNE IDENTITY and the full 3-hour TV mini-series.
Here is the ABC-TV Promo Trailer.
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