# Raven (American TV series)

Raven is an American martial arts drama series that originally aired on CBS from June 19, 1992 to April 30, 1993. The series was created by executive producer Frank Lupo and produced in association with Columbia Pictures Television for CBS.

## Overview

Jonathon Raven is a ninja-trained former Special Forces agent, retired in Hawaii to search for his long-lost son. Avoiding assassins sent to kill him by his former associates in the Black Dragon Clan, he uses his skills to help those in need. He is assisted by his former military buddy turned eccentric private investigator, Herman Jablonski.

## Plot

When Jonathon Raven was twelve years old, his parents were killed by the Black Dragon. He trained with them for many years in the deadly martial arts with the hopes of mastering their lethal skill and then using it against them for vengeance. Although he succeeded in infiltrating them, the Black Dragon are many in number, and are now bent on destroying Raven's bloodline. His one true love, a beautiful Japanese woman named Aki, becomes pregnant with their son at the same time the Black Dragon clan is after Raven's life. Aki dies shortly after giving birth to their son, but before she dies, she realizes that her son's life is in danger. Jonathon learns of his wife's plan of hiding their son from imperilment, but never gets to see him or attain the knowledge of his location. Later on, he joins the U.S. Special Forces and becomes one of their top assassins under a man named Nick Henderson. After many complications and regrets, Raven leaves the Special Forces and continues his search for his long-lost son. His search eventually leads him to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he believes his son may be. Raven is on a lifelong journey in search of his son, and is willing to risk his life along the way to find him and ensure the safety of his life, with the aid of his old military buddy – a private investigator named Herman "Ski" Jablonski.

## Cast

* Jeffrey Meek as Jonathon Raven
* Lee Majors as Herman "Ski" Jablonski
* Andy Bumatai as The Big Kahuna

## Episodes
### Original Pilot

* Raven: Return of the Black Dragons – 90 minutes (without commercials)

### Season 1: 1992

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | 1 | "Return of the Black Dragon" | Craig R. Baxley | Frank Lupo | June 24, 1992 (1992-06-24) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Unseen Enemy" | James Contner | Frank Lupo | July 1, 1992 (1992-07-01) |
| 3 | 3 | "Reunion" | Vern Gillum | Bill Nuss | July 8, 1992 (1992-07-08) |
| 4 | 4 | "...And Everything Nice" | Kristoffer Siegel-Tabori | Lawrence Hertzog | July 22, 1992 (1992-07-22) |
| 5 | 5 | "Is Someone Crazy in Here or Is It Just Me?" | James Darren | Lawrence Hertzog | July 29, 1992 (1992-07-29) |
| 6 | 6 | "Prey" | James Darren | Lawrence Hertzog | September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Death of Sheila" | Jim Johnston | Bill Nuss | October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03) |

### Season 2: 1993

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 8 | 1 | "Bloody Beach" | James Darren | Steven L. Sears | January 2, 1993 (1993-01-02) |
| 9 | 2 | "Playback" | David Hemmings | Lawrence Hertzog | January 9, 1993 (1993-01-09) |
| 10 | 3 | "The Journey" | Guy Magar | David H. Balkan | January 16, 1993 (1993-01-16) |
| 11 | 4 | "Heat" | David Hemmings | Lawrence Hertzog | January 23, 1993 (1993-01-23) |
| 12 | 5 | "Rip-Off" | Ron Garcia | Lawrence Hertzog | January 30, 1993 (1993-01-30) |
| 13 | 6 | "Death Games" | James Darren | Frank Lupo | March 6, 1993 (1993-03-06) |
| 14 | 7 | "Disciples of Dawn" | Lee Katzin | David H. Balkan | March 13, 1993 (1993-03-13) |
| 15 | 8 | "Something in the Closet" | Michael Levine | Lawrence Hertzog | March 20, 1993 (1993-03-20) |
| 16 | 9 | "Checkmate" | Vern Gillum | Steven L. Sears | March 27, 1993 (1993-03-27) |
| 17 | 10 | "Wipe-Out" | Les Sheldon | Steven L. Sears | April 3, 1993 (1993-04-03) |
| 18 | 11 | "The Guardians of the Night" | David Hemmings | Lawrence Hertzog | April 10, 1993 (1993-04-10) |
| 19 | 12 | "Poisoned Harvest" | Guy Magar | David H. Balkan | April 17, 1993 (1993-04-17) |
| 20 | 13 | "Flori and Dori" | David Hemmings | Lawrence Hertzog | unaired |

## Home media

The complete series as originally broadcast on CBS (including the abbreviated 70 minute pilot) was released as a manufacture-on-demand DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on April 5, 2016.
Mill Creek Entertainment announced the re-releasing of the series on DVD.