Breaking Away (TV series)

Breaking Away is a 1980 American comedy-drama television series. Based on the 1979 film of the same name, it was created by Steve Tesich, who wrote the original film, and the film's director Peter Yates served as Executive Producer.

As a prequel, the series was set during the year prior to the events of the film. Shaun Cassidy took over the role of Dave Stohler (played by Dennis Christopher in the film), a young man crazy about bicycle racing and all things Italian. Barbara Barrie, Jackie Earle Haley, and John Ashton reprised their roles from the film. The television series was set in Bloomington, Indiana, but was actually shot in Athens, Georgia.

The series was caught up in the 1980 Screen Actors Guild strike and did not begin production until that fall. While heavily promoted by ABC, it was overlooked by TV audiences once it got on the air and suffered low ratings. It was canceled after eight episodes were filmed though only seven episodes aired during its original run. ABC showed reruns of the series during the summer of 1981, and it was also rerun by A&E during 1985–1987.

Cast

 * Shaun Cassidy as Dave Stohler (portrayed by Dennis Christopher in the film)
 * Tom Wiggin as Mike (portrayed by Dennis Quaid in the film)
 * Thom Bray as Cyril (portrayed by Daniel Stern in the film)
 * Jackie Earle Haley as Moocher (reprising his role in the film)
 * Barbara Barrie as Evelyn Stohler, Dave's mother (reprising her role in the film)
 * Vincent Gardenia as Raymond Stohler, Dave's father (portrayed by Paul Dooley in the film)

Recurring

 * Dominique Dunne as Paulina Bornstein (episodes 2, 5, 6, & 8)
 * Shelby Brammer as Nancy (episodes 1, 4, 5)
 * Steve Doubet as Steve (episodes 2, 4)
 * John Ashton as Roy, Mike's brother

Episodes
Episode summaries