10 Biggest Differences Between The Fall Guy & The Original TV Show

The following contains spoilers for The Fall Guy, now playing in theaters

Summary

• 2024’s The Fall Guy updates Colt Seavers as a stuntman without the bounty hunter side-gig from the original
  The Fall Guy
  TV series.
• Jody undergoes serious transformations, reinvented from stuntwoman to a director and love interest for Colt.
• The movie introduces new characters, like Dan Tucker and Alma Milan, while cutting the show’s original supporting cast.

The Fall Guy takes a lot of liberties with the original television series that inspired it, making some serious changes in bringing the show to the big screen. Starring Lee Majors, Heather Thomas, and Douglass Barr, The Fall Guy aired for five seasons on ABC from 1981 to 1986. By contrast, 2024’s The Fall Guy is a blockbuster movie that takes a far different approach to the adventures of Colt Seavers. Although both versions of The Fall Guy focuses on a Hollywood stuntman at the center of their story, they both approach the concept from a very different place.

In fact, the numerous differences between the show and the film make for a good case study in how far adaptations can go in reimagining their original concept, while still retaining the dangerous stunts that helped define The Fall Guy. While the first version of The Fall Guy was an episodic action-adventure series that would utilize a standard formula for over a hundred episodes, The Fall Guy‘s characters are utilized in a far more directed satire of the modern film industry that infuses the action with a surprisingly sweet love story. Here are the biggest differences between The Fall Guy film and the show that inspired it.

10 2024’s The Fall Guy Drops Colt’s Bounty Hunter Side-Gig

The New Colt Is After The Fall Guy‘s Criminals To Clear His Name & Save Jody’s Film

The Fall Guy makes several major changes to the original TV series that inspired it, with many of the biggest changes directed at Colt Seavers. In the new film, Ryan Gosling’s version of Colt is a long-time stuntman who worked his way up from the Universal Studios amusement park to blockbuster movies. However, while the film throws him into dangerous situations, he never necessarily goes looking for it himself. Instead, he gets wrapped up in the conspiracy concocted by Gail and Tom because of his drive to help Jody.

In the original TV show, Colt was far more active in jumping into danger. In the show, Colt was a stunt-man, but he was also a bounty hunter. This was the primary dive of the series, as Colt would split his time between on-set stunts and bringing down criminals. This was even the source of the show’s title, as he became “the Fall Guy” for the justice system when criminals couldn’t be caught by more conventional means.

9 Jody Isn’t A Stunt Woman In 2024’s The Fall Guy

Jody Goes From Stunt Woman Ally To A Film Director In Love With Colt

In both versions of The Fall Guy, Jody is established as a fellow filmmaking professional alongside Colt. However, the two versions of Jody are different beyond those surface-level elements. In the original TV show, Jody Banks is a stuntwoman who joins Colt on many of his missions. Jody even took on assignments unrelated to Colt at times. By contrast, the film features Jody Moreno as a camera operator who eventually becomes a director herself, shifting her job to behind the camera.

Another major change to the film compared to the show is the relationship between Colt and Jody. In the film, the romance between Colt and Jody is central to the overarching plot, with their eventual reconciliation serving as the emotional coda of the film. In the original show, the pair were far more established as business partners and friends instead of being primarily a romantic couple.

8 The Film Cuts Most Of The Fall Guy’s Supporting Cast

There’s No Howie, Big Jack, Terri, Or Pearl In The New Version Of The Fall Guy

Outside of Colt and Jody, the main characters of the original The Fall Guy are cut from the film. The most notable removal is the character of Howie Munson, who was played by Douglas Barr in the original show. An aspiring stuntman and Colt’s cousin, Howie was an important ally to Colt and a frequent source of comedy on the show, with a handy set of abilities he picked up from an assortment of odd jobs. He also had a tendency to get his car destroyed by Colt.

The series also counted Colt’s bail bondswomen as an important character. However, that role shifted over the course of the show’s five-season run. Samantha “Big Jack” Jack (Jo Ann Pflug) served the role in season 1, and was replaced by Terri Shannon (Markie Post) for much of the show. After Post left the series to join the cast of Night Court, Pearl Sperling (Nedra Volz) took over as Colt’s bondswoman ally in season 5. None of these characters appear in the cinematic version of The Fall Guy.

7 The Fall Guy Introduces Plenty Of New Characters

Dan Tucker And Alma Milan Weren’t In The Original Version Of The Fall Guy

While The Fall Guy doesn’t feature the show’s more important supporting characters, it does introduce some new ones to flesh out the film. Two of the most prominent are Winston Duke’s Dan Tucker and Stephanie Hsu’s Alma Milan. Dan is a former stuntman and old friend of Colt who serves as a stunt supervisor on Jody’s blockbuster film. Dan fills the role that Howie might have played in the film, serving as a more grounded friend to Colt and a crucial ally.

However, his own success and skills as a stuntman have earned Dan a more distinct role in the story than Howie might have. Alma, meanwhile, is more indicative of the film’s satirical approach to the film industry, something the original show was less focused on. Alma is a more morally ambiguous character, who only helps the heroes after ensuring they’ll help her in the aftermath of the film’s release.

6 The Original Fall Guy Didn’t Have A Central Villain Arc

The Fall Guy Turns An Actor And Producer Into The Film’s Major Threats

One of the driving elements of The Fall Guy TV series was its episodic nature. The show largely operated on short storylines that could be resolved every episode. This was reflected by Colt’s dual role as a bounty hunter and stuntman, as each new episode would bring Colt to a different set and pit him against a new foe. While there were some longer storylines that would take up multiple parts, The Fall Guy largely operated at that level for five seasons.

By contrast, 2024’s The Fall Guy has a definite villain in the duo of Tom Ryder and his frequent producer, Gail. The two are the central threat of The Fall Guy, luring Colt to set in a bid to frame him for the accidental murder of another stuntman. The modern version of The Fall Guy benefits from being a singular story, thus allowing it to have a central antagonist who serves as a direct contrast to Colt.

5 Colt’s Iconic Truck Got A Modern Day Update

Colt’s Iconic GMC Sierra Gets More Action In The TV Show

In both versions of The Fall Guy, Colt is shown driving a GMC Sierra. However, the truck goes through a modified origin and use in the film. The TV series frequently showcased Colt using a specific version of the GMC Sierra pick-up truck that had been customized to allow for longer and bigger jumps. In-universe, Colt utilized the car often. Even if the truck was heavily damaged in an episode, it would be repaired and ready to go by the next one.

In 2024’s The Fall Guy, Colt also gets a GMC Sierra, albeit a modern version of the truck. However, the car doesn’t actually belong to Colt. Instead, it’s one of the trucks used on the set of Metalstorm. Colt only gets the keys to it after arriving at the film shoot. Although he puts the truck to good use during some of The Fall Guy‘s dangerous action scenes and stunts, Colt doesn’t simply get it repaired or replaced after losing it during a high-speed chase. Instead, Colt uses a number of other vehicles in the film, including a speed boat and a smaller stunt car.

4 Colt’s Emotional Growth Is Unique To The Film

Colt’s Character Arc In The New Version Of The Fall Guy Makes Him Far More Vulnerable

Due to the episodic nature of the original version of The Fall Guy, there wasn’t much in terms of major character development for Colt. The series needed to be accessible on an episode-by-episode basis, leading to a version of Colt who was far more static than his film counterpart. In the show, Colt is a rough but reliable hero, with a heart of gold despite his bruises and bumps. The cinematic take on Colt, reflecting a more modern sensibility with a definite character arc, is a far more emotional character.

Much of the character’s personal and romantic arcs revolve around Colt’s initial inability to actually open up and be vulnerable, something he admits to Jody is tough when you’re a stuntman who needs to convey toughness at all times. This allows the film to take more time forcing Colt to open up and eventually reach a place where he can speak freely to Jody. This is something the TV version of Colt never did to such a degree, reflecting the show’s more action-centric tone.

3 The Fall Guy Almost Entirely Focuses On A Single Big Blockbuster

The Result Of Doing The Fall Guy As A Single Film Instead A Long-Running TV Show

The Fall Guy series and film differ in a lot of ways, most notably in primary focus. As an episodic television series without an overarching plot, The Fall Guy would regularly bring Colt and his allies to new kinds of films and sets with every episode. This allowed the show to throw Colt into all sorts of film sets and different genres, ranging from spy films to Westerns. This also proved to be an easy way for the show to incorporate plenty of celebrity cameos, who could interact with Colt for an episode.

Being a far more focused feature-length narrative, The Fall Guy largely focuses on a single movie. While there are references to Colt’s earlier work (one of which resulted in a nearly fatal injury for the stuntman), most of the film is centered around the production of Metalstorm. This focus is even baked into Colt’s motivations, as he initially only searches for the missing Tom because the failure of the movie could derail Jody’s career. As a result, the film doesn’t feature many prominent cameos, although Jason Momoa features prominently as a gag at the end of the film.

2 The Fall Guy’s Theme Song Got Some Lyrical Tweaks

How The New Version Of “The Unknown Stuntman” Changes The Show’s Theme Song

The theme song for The Fall Guy was titled “The Unknown Stuntman,” which also appears in the new film. However, the song has been tweaked and received a new cover for the film. The original version of the song, sung by Lee Majors, referenced several stars of the era, like Sally Field, Cheryl Tiegs, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, and Farrah Fawcett. It was something of a hit song in countries like Germany, which resulted in different versions of the track being released.

The new version of the song is sung by Blake Shelton. It also foregoes pop culture references and tweaks some of the lyrics. While the majority of the song remains the same, these cuts give the song a more timeless feel that reflects the idea of a stuntperson more than the very era-specific version that was featured in the original take on the song.

1 The Fall Guy’s Ending Teases A Different Fate For Colt

Colt Gets A Happy Ending In The Movie

The ending of The Fall Guy differs from the show in a key way, which again speaks to the far more self-contained nature of the movie. The Fall Guy‘s final episode is more or less a regular entry in the series, focusing on Colt working to take down criminals. The episode ends with Colt, Jody, and Howie embarking on their next assignment. There’s no clear indication this is the end of the road, allowing them to continue fighting crime.

The Fall Guy film ends on a much more definite note, albeit one that still leaves room open for future exploration. Jody’s movie is completed and becomes a huge hit. She formally restarts her romance with Colt, who is shown wearing a “Fall Guy” company hat, similar to the organization Lee Major’s version of the character operated. The film’s happy ending feels far more conclusive than the ending the show ever got, suggesting The Fall Guy might work best as a singular story instead of a continuous plot.