SERIES index

THE SERIES - CAST
The Main cast/characters in RoboCop:The series.

LISA MADIGAN
Instead of Ann Lewis, Murphy now teams with Officer Lisa Madigan, played by Yvette Nipar. She thinks and acts very much like Lewis. Describing her character, Nipar says, “ I like the ‘skin’ of her character - she is feisty and determined, and has chosen a career for herself and made it happen. She is very much a modern woman, with her own mind and standards” Detective Lisa Madigan, Murphy’s former partner, knows the secret pain Murphy feels. She helps him keep an eye on Nancy and Jimmy, but honours Alex’s request not to reveal the truth.


DIANA POWERS/NEURO-BRAIN
The new Roboseries introduced a super computer that manifests itself as a hologram. The hologram takes the form of the woman whose brain powers the machine. Like RoboCop, she, too, has been changed from a human being into a machine. Andrea Roth portrays Diana Powers, a woman killed in the pilot episode and resurrected as a hologram. She is the ghost in the machine; a cybernetic entity that takes transparent human form by employing an energy field.

Only three people know of Diana’s existence within the Neuro-Brain computer: her killer Millardo, RoboCop, and the Chairman. She’s a character shrouded in mystery. Diana Powers appears only as a special effect. Andrea does all of her acting in front of a blue screen. Her character is later composited with the film of other characters she interacts with. “I never really know what my final scenes will look like, and it is a challenge to create my own reality around the scripts,” Andrea explains. "Diana is fulfilled in life as the Neuro-Brain, because she is now empowered to contribute to a better way of life for thousands-upon-thousands of people."


GADGET AND SGT. PARKS
Sarah Campbell plays Gadget wich first appeared in the TV pilot. She is the unofficial mascot for Metro South, the police station in Old Detroit. Sgt. Stan Parks adopts Gadget at the conclusion of the pilot. “I love the storyline with Gadget, and the reluctant father role thrust upon Parks,” the actor says. “We have a lot of fun with the interaction between Sarah Campbell and myself. I also see Parks as the father of all cops he send out on the beat. He cares deeply about their safety.”

“This role is a great opportunity for me,” Mankuma explains. “Parks isn’t just a traffic cop for all the characters around him; he plays opposite all the series leads. He is a catalyst for much of the human interest in the show.” The role is significant because sergeant is the highest rank at Metro South policed department. Above that are only OCP executives issuing conflicting directives to the police department they own and operate.


THE CHAIRMAN OF OCP
David Gardner portrays the Chairman of Omni-Consumer Products. This role is equivalent to that of “the Old Man” in the original ROBOCOP movie. Gardener plays his role with sensitivity and insight. The Chairman is not a typical evil corporate bureaucrat such as “the Old Man” in ROBOCOP II.





NANCY AND JIMMY MURPHY
Nancy Murphy is a recurring character not in every episode. She is Alex Murphy’s “widow,” portrayed by Jennifer Griffin. Murphy’s son, Jimmy, also appears with some regularity. He’s played by Peter Costigan. Murphy learned that even though he spared his family grief knowing he is now a cyborg, their problems are far from over. Nancy meets RoboCop in Old Detroit more than once, but remains unaware he is her husband.


COMMANDER CASH
The TV series stresses action, satire and humanity, hallmarks of the first film. The original film balanced a very dark look at the future with TV blackouts. These have continued in ROBOCOP: THE FUTURE OF LAW ENFORECEMENT. MediaBreak newsbits include cartoon segments featuring Commander Cash. They are imaginative and darkly satirical. Commander Cash, the on-air spokes person for Omni-Consumer Products, was created by animation writers Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy. Along with writer Joe Pearson, they reinterpreted the character for ROBOCOP.

“Recognising the potential for Commander Cash was immediate,” Executive Producer Kevin Gillis recalls. “My background is in music and animation, and when I read the Commander Cash outlines, I knew we had to have him animated.” Nelvana Productions, a Canadian animation company, creates the animation. Commander Cash appears in each episode of ROBOCOP with messages about the fantastic things OCP can provide.

He is a satirical animated segment ostensibly promoting the products of OCP. The products and ideals he promotes are so wacky one can only hope this isn’t the real future. One episode features a “Pet Recycler.” A Commander Cash spot shows a child’s pet cat run over by a car. When she beings to cry, Commander Cash demonstrates how the cat’s remains can be recycled in a container. The remains are then recycled into pet food!