Whiz Kids is an American science fiction adventure television series that originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1983, to June 2, 1984. The show was created by Philip DeGuere, who had also created the detective series Simon & Simon for CBS in 1981, and Bob Shayne and produced by Universal Television. DeGuere also served as executive producer. The series starred Matthew Laborteaux, Todd Porter, Jeffrey Jacquet and Andrea Elson as the titular “whiz kids”, a group of teenagers who became amateur detectives using computer technology to solve mysteries. The show also starred Max Gail as an investigative reporter and A Martinez as the commanding officer of the local police precinct’s detective squad. Although the series experienced a notable backlash from critics for its portrayal of teenage computer hackers, the program garnered four Youth in Film Award nominations for its young stars, as well as a fifth nomination as "Best New Television Series" of 1983. CBS cancelled Whiz Kids after one season, with 18 episodes produced. Production Conception Philip DeGuere stated in several 1983 interviews he conceived Whiz Kids after recognizing the importance of computers in his work as a television producer and believed the "new" technology could make an interesting premise for a series. Prior to the series' premiere in October 1983, the premise of teenage computer geniuses hacking into other computers was often compared to, and thought to have been inspired by, that of the film WarGames, which had been released in May 1983 and became a hit during that summer. However, DeGuere repeatedly stated that his idea for the show was originally conceived in 1981 and was subsequently validated when Time magazine named the computer its 1982 "Man of the Year." Although DeGuere maintained he originated the series idea in 1981, Bob Shayne revealed in an early 2020 podcast interview that the original concept of the show was his "Hardy Boys done right" idea and was pitched to Universal Television in late 1982, with DeGuere adding the computer aspects as well as the series title in the pitch meeting. The series was intended to be shopped to ABC and NBC to compete with CBS's 60 Minutes and appeal to a juvenile audience. The go-ahead was given to write a script and begin developing a pilot before this had even been shopped to a network. CBS unexpectedly picked up the show and in January 1983, commissioned a $2-million