pilot which DeGuere and Shayne delivered three months later. CBS was impressed and green-lighted the series, announcing it at the May upfronts. When explaining the decision to build the show around high school-age characters, DeGuere stated, "We specifically cast them at an age where it would be fun to watch them grow. [...] If the show clicks, we'll follow them right through college." Development In an attempt to keep the innovative premise plausible, DeGuere hired technical advisors and a computer analyst to supervise and provide input on the stories. When describing the cutting-edge technology that would be depicted on the show, DeGuere stated, "We will be technically accurate without being boring. [...] Whiz Kids is a benign futuristic environment, a year or two ahead of actual computer development. [...] Essentially, the stories are human-centered with every precaution being taken not to allow the computer to take on capabilities beyond the realm of reality, which would spoil the integrity of the stories." In June 1983, four months prior to the series premiere on CBS, the pilot sparked controversy after it was screened for critics, affiliates, and advertisers at a Phoenix press conference. In response to criticism from advertisers, station owners, and critics, CBS executives had several meetings with the program's producers over the summer to emphasize that storylines should be changed so that access to other computers would be portrayed as being obtained "through legal means." As a result, small changes were made to the original pilot and two new adult characters were written into all subsequent episodes, that of a police detective and a local newspaper reporter, which served to provide the teens with a moral compass as well as access to what would otherwise be considered "classified" information. Specific plotlines were also developed to show the consequences of illegal activities. Cast Matthew Laborteaux as Richie Adler Todd Porter as Hamilton "Ham" Parker Jeffrey Jacquet as Jeremy Saldino Andrea Elson as Alice Tyler Melanie Gaffin as Cheryl Adler Max Gail as Llewellyn Farley A Martinez as Lieutenant Neal Quinn Madelyn Cain as Irene Adler Linda Scruggs as Ms. Vance Premise Richie Adler (Matthew Laborteaux) is a tenth-grader who lives with his mother, Irene (Madelyn Cain) and younger sister, Cheryl (Melanie Gaffin). His parents are divorced, and his father works overseas as a telecommunications engineer to several firms. Richie is an advanced computer user and receives most of his equipment from