Knightwatch is an American drama television series that aired on ABC from November 10, 1988 until January 19, 1989 as part of its fall 1988 lineup. It had been promoted as an original series in light of summer reruns continuing into the fall due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike. Summary Knightwatch centers around the activities of the "Knights of the City", a volunteer group set up to assist law enforcement. It was largely made up of ex-gang members (and was modeled after a similar real-life group, the Guardian Angels); the program focused on its charismatic leader, Tony Maldonado (Benjamin Bratt). Operating out of donated space in the basement of a church, the group practiced martial arts and other unarmed techniques since they were not commissioned police officers and did not use firearms. Keeping young people with violent pasts from reverting to this pattern in their new-found calling was a constant challenge to Tony, as were the interpersonal relationships constantly developing among his young colleagues. Knightwatch was a Nielsen ratings failure. It struggled in its timeslot, airing against NBC's The Cosby Show and A Different World and CBS's 48 Hours. It was cancelled after 3 months on the air. Cast Benjamin Bratt as Tony Maldonado Don Franklin as Calvin Garvey Paris Vaughan as Leslie Chambers Joshua Cadman as Jason Snyder Ava Haddad as Casey Mitchell Calvin Levels as Mark 'Burn' Johnson Samantha Mathis as Jacquline 'Jake' Monroe Harley Jane Kozak as Barbara 'Babs' Shepard Episodes References Sources Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows External links American Broadcasting Company original programming 1980s American crime drama television series 1988 American television series debuts 1989 American television series endings Television series by MGM Television English-language television shows Television shows set in New Jersey