The series chronicles the adventures of Detective Jim Ellison, a police officer in the mythical town of Cascade, Washington and his partner, anthropologist Blair Sandburg.

Ellison, a former US Army Ranger, is the only survivor of a covert mission into the jungles of Peru. We discover that Captain Ellison was the commander of a seven man team who were sent into the jungle to train local tribes people to hold vital trade routes against the guerilla army. The mission was sabotaged by a CIA intelligence operative with interests in the drug trade, and Ellison was lost without a trace.

He was taken in by an isolated local tribe called the Chopec, and when found 18 months later by an army rescue party, exhibits apparent hallucinogenic episodes. He is debriefed and eventually leaves the service.

The pilot episode begins five years later at Cascade PD, where Jim is now a detective in the "Major Crime" division. During an extended and isolated stakeout, Jim again begins to experience what he believes are hallucinogenic episodes involving hyper-sensitive responses to sensory stimuli. He checks himself into the hospital for a series of tests, but the doctors can find no medical evidence to explain his symptoms.

There he meets a young man who introduces himself as a doctor, and seems to possess an intimate knowledge of Jim's sensory problems. The young man hands him a business card, and tells him to contact Rainier University graduate anthropologist Blair Sandburg, whom he says is the only one who can help him. Suspicious of the man but desperate for answers, Jim visits the university, and there in a cluttered artifact storage room which doubles as an office, he meets Blair Sandburg, the same man from the hospital.

The hyperactive student seems to possess a unique understanding of the detective's condition. Blair confesses that he is working on his doctoral thesis, based on the largely forgotten writings of 19th century explorer Richard Burton. The theory is that every tribal village had what Burton called a "Sentinel", a tribal watchmen selected by virtue of a genetic advantage - dramatically heightened sensory awareness. This awareness was honed by long periods in isolation. This strikes a chord with Jim, but he admits that he has little memory of his time in Peru and Blair postulates that he has repressed his most traumatic memories. Blair has hundreds of cases documenting one or two heightened senses, but has never found a subject with all five - Jim could be "the real thing". He offers to help Jim understand and work to control his senses, in return for a subject for his thesis.

Jim is furious at being a potential study subject and storms out of the building, but there is one important thing left unexplained. Burton's research indicates that a Sentinel can become so focused on using one sense that he becomes oblivious to input from all the others, leaving him vulnerable to danger. Blair hurries to follow Jim and rescues him from an approaching truck as Jim "zones out" on a Frisbee in the park. Jim is shocked by the incident, and reluctantly agrees that he needs Blair's help.

Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo

Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo met as students at California State University and discovered they were kindred spirits who shared a vision of forming a writing partnership. They have written and produced such cult science fiction films as Trancers, Zone Troopers, Eliminators and Arena for Empire Pictures.

In 1988 they wrote and produced The Wrong Guys, a comedy starring John Goodman, Richard Lewis and Richard Belzer, directed by Danny Bilson. In 1991 the pair realized five years of work with the release of Walt Disney Pictures', The Rocketeer, a 1930s sci-fi action tale starring Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly and Timothy Dalton. Written by DeMeo and Bilson, the picture was widely credited as an imaginative and ambitious genre piece that stretched the limits of modern film making.

>From 1990-1991 they developed wrote and executive produced The Flash for CBS. They followed this with The Human Target for ABC.

Having written and produced the pilots Cyberforce, Fast Forward, Kung Fu: The Next Generation and It's True for CBS, Bilson and DeMeo continue to cross over between television and feature films.

They produced the successful sci-fi/action series Viper for Paramount Television under the banner Pet Fly Productions. The Sentinel is the second project from the Pet Fly studios in association with Paramount Television.

Richard Burgi

as "Jim Ellison"

Born in Montclair, New Jersey on July 30, Richard is one of four children. His parents were involved in music and community theatre and his older brother is a professional musician, both he and Richard played drums in local bands. Richard traveled through the US and Europe before pursuing acting as a career.

After doing commercials and cameos for a time, he he became a regular in daytime dramas, and many fans may remember him as Chad Rollo on Another World, Glenn Harrington on As the World Turns and Randy Stone on One Life to Live. He also landed his first pilot in Glen Larson's Chameleons.

Keen to broaden his resume, Richard came to Los Angeles and soon won a recurring role as the diabolical Lane Cassidy on the Paramount series Viper, created by The Sentinel team of Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo. That led to the role of gregarious detective Mack Wolfe in the crime drama series One West Waikiki, shot in Hawaii and co-starring Cheryl Ladd.

Richard's other television credits include Touched by and Angel, Action,Seinfeld, Love and War, Who's the Boss, Anything but Love, Matlock, Empty Nest and Nurses. He was also featured in the telefilm, Message from Nam, and the feature film Payback. Stage credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Suddenly Last Summer, Miracle of Pan, True West and Sexual Perversity in Chicago.

Richard, who once toyed with becoming a park ranger, is also actively involved with the Bozeman, Montana-based Yellowstone Ecological Survey, which strives to educate people about the delicate condition of the Yellowstone Park ecosystem. he is also a keen surfer and traveler and enjoys playing music when his shooting schedule allows.

Richard and his wife live in Southern California and son Jack Charles was born in January 1997.

Garett Maggart

as "Blair Sandburg"

Garett was born on May 24 and grew up in Darien, Connecticut, moving to Los Angeles to continue his education. A second generation performer, Garett was exposed to acting at an early age as he watched his father, Brandon Maggart, perform as a regular on the groundbreaking Showtime series, Brothers.

After being given the opportunity to perform on one episode of the series, and then playing a bit part as a child in the Robin Williams feature film The World According to Garp, Garett decided he wanted to become an actor.

Most recently, Garett gave a memorable portrayal as "Weird Bruce", the radio technician, on the highly rated series Frasier. He also had a recurring role on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives beginning in April 1994.

Garett was also a host for cable's musical-variety series House of Blues, which echoed his love for playing the drums and guitar. Garett's sister, vocalist and song-writer Fiona Apple, has also made a successful name for herself in the rock music industry.

Garett is an avid sports enthusiast who lives in Los Angeles outside of The Sentinel's shooting schedule, where he volunteers as an acting teacher for children.

Bruce A Young

as "Captain Simon Banks"

Born April 22, Bruce has a degree in theatre and is a prolific television film and theatre actor, including roles in the John Ritter dramedy Hooperman, the comedy detective show Max Monroe: Loose Canon with Shadoe Stevens, the sitcom E/R with Elliot Gould and the police drama Lady Blue. He has also guest-starred on such series as The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Pointman, Out All Night, and as "Carl" the immortal in Highlander.

Bruce has appeared in several high profile films, including Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone, The Color of Money and Risky Business with Tom Cruise, Naked Gun 33 1/3 with Leslie Nielsen, The War with Kevin Costner, The Ties that Bind with Antonia Banderes and the hit John Travolta movie Phenomenon. Other credits include Blink, Trespass, Hot Shots and An Innocent Man.

On stage, Young has starred in productions of Driving Miss Daisy, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and The Tempest.