Using a mixture of action, quirky characters, and disdain for authority, Stephen J. Cannell has made a name for himself as one of television's most prolific purveyors of escapist programming. Cannell's creations include such hits as The A-Team, Riptide, 21 Jump Street, and Wiseguy, leading Harry F. Waters and Janet Huck of Newsweek to dub Cannell the "Merchant of Mayhem." Cannell began his Hollywood career by selling a script for It Takes a Thief; encouraged by the sale, he rented a small office on the old Goldwyn Studios lot. Cannell eventually entered into a lucrative creative arrangement with Universal Studios and, in 1979, formed his own production company. While many of Cannell's programs have been criticized for their often violent plotlines and protagonists, others (such as Wiseguy) have been praised for their innovative depictions of society's renegades. Cannell's response to his critics is simple and to the point. "I make...