7 amusing ways The Fall Guy paid tribute to the original show 

With a screenplay written by Drew Pearce, the David Leitch-directed The Fall Guy is in some ways based on the 1980s TV series of the same name. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as the protagonists, The Fall Guy looks at the story of a Hollywood stuntman who gets horribly injured during one particular shoot and decides to leave his line of work and his girlfriend.

The original story, set in the 1980s, starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, a role taken over by Barbie star Gosling for the new movie. The movie, which takes inspiration from several iconic action movies of the past, also gives fans plenty of easter eggs related to the original show, which was created by Glen A. Larson. Here, we look at 7 of them.

---

7 ways The Fall Guy movie references the original series!

#1 Lee Majors cameo!

First and foremost, fans would have been itching for a role given to the iconic original star of the The Fall Guy series. Lee Majors was the smaller screen’s Colt Seavers for a total of 5 seasons and more than 100 episodes for which the original series ran.

Rated 7.1 on IMDB, The Fall Guy initially grew famous because of Majors’ iconic portrayal of Seavers, a character troubled by his past and looking for a way out. The iconic character led to audiences first falling in love with the series, and Majors’ inclusion in the movie, albeit in a cameo for the mid-credits scene, was certainly nostalgia-bearing for fans.

---

#2 Heather Thomas follows suit

Emily Blunt took on the role of Jody Moreno for the new movie. However, it was Heather Thomas who brilliantly played the role back in the TV series, albeit with a slightly different character name.

Thomas played the role of Majors’ love interest Jody Banks, and as one would expect, took up the same role in the movie. Unlike Blunt’s Judy Moreno, Banks was herself a stunt performer like the series Colt Seavers.

---

#3 Character parallels

Colt Seavers and Jodie Moreno/Banks are obviously not the only nods to past character names from The Fall Guy series. A range of character parallels can be observed, both in features and names, by fans of the series who watch the new movie.

Both Seavers and Jodie Moreno/Banks are close associates in both offerings. In the movie, Blunt’s Moreno has been given the role of a cameraman who gets to work on her directorial debut and wants her former partner to work alongside her.

---

#4 The iconic truck

In the original series, Lee Majors’ character drives a GMC Sierra truck, an iconic brown mini-truck that serves as his long-term vehicle. The movie sees the return of the same vehicle, albeit a newer model.

However, while Lee Majors’ Seavers bought the truck, Ryan Gosling’s character merely borrows it from the film set on which he is working.

---

#5 The truck-stunt

Apart from the GMC Sierra making an appearance in the new movie, its use also resulted in another iconic easter egg which is obvious to the series’ fans. Ryan Gosling jumps over multiple obstacles and performs a range of stunts, a number of which are based on the original series.

The director, David Leitch himself confirmed that the first stunt of The Fall Guy was taken directly from the series, and the same is true for several other scenes.

---

#6 The music

Another obvious throwback to the original series proved in the form of the classic theme song being used. Unknown Stuntman was sung by Lee Majors for the original series himself, and musician Blake Shelton ends up covering the song for The Fall Guy movie.

The iconic tune remains the same although the lyrics see a range of changes. The Fall Guy series' theme song referenced a range of celebrities, including the likes of Cheryl Tiegs and Bo Derek. However, the new song instead features lyrics more relevant to the current audience, without any celebrity references.

---

#7 Sound effects during a fight scene

Finally, another reference to The Fall Guy series comes in the form of that related to Lee Majors himself. The action star starred in The Six Million Dollar Man, another TV series that had Majors as the protagonist.

The Fall Guy movie has a fight scene featuring Ryan Reynolds which uses an iconic sound effect used previously in the series. While not a direct reference to the series, Lee Majors was a famous TV star during the 1970s and had multiple iconic roles to his name.

---

With so many references to the original source material, fans are bound to have a field day watching the new movie.