Jack of All Trades

“Jack of All Trades” is a half-hour action-comedy TV series that aired for two seasons in 2000. It was paired with “Cleopatra 2525” to create the Back2Back Action Hour, and both shows were significant as the first American non-animated action series in a half-hour format since the 1970s. The series was discontinued midway through its second season.

The storyline unfolds at the dawn of the 19th century on the fictional French-ruled island of Pulau-Pulau in the East Indies. The protagonist, Jack Stiles, is an American secret agent dispatched by President Jefferson. On the island, he encounters his British contact and romantic interest, the English spy Emilia Rothschild. Together, they strive to thwart Napoleon and other threats to the United States. Publicly, Jack is known as Emilia’s assistant, but he secretly assumes the role of a masked vigilante known as The Daring Dragoon when necessary.

The show featured numerous recurring jokes, including intentional historical inaccuracies, Jack’s unrecognized involvement in significant historical events, Emilia’s creation of miraculous inventions as a clear deus ex machina, sexual innuendos, and the ongoing romantic tension between Jack and Emilia.