8.1/1047 votes#1 - Pilot
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/2/1994
City Commissioner Strand is desperate to get the Viper on the road. He plans on using the Viper's crime-fighting abilities to bolster support for his campaign to become mayor. After stealing a satellite, Michael Payton flips his black Dodge Stealth in a spectacular crash. Strand hears about the accident and has Payton pronounced dead at the scene. Payton is the best getaway driver the Outfit had. Commissoner Strand orders that Payton's memory be erased and his appearance altered. When Payton awakes, he is told that he is a police officer named Joesph Payne Astor.
Director: Danny Bilson
Writer: Danny Bilson
- 6.9/1029 votes
#2 - Once a Thief ...
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/7/1994
Joe faces a terrifying choice when the doctor who performed memory-altering surgery on him offers to restore his criminal identity.
Director: Bruce Bilson
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/1025 votes
#3 - Ghosts
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/14/1994
Joe's former partner in crime (Jason Carter) is sprung from prison by the Outfit in order to locate the Viper.
Director: Danny Bilson, Bruce Bilson
Writer: N/A
- 6.3/1025 votes
#4 - Safe as Houses
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1/21/1994
Nate Benedict, a Mob Boss who is about to be tried for various crimes, fakes his own death. He starts over in a small town to lay low and continue his criminal operations. The residents of Mesa Rose, the small town Benedict takes over, are powerless against Benedict's strong reach. The Viper turns out to be 'the great equalizer'.
Director: Bruce Bilson
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1023 votes
#5 - Firehawk
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 1/28/1994
As part of a plan to destroy the Viper, the Outfit kidnaps Julian and forces him to upgrade its own urban assault vehicle.
Director: Mario Philip Azzopardi
Writer: N/A
- 6.7/1020 votes
#6 - Mind Games
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/11/1994
After Frankie is injured in a suspicious car crash, the Viper team uncovers a plot to hijack a transport loaded with highly contagious diseases.
Director: Mario Philip Azzopardi
Writer: N/A
- 6.9/1020 votes
#7 - The Face
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/18/1994
"The Face", a famous hit man, has just been released from prison. His plans to go straight are jeopardized when his former employer kidnaps his wife to force him to do one last hit! Through the Consortium, he asks Joe Astor for help.
Director: Gus Trikonis
Writer: Tommy Thompson
- 7.1/1019 votes
#8 - Wheels of Fire
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2/25/1994
Joe falls for the inventor of a highly efficient car battery, but painful memories of his murdered fiancee surface when her life is threatened. Meanwhile, the discovery of a long-lost concept car shocks everyone.
Director: Bruce Bilson, Don Kurt
Writer: N/A
- 6.6/1019 votes
#9 - Past Tense
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/4/1994
The Viper team must crack a ring that abducts youths and molds them into specialized criminals. Meanwhile, Joe encounters a special someone from his past.
Director: Danny Bilson
Writer: N/A
- 6.6/1019 votes
#10 - Scoop
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/11/1994
Joe teams with a police detective--a suspected vigilante--to find the culprit behind the murder of Outfit thugs.
Director: Michael Vejar
Writer: N/A
- 6.7/1018 votes
#11 - Thief of Hearts
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 3/18/1994
An artificial heart that will save the life of a young girl is stolen.
Director: Danny Bilson
Writer: Howard Chaykin
- 5.6/1017 votes
#12 - Crown of Thorns
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/1/1994
A foreign dignitary visiting the U.S. becomes the new target of the assassin who previously killed her father.
Director: N/A
Writer: Mitch Brian
The Best Episodes of Viper Season 1
Every episode of Viper Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Viper Season 1!
Viper is an action-adventure TV series about a special task force set up by the federal government to fight crime in the fictional city of...
Genres:Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Pilot" is the best rated episode of "Viper" season 1. It scored 8.1/10 based on 47 votes. Directed by Danny Bilson and written by Danny Bilson, it aired on 1/2/1994. This episode is rated 1.2 points higher than the second-best, "Once a Thief ...".