Anna Daniels
This Cult Classic Sparked One of TV’s Most Confounding Sequel Threads
When NBC brought back The Dirty Dozen in 1985, few anticipated a stealth assault on quality. The fallout was less about cohesive “missions” and more akin to an uncanny rehash of tropes, reimagined roles, and narratives that felt like discarded MacGyver scripts.
Here’s the plot twist: the initial 1967 film was a blockbuster. A bombastic, high-octane tale wrapped in military green, The Dirty Dozen grossed over $45 million from a mere $5.3 million budget, showcasing legends like Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Donald Sutherland in their grittiest form. Director Robert Aldrich didn’t just dabble in excessive violence—he embraced it wholeheartedly.
But what came next? Four television “sequels,” a peculiar quasi-spinoff, and one ill-fated series that faded into obscurity. It’s as if someone performed a lobotomy on Band of Brothers and tossed it onto daytime TV.
The Series That Lost Track of Its Cast
Let’s dissect this like a mission gone awry:
- 1985: The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission attempted to recapture the charm—featuring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine awkwardly recycled back into WWII. The new premise? Eliminate a target intent on killing Hitler… so he can stick around. Unbelievable, right?
- 1987: The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission saw Telly Savalas return, but not as his original role. Now he was Major Wright, with no context. Another familiar face was recast as a completely different character. Continuity? That concept eluded them.
- 1989: The Fatal Mission resurrected the same ideas—minus coherent storytelling. This time, it involved Nazi defectors on a train to Türkiye plotting to establish a Fourth Reich. Cue yet another installment featuring the “twelve convicts” trope, now with Erik Estrada and Ernie Hudson. (At least the casting had some flair.)
Let’s also remember the 1988 Dirty Dozen television series, which was so poorly received it barely lasted a dozen episodes. The devotion to mediocrity was impressive.
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What Went Wrong? The ’80s, TV, and Dad’s Influence
This wasn’t merely a case of television exploiting an intellectual property—it was a resurrection gone wrong. Following Aldrich’s passing in 1983, studios saw a chance to cash in. His legacy? Completely disregarded.
This trend mirrors what occurred with Rambo—a serious antiwar narrative that morphed into muscular spectacle by its third release. Or Highlander, which kept reviving itself with budget sci-fi antics and quirky television spin-offs.
In essence, the Dirty Dozen sequels symbolize the “dadification” of action films: haphazard, sentimental, and tailored for rerun marathons. Each new “mission” resembled less a cinematic endeavor and more a therapeutic retreat for aging character actors.
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Final Reflection: The True Dirty Dozen Were the Network Executives
The harsh reality? The sequels to The Dirty Dozen weren’t created to deliver fresh narratives. They were designed to hold onto a recognized name. Strip away the title, and what we have are indistinct war films that could have been dubbed Tough Guys in Uniform or Boom Boom Platoon.
Yet, the original still resonates—a raw classic enjoyed with whiskey and fond memories. The sequels? They’ve become mere phantoms.
Would you revisit these sequels, or would you prefer to consume a serving of sandpaper mixed with regret?
