The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, March 27, 2015 2 By Cassie Dresch TV Media I t's a story right out of Hol- lywood. A man, fully im- mersed in the drug culture of Southern California, deals methamphetamine to the tune of more than $500,000 a year. The only direction he's headed is straight to the pen, especially after he's caught in a raid by the Drug Enforce- ment Agency. Except, the DEA gives him a choice: go to pris- on for 22 years with no chance of parole or become an undercover informant. While it may seem almost too good to be true, there's no denying that this story did, in fact, take place. The born- again informant is none other than Charles Falco, a burly man whose exploits as an un- dercover operator for the DEA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobac- co, Firearms and Explosives in three of the most notoriously dangerous biker gangs in So- Cal are the stuff of legends. In 2013, Falco published a memoir detailing his rise as an undercover agent titled "Vagos, Mongols, and Out- laws: My Infiltration of Ameri- ca's Deadliest Biker Gangs." Now, History has created a six-episode fact-based drama that draws its material from the book and Falco himself, and offers viewers a look in- side the life of this zero- turned-hero of sorts. With only one episode left, it's time to hunker down as "Gang- land Undercover" brings the chills and the thrills when the season finale airs Tuesday, March 31, on History. Falco is a fascinating man. Born and raised in Los Ange- les, he saw his life take a turn for the worse that landed him at rock bottom. After being contracted by the ATF to infiltrate the Vagos in 2003 (and later the Mon- gols and Outlaws), he quickly rose through the ranks of the biker gangs and gathered evi- dence that led to 62 total ar- rests. Now, due to the nature of his past efforts, Falco is in the witness protection pro- gram. This, however, doesn't stop him from actively being involved in telling his story — spearheading "Gangland," writing for the show and even appearing before each epi- sode. Paulino Nunes ("The Firm," "Bitten") — who plays Schizo, the primary antago- nist in "Gangland" and the Vagos president — says that he first met the real-life Falco when they were shooting in Arizona and was struck by how cool he was. "He's a really super nice guy," he said in the same in- terview with TV Media. "I know that sounds like a kind of banal thing to say, but ... it's not necessarily what you'd expect. It was really cool meeting him, and it was hard to reconcile the guy you were meeting with the guy in the book and the guy who did all that stuff." But through it all, Falco re- mained unwavering in his newfound pursuit of justice. He was given a second shot at life, and he took it. His intelli- gence shone through with each day that he went deeper undercover, and it's some- thing that was not lost on Nunes or Runyan as they act- ed out his story. "He's a keen observer of human nature, and he had to be to do what he did," Nunes said. "It was pretty apparent that this was a guy who, if his circumstances had been dif- ferent, could have done something very different with his life. As it turned out, be- cause of the bad choices that he made early on, this was kind of his shot at redemp- tion, going into the situation and taking these guys down." Catch the season finale of "Gangland Undercover" when it airs Tuesday, March 31, on History. Robynwood Home 2 x 2 coverstory Paulino Nunes in "Gangland Undercover" Going 'Undercover' History tackles the true story of undercover informant Charles Falco By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: I haven't seen Roz since "Frasier" ended. What is she up to now? A: Peri Gilpin has yet to find a hit like "Frasier" again, but she's stuck to TV all the same. And things are looking up. She was just cast in NBC's upcoming sitcom "Mr. Robin- son." No premiere date has been announced, but NBC En- tertainment boss Bob Greenblatt said it will probably pre- miere this summer. Up till now, though, it's understandable that you haven't seen Gilpin at all, since there likely wasn't much audience crossover between "Frasier" and her next longest role, on ABC Family's teen drama "Make It or Break It." Gilpin played the mother of one of the three Olympic- hopeful gymnasts who were the focus of the show. Unfortunately, "Make It or Break It" only ran for three seasons, premiering in 2009 and ending in 2012. Other than that, she's been spending her time doing guest spots. In all, she's done pop-ins on 15 shows since "Frasier" ended in 2004, including an episode of "Hot In Cleveland." That series, of course, starred her former "Frasi- er" co-star Jane Leeves (who played Daphne). Q: I used to love the show "Burn Notice." What is Jeffrey Donovan doing now? A: Jeffrey Donovan, who's been pretty scarce since "Burn Notice" ended in 2013, is poised to make a pretty big re- turn this fall. Most notably for "Burn Notice" fans, he's returning to quirky series drama with a supporting role in the upcoming season of the critically beloved FX crime-drama "Fargo." He might be a bit hard to notice amid all the other guests, though. This season will reportedly also feature Ted Danson, Patrick Wilson, Nick Offerman, Jean Smart and more. Donovan has also had time to dabble with film as well. He has two big-screen roles coming down the pipe. He has a leading role in the Spanish horror film "Extinction," due out later this year and also starring former "Lost" heart- throb Matthew Fox, as well as a supporting role in the drug-running crime drama "Sicario," due out this fall. People expected great things from Donovan after he blew up (figuratively speaking) along with his surprise-hit drama "Burn Notice" in the late 2000s. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Fly Creek General Store 1 x 6 Brandon's Feed & Seed 2 x 2 s s s