MARKER stars Richard Grieco as Richard DeMorra, a carpenter from New Jersey who comes to Honolulu to attend his father's funeral, with no intention of staying more than a couple of days. Richard never knew his father, Joe Rose, who deserted his family when Richard was a young boy. A man of modest means with big dreams, Joe eventually became a wealthy industrialist on the island, and by the time of his death was a pillar of the community -- lauded for both his successes and his charity. Soon after the funeral, Richard discovers that Joe gave out hundreds of poker chip-sized markers each engraved with the image of a rose. People who received the markers -- typically for an unrewarded, good deed -- were instructed to redeem them with Joe for help, favors and friendship.

With Joe dead, marker recipients now turn to Richard for help -- thus keeping him in Hawaii for much longer than he had expected. In addition to his new assignment, Richard must contend with his father's young and domineering wife, Kimba (series regular Gates McFadden), and a scamming Hawaiian local, Danny "Pipeline" Kahala, (series regular Andy Bumatai). Though both pose problems for Richard, he usually lures them into helping him: Kimba contributes her inherited wealth, Pipeline his brawn and island connections. Richard learns much about his father from his longtime lawyer, Taki "Moch" Mochadomi (Keone Young).

While suspense and action play into every episode, MARKER also explores people's life stories. "As we get to know the people on the island, we may have some episodes that don't involve a mystery, but that explore a human connection for Richard," says Cannel but the umbrella for the series is discovering the truth about his father through the markers. Each person has a special story about Joe Rose to share with Richard."

Unlike most detective heroes, Richard DeMorra is not a trained private investigator, but rather a carpenter from New Jersey. "It's a device that Hitchcock often used, in films such as North by Northwest," Cannell continues. "the everyman character is thrown into the middle of a mystery and uses resources he never knew he had to solve the crime."

Cannell points to the enigmatic magnetism Richard Grieco brings to the everyman hero. "Richard is not only handsome and sexy, he's accessible enough for the audience to invest in emotionally. He' real."

Gates McFadden, a six year veteran of Star Trek: The next Generation, co-stars as Kimba Hills Rose, Richard's young stepmother. Richard and Kimba have a strained relationship, which isn't helped by the proximity of their living conditions. To co-exist, they must eventually come to grudging respect for one another.

Andy Bumatai as Danny Khala

Season 1 - 1995 (Tuesdays 8/7c)
1	January 17, 1995	"(pilot)"
2	January 24	"Frank & Mike's"
3	January 31	"Cloud Warriors"
4	February 7	"High & Wild"
5	February 14	"Spanish Laughter"
6	February 21	"From Russia Without Love"
7	February 28	"Spiked Through the Heart"
8	March 14	"Dead Man's Marker"
9	March 28	"The Pink Unicorn"
10	April 25	"Truth, Lies, and Rock 'n' Roll"
11	May 2	"Snowballs in Hawaii"
12	May 9	"Factor X"
13	May 16	"Discovery"