V.I.P. (American TV series)

"The beautiful and lethal Valerie Irons: plucked from obscurity to head an elite Los Angeles bodyguard agency. They know how to get things done...eventually."

V.I.P., an action/comedy [[Pamela Anderso] vehicle created by J.F. Lawton, aired in syndication for four seasons from 1998 to 2002. Anderson plays Valerie Irons, a... [[The Ditz|blond]... who lucks into a celebrity date to a movie premiere, [[Accidental Hero|blunders into saving his lif] and - after her date lies to save face by claiming she was his bodyguard - is snapped up by a local celebrity protection agency as a [[Authority in Name Only|figurehead leade]/mascot to draw in business. [[Hilarity Ensue].

Something of a Spiritual Successo] to [[Baywatch considering the shared star, mix of action and Camp and prevalence of [[Fan Servic] throughout. Unfortunately this similarity stretches to the series's DVD treatment, with only the first season released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment back in 2006. There remains no word on additional releases.

No relation to the Japanese Super Mario World ROM hack series.


 * [[Accidental Her]: Val in the pilot.
 * Action Girl: Tasha and Nikki, a spy and munitions expert respectively.
 * Bare-Fisted Monk: As a martial arts practitioner and former boxer, unarmed fighting is Quick's specialty, though he's not above using a gun.
 * Also applies to Johnny, an active martial artist and fight choreographer.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Despite her tomboyish nature Nikki is very fond of this.
 * [[The Beautiful Elit]: In full effect here.
 * [[Best Known for the Fanservic]: Seriously, most folk know this show as "the one with Pamela Anderson" and leave it at that.
 * Black Best Friend: Maxine, to Val.
 * Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Val/Kay, Nikki, Natasha
 * Bound and Gagged: Val winds up kidnapped on a few occasions, usually resulting in this.
 * [[The Came]: Justified in VIP's role as a celebrity protection agency. Prevalent in the first season but dropped altogether later on. Notable cameos included [[Stone Cold Steve Austi], [[The Tonight Show|Jay Len], Coolio, Charles Barkley and [[Jerry Springe].
 * [[Fan Servic]: The focus is decidedly on Val, but the ball gets passed plenty amongst the main cast.
 * [[Fish Out of Wate]: The transition to bodyguard life isn't kind to Val. [[Rule of Funn] keeps this far from tragic.
 * Five-Man Band
 * [[The Her]: Tasha
 * [[The Lance]: Quick
 * [[The Smart Gu]: Kay
 * [[The Big Gu]: Nikki
 * The Chick: Val
 * [[The Sixth Range]: Johnny
 * [[Girls with Gun]: Nikki's hat is weaponry and explosives, but just about everyone uses a gun at some point.
 * Human Shield: Val gets this treatment from her date in the first episode when he's in danger.
 * [[Meganekk]: Kay.
 * Mission Control: Kay serves as this from her computer at headquarters.
 * [[The One Gu]: Between the original owner's departure in the pilot and Johnny's promotion to the main cast in season 3 Quick is the only male member of VIP and main character.
 * [[Oddly Small Organizatio]: VIP is too small for the amount of clients they get, and too overqualified. They would need people to handle the ordinary work. Either a bigger in-house cast, or a partnership with lesser firms. (Neither is seen/mentioned)
 * [[Opening Narratio]: See page quote.
 * [[Pop Culture Pun Episode Titl]: Almost every episode, and the vast majority of those work Val's name into the pun.
 * From just the first season there's "Bloody Val-entine," "Diamonds Are a Val's Best Friend," "One Wedding and Val's Funeral," "Val Got Game," "Good Val Hunting," "Val on the Run," "Raging Val"... you get the idea.
 * [[Product Placemen]: All the main characters drove cars provided by the same major automotive company: In seasons 1-2 they were provided by Ford Motor Company, in 3-4 Daimler Chrysler.
 * Slow Motio]: Employed in much the same way as [[Baywatch, showcasing the cast in pool scenes, gym workouts, exotic undercover disguises and the like.
 * the only fellow for a while). Johnny for Asians.
 * [[Unlimited Wardrob]: In an episode where an importer of Valerie showed up, the multi hundred thousand dollar budget of Valerie's clothes was quoted.

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