The Pretender (1996)

Action · Drama · Mystery

Raised in a secret facility built for experimenting on children, Jarod is a genius who can master any profession and become anyone he has to be. When he realizes as an adult that he's actually a prisoner and his captors are not as benevolent as he's been told, he breaks out. While trying to find his real identity, Jarod helps those he encounters and tries to avoid the woman sent to retrieve him.

IMDb rating: 7.5 (18,060 votes)
Seasons: 4
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1996)

7.64 avg 22 episodes 7.8 → 8.3 47 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pilot	7.8	277
2	Every Picture Tells a Story	7.6	202
3	Flyer	7.5	192
4	Curious Jarod	7.7	189
5	The Paper Clock	7.6	187
6	To Serve and Protect	7.7	179
7	A Virus Among Us	7.5	171
8	Not Even a Mouse	7.9	186
9	Mirage	7.4	171
10	The Better Part of Valor	7.5	171
11	Bomb Squad	7.5	164
12	Prison Story	7.3	158
13	Bazooka Jarod	7.3	154
14	Ranger Jarod	8.0	175
15	Jaroldo!	7.2	152
16	Under the Reds	7.7	141
17	Keys	7.7	148
18	Unhappy Landings	7.5	132
19	Jarod's Honor	7.5	130
20	Baby Love	7.6	135
21	Dragon House: Part 1	8.2	152
22	Dragon House: Part 2	8.3	147

Season 2 (1997)

8.04 avg 22 episodes 7.6 → 8.7 47 min avg

Big finale

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Back from the Dead Again	7.6	145
2	Scott Free	7.6	134
3	Over the Edge	7.8	132
4	Exposed	7.5	138
5	Nip and Tuck	7.8	126
6	Past Sim	8.0	123
7	Collateral Damage	8.0	134
8	Hazards	8.1	120
9	F/X	8.0	126
10	Indy Show	7.9	119
11	Gigolo Jarod	7.6	127
12	Toy Surprise	8.0	126
13	A Stand-Up Guy	8.0	110
14	Amnesia	8.3	120
15	Bulletproof	7.8	106
16	Silence	8.1	103
17	Crash	8.1	110
18	Stolen	8.4	109
19	Red Rock Jarod	8.6	126
20	Bank	8.5	121
21	Bloodlines: Part 1	8.4	129
22	Bloodlines: Part 2	8.7	133

Season 3 (1998)

8.18 avg 22 episodes 8.3 → 8.9

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Crazy	8.3	115
2	Hope & Prey	8.1	109
3	Once in a Blue Moon	8.4	105
4	Someone to Trust	7.8	116
5	Betrayal	8.5	107
6	Parole	8.2	95
7	Homefront	7.9	92
8	Flesh & Blood	8.3	101
9	Murder 101	8.2	126
10	"Mr. Lee"	7.7	126
11	The Assassin	8.1	107
12	Unsinkable	7.8	105
13	Pool	8.1	118
14	At the Hour of Our Death	8.5	118
15	Countdown	7.8	103
16	PTB	7.9	106
17	Ties That Bind	8.2	97
18	Wake Up	8.4	101
19	End Game	8.2	111
20	Qallupilluit	8.1	95
21	Donoterase: Part 1	8.6	113
22	Donoterase: Part 2	8.9	119

Season 4 (1999)

8.11 avg 20 episodes 8.4 → 8.2

Shape drift

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The World's Changing	8.4	112
2	Survival	8.1	94
3	Angel's Flight	7.8	98
4	Risque Business	8.2	102
5	Road Trip	8.5	132
6	Extreme	8.0	94
7	Wild Child	8.1	98
8	Rules of Engagement	8.1	96
9	'Til Death Do Us Part	8.6	115
10	Spin Doctor	8.3	105
11	Cold Dick	7.8	124
12	Lifeline	7.7	90
13	Ghosts from the Past	7.6	102
14	The Agent of Year Zero	8.2	90
15	Junk	8.3	97
16	School Daze	8.0	94
17	Meltdown	7.7	95
18	Corn Man	7.9	93
19	The Inner Sense: Part 1	8.7	114
20	The Inner Sense: Part 2	8.2	130

The Pretender (1996)

Cast

Seasons

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