Reorganized Crime

''The writers got into the souls of these gangsters, psychopaths, maniacs, and wrote beautifully poetic stuff about them,'' adds James Whitmore Jr., the TV movie's director. ‘‘That's what attracted me to it.''

Unfortunately, Wiseguy was too hot not to cool down. By its third season, the plots had turned flabby and unlikely, and the show's cerebral, touchy-feely aspects had become embarrassingly pronounced. This period coincided with Wahl's increasing involvement, as he took on writing, directing, and supervising-producing chores. Cannell, who felt Wiseguy had strayed too far from its original mission, finally had to fire him. The doomed fourth season, with Steven Bauer replacing Wahl (and derisively tagged Wasguy by that season's crew), was its last.

What ultimately revived Wiseguy was, in large part, the passion of its fans, many of whom dogged Cannell on a 1995 book tour for his novel, The Plan. ''Every signing I went to, there were groupies telling me it was their favorite show,'' says Cannell, who first talked about reviving Wiseguy as a TV movie with ABC president Ted Harbert after CBS passed. ''Whenever I would go over to ABC when the show was on, all those guys — including Harbert — used to [rave about] episodes,'' says Cannell. ''They were as personally involved with the series as the CBS execs.''

The upcoming movie finds Wahl as an older, more jaded Terranova returning to the field after being relegated to a few years of wiretap monitoring, the bureau's punishment for his compromising vulnerability. Cyber-espionage is now the crime — what else? — and Terranova must penetrate the organization of one Paul Callendar (Ted Levine, the homicidal cross-dresser of The Silence of the Lambs), a CEO who sells computer secrets to America's enemies.

Getting Wahl to agree to reprise his role took some arm wrestling. The actor is notoriously wary of the media, thanks in large part to a propensity for making tabloid headlines, which have alleged everything from a suicide attempt to alcohol-related rages to encounters with armed stalkers (Wahl categorically refuses to comment on these reports). But his passion for the series and a need for closure won out. ''I didn't like the way it ended,'' says Wahl, who was nominated for an Emmy for Wiseguy in 1989. ''I put three years of my heart and soul into it, and I didn't think it died with dignity.''

The actor's sense of unfinished business, coupled with Cannell's belief that the movie puts the show conceptually back on track, made the project possible. Nevertheless, though willing to do occasional Wiseguy movies if this one succeeds, the 35-year-old Wahl denies any interest in returning to the rigors of series television. ''I was gone for almost four years,'' says Wahl, who made two forgettable movies after leaving the series in 1990 but otherwise didn't act. ''It surprised me how much I didn't miss it. If I never act again, it wouldn't bother me.''

For Wiseguy, Wahl was willing to return, if only to carry a role he seems born to play. Complicating that task, and continuing the uphill battles the series faced in its time, ABC has slated the movie to compete with NBC's Thursday-night gauntlet — a strategy seemingly born of either soaring confidence or glum resignation. One thing's for sure: On May 2, Seinfeld and company won't be must-see fare for Wiseguy's faithful.