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Plant City couple's private eye son stars in 'Cry Wolfe' cable TV show

By Dave Nicholson | Tribune Staff
Published: June 25, 2014 | Updated: June 25, 2014 at 04:20 PM

PLANT CITY � John Wolfe said his son Brian never talked much about his work as a private detective in Los Angeles.

Sure, the 88-year-old Plant City resident knew that Brian had an interesting career in an interesting city.

But Brian was always sketchy about the details.

So Wolfe and his wife of 66 years, Norma, are just now finding out how Brian does his job with the rest of the nation, thanks to a new show on Investigation Discovery, "Cry Wolfe." "I was surprised at what he does because he never tells us much about his work. He said he didn't want to seem like he was bragging," Wolfe said.

The cable series that premiered early this month depicts cases Wolfe has worked since he became a PI in Los Angeles a quarter-century ago. The re-enactments follow Wolfe and his real-life assistant, Janine McCarthy, from their initial consultation with clients to their dogged pursuit of the truth.

Along the way, they expose unfaithful husbands and wives, impassioned love triangles with unexpected twists and assorted deception in people's personal and business dealings.

He goes to great lengths to find and document the truth - from stakeouts and digging through trash to surveillance using a pair of glasses fitted with a tiny video camera.

"That's the kind of stuff I never knew about," John Wolfe said. "It's fascinating to see what he does and how he does it."

The channel describes the 52-year-old Brian as "a no-nonsense guy with a thick Boston brogue and a talent for detecting fact from fiction."

"Wolfe and McCarthy are absolutely the best detective duo around; more informative than Holmes and Watson and more entertaining than Starsky and Hutch," said Henry Schleiff, group president for Investigation Discovery and three sister channels.

The series airs 9 p.m. Tuesdays on Investigation Discovery.

Wolfe said Brian, one of three children, grew up in Tewksbury, Mass., with an interest in sports and got as far as playing minor league baseball. He did computer work for a while and decided he wanted to become a private detective after tracking down his own car after it had been stolen.

The Wolfes have lived in Plant City since John retired 25 years ago from his job as a supervisor at a Massachusetts printing plant.

John Wolfe said he is often approached around town by friends who have heard about his son's sudden stardom.

"I was at church the other day and several people came up and said they watched the show," he said. "As you can imagine, we're very proud."