James Schmerer, a veteran television writer with credits on numerous 1970s and 1980s classics like “CHiPs,” “MacGyver,” “Fantasy Island” and “Hawaii Five-0,” died in his Oregon home on Oct. 4, the Writers Guild of America West announced Tuesday. He was 81, and had recently suffered a stroke.
Born in Flushing, New York, Schmerer’s career on television began in the 1960s — he was admitted to WGAW in 1965 — with his rise to prominence coming during the following decade. His many credits also included “Vega$,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The High Chaparral,” “Eight is Enough,” “T.J.