The Sivana Family in Shazam!

In 1983, Ezekiel "Zeke" Stone (Peter Horton) was a New York City Police detective whose wife, Rosalyn, was raped. He tracked down and arrested the offender, Gilbert Jax, who was cleared of the charges. Furious, Stone then murdered Jax. Two months later, Stone was killed and went to Hell for murdering Jax. Later in the show it was revealed that it was not the killing itself that condemned Stone to Hell, but the fact he took pleasure in it. Stone died the most decorated cop in NYC history.

Fifteen years later, a breakout from Hell occurs, led by a 4000-year-old Canaanite priestess named Ashur Badaktu (Teri Polo). The Devil explains that, over the centuries, a few souls have escaped (and presumably been returned) to Hell, but nothing of this magnitude, which includes 113 souls. Because the Devil is largely powerless on Earth, he makes a deal with Stone: Stone will be returned to Earth to track down these 113 escapees, and if he can return all of them to Hell (before one of them kills him), he will earn a second chance at life on Earth (and thus, possibly, Heaven). The Devil seems to hinder Stone's work almost as much as he helps it, however, divulging some information but withholding crucial facts or giving only cryptic clues to where Stone will find an escapee, apparently delighting in watching him become more irritable with his interference. It was suggested by an angel (in the episode "It's a Helluva Life", played by John Glover in a dual role) that Stone served God's purpose as well as the Devil's in his former life when he killed his wife's rapist.

Powers and equipment

Both Stone and his quarry have superhuman powers related to the amount of time each individual had spent in Hell. Being deceased, immortal souls, both Stone and the escapees he chases do not display many of the same physical limitations and weaknesses as the living. Throughout the series, they are shown to be unharmed by traditionally fatal encounters with fire or falling from great heights. They do not bleed, nor do they have a heartbeat. The souls cannot be killed, and injuries can only be inflicted to their eyes (it is shown the Devil can alter this rule somewhat, as he did in the episode "Encore"), by the living or dead. Even with the relatively restricted ways in which a soul can be harmed, as told by the Devil, they can only feel pain if it is inflicted by another escaped damned soul.

Each morning the souls (including Stone) wake up in the clothing they were wearing at their time of death. Any material items they had in their pockets when they died continuously regenerate each morning. In Stone's case, this means he awakens to find his badge, his fully loaded service pistol, and $36.27 - the amount of money he was carrying when he was murdered - on his person. Normally Stone's items (gun, badge, etc.) retain no damage from day to day, even if they are hit by bullets. However this rule is inconsistently applied, as he takes his coat to a tailor in "Repentance", attempting to have it mended on a different day than when the damage occurred.

After the death of his owner Mr. Wing, the mogwai Gizmo becomes the guinea pig of scientists at a lab in the Clamp Center, a state-of-the-art highrise building in Manhattan, owned by eccentric billionaire Daniel Clamp. At the mercy of the chief researcher Dr. Catheter, Gizmo is rescued by his friend Billy Peltzer and his fiancée Kate, both of whom work elsewhere in the building. Clamp befriends Billy upon being impressed by his skills in concept design, also sparking the interest of Billy's superior Marla Bloodstone