Benson (TV series)

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Benson
Image:Benson title screen.jpg
Benson title, from the extended opening
Format Sitcom
Created by Susan Harris
Starring Robert Guillaume
James Noble
Inga Swenson
Missy Gold
Rene Auberjonois (1980-86)
Ethan Phillips (1980-85)
Jerry Seinfeld (1980-81)
Caroline McWilliams (1979-81)
Didi Conn (1981-85)
Lewis J. Stadlen (1979-80)
Billie Bird (1984-86)
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 158 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 24-25 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 13, 1979 – April 19, 1986

Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979 to April 19, 1986 on ABC. The character of butler Benson DuBois, played by Robert Guillaume, had originally appeared on the soap opera parody Soap.

Contents

[edit] Series summary

In the show, Benson had been hired to be the head of household affairs for scatterbrained and widowed Governor Eugene Gatling (James Noble), and his daughter Katie (Missy Gold). Governor Gatling was cousin to Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond), a character on Soap. The state of which Gatling was governor remained unidentified throughout the series, although Soap had taken place in Connecticut. In spite of his somewhat off center personality, Governor Gatling proved to be a very capable and commanding figure when a crisis arose.

Benson's housekeeping dilemmas, his fights with the German cook Gretchen Kraus (Inga Swenson), and his interactions with the governor's chief of staff, John Taylor (Lewis J. Stadlen, who would be replaced with Rene Auberjonois as Clayton Endicott III after the first season), made up the bulk of the stories each week. In spite of their adversarial relationship, Benson and Kraus eventually became good friends. Benson also had very good friendships with the Governor's secretary, Marcy Hill (Caroline McWilliams), and her successor, Denise (Didi Conn). Marcy left midway through the series after getting married.

Benson worked his way up the ladder during the series, going from head of household affairs, to state budget director, and eventually was elevated to the position of Lieutenant Governor. During the final episodes of the 1985-1986 season, Benson ran for governor against Gatling. Kraus (who had herself moved up to head of household affairs, then state budget director) proved to be Benson's biggest supporter during this time as well. So much so, that he made her his personal assistant and campaign manager.

[edit] Series finale

The premise was that initially Gatling was prohibited from running for re-election due to term limits. Later it was revealed that he could run again if he did so as an independent candidate, which he decided to do. By this time, Benson had already won the nomination of Gatling's party, setting the stage for the two to go head-to-head in the general election.

At the end of the series' final episode (seventh season finale), it was election night, and with the race still too close to call, Benson and Gatling, who had strained relations due to the race, made their peace with one another and sat down together to watch election returns on television. As the broadcaster began to announce that a winner in the close election (with a third candidate also a potential winner) was at last being projected, the episode - and series - ended with an unresolved cliffhanger. Coincidentally, Guillaume's previous series Soap was also canceled with unresolved cliffhangers, though Guillaume had moved on to Benson by that point.

According to the Internet Movie Database, three endings were supposedly shot involving either a Gatling win, a win by Benson, or a surprise win by a wildcard candidate in the form of a crooked senator, putting both of them out of a job. None of these endings proved satisfactory to anyone involved, so the decision was made to keep the show's ending unresolved. According to an interview on the first season DVD set, Benson won the race.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Benson episodes

[edit] Nielsen Ratings

1979-1980 Season: #23

[edit] DVD Release

On July 24, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Season 1 of Benson on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. [1]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete First Season 24 July 24, 2007

[edit] Awards

Over the course of the show's seven-year run it was nominated for a total of 17 Emmys. It won two, including Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Guillaume's second-to-last season portraying the title character.

[edit] Setting

The exterior shots of the governor's mansion are actually of a private home located at 1365 South Oakland Ave. in Pasadena, California. The same house was used briefly in the 1993 movie The Beverly Hillbillies, and was more recently used 2006 in a U.S. television commercial for the RE/MAX real estate company.

[edit] Location

Although the state in which Benson takes place is never specified and could be fictional, there are multiple clues to its location (similar to The Simpsons, which has featured numerous clues during its run hinting at the location of Springfield):

  • In the episode Homework, Benson, Governor Gatling and Pete are talking about a proposed "State Heritage Day". In the discussion, Governor Gatling remarks that the state's most important moment was a locust attack on all the state's agriculture in 1832. This would seem to limit the possible states to those formed before 1832. Pete also brings up the fact that pioneer Johnny Appleseed planted trees in the state with some degree of importance. The latter would suggest the states of Ohio or Indiana.
  • In the episode All Shook Up, a major earthquake rocks the state capital. While it's possible for the Northeastern United States to be rattled by an earthquake, the jolt depicted in the episode is more common in California or the Pacific Northwest. However, in this episode, Benson says "This isn't California."
  • An interesting Simpsons/Benson coincidence: It is mentioned several times-as early as the third-season (April 2, 1982), episode Teed Off-that the show is set in "Capital City," also the name of the capital of The Simpsons' state.
  • In the episode "Mary and her Lambs" (17 December 1982 (Season 4, Episode 10), An officer of the court is pursuing Mary and her two non-biological children to place them in foster homes. Benson reveals that the warrant issued for the children is from Clark County, while the capital is in Lawrence County.
  • In one episode where Benson and Gov. Gatling are summoned to Washington, D.C. to meet with the President, the meeting is cancelled leaving Benson to exclaim that "we came 1,800 miles for nothing." Among the states with capitals approximately that distance from Washington (and not already ruled out by dialogue) are Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota (all admitted to the U.S. in 1889), and Wyoming (admitted in 1890).
    • However, another episode had a local radio stations call sign begin with a W, which rules out all of those states since they are well west of the Mississippi River. It is possible the station call sign had been grandfathered by the FCC.
  • In the episode "Thick as Thieves" (Season 1), Marcie says that the state budget hasn't been balanced since the Civil War. This indicates that it cannot be any state that was not a state during the Civil War.
  • In the episode " The Army Wants You" (Season 1), Benson is called to Fort Kincaid for medical tests. The only Fort Kincaid is in Missouri.

[edit] Miscellaneous

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Jerry Seinfeld's first television appearance was in 1980, playing the recurring role of the delivery man/aspiring comic, Frankie. Shortly afterwards, he was abruptly fired. He has claimed in several interviews that he was not told that he would be fired. Rather, he came to the studio for a table read, only to discover that he did not have a script.
  • Ted Danson played the character Dan, who married Benson's secretary, Marcy. The following year, Danson would star in the eventual hit program Cheers.
  • Lewis J. Stadlen's character, John Taylor, was written out of the show after the first season. The storyline ended with Taylor quitting to run for political office, even going so far as snubbing an endorsement from his former boss.
  • An episode airing February 22, 1985 ("Scenario") marked the first reference to the Internet on American network television. In the episode, they were accessing the ARPANET, the progenitor of the Internet, which was used by the US government to communicate with the military.
  • Two actors from this series, Ethan Phillips and Rene Auberjonois, appeared later as regular characters in the Star Trek universe (as Neelix in Star Trek: Voyager and Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, respectively). Robert Picardo, who played the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, appears in the two-part Benson seventh season episode "Reel Murder".
  • Swenson and McWilliams appeared as recurring characters on Soap prior to joining the Benson cast. Although Benson is a cross-over character from Soap, both Swenson and McWilliams play new characters, albeit with personalities near identical to their Soap characters.
  • Gold and McWilliams are both left-handed.
  • The theme song to Benson is a popular sound clip on the Preston and Steve morning radio show. Broadcasting on 93.3 WMMR and based primarily in Philadelphia, the theme is mostly used for when the hosts can't remember a certain actor or show.

[edit] External links