Murphy's Law (U.S. TV series)

Last updated
Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law (American TV series).jpg
Genre Comedy-drama
Created by Lee David Zlotoff, based on characters from the "Trace" novels by Warren Murphy
Written by Lee David Zlotoff
Michael Gleason
Lee Goldberg
William Rabkin
E.F. Wallengren
Starring George Segal
Maggie Han
Josh Mostel
Theme music composer Steve Kipner
Paul Bliss
Al Jarreau
Opening theme "Murphy's Law" performed by Al Jarreau
Composer(s) Jeanette Acosta
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13 (1 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s) Zev Braun
Leonard Stern
Michael Gleason
Producer(s) E.F. Wallengren
Gareth Davies
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) Zev Braun Productions
Michael Gleason Productions
New World Television
Release
Original network ABC
Original release November 2, 1988 – March 18, 1989

Murphy's Law is an American crime drama that starred George Segal and Maggie Han, loosely based on the Trace novels by Warren Murphy. The opening theme song was an edited version of "Murphy's Law," a song featured on the album "High Crime" by Al Jarreau. The series premiered November 2, 1988 on ABC. On March 9, 1989, ABC announced that it had canceled the series and that the final episode would air on March 18, 1989. [1]

George Segal American actor

George Segal is an American actor and musician. Segal became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. Some of his most acclaimed roles are in films such as Ship of Fools (1965), King Rat (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), Where's Poppa? (1970), The Hot Rock (1972), Blume in Love (1973), A Touch of Class (1973), California Split (1974), For the Boys (1991), and Flirting with Disaster (1996). He was one of the first American film actors to rise to leading man status with an unchanged Jewish surname—thus paving the way for Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.

Maggie Han is an American actress. Her career began with modeling jobs in the United States and France, and progressed to acting in film and television productions. She is best known for playing Yoshiko Kawashima in The Last Emperor and Cheryl the lawyer in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.

Warren Burton Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.

Contents

Synopsis

Daedelus Patrick Murphy (Segal) was a recovering alcoholic who worked as an insurance-fraud investigator for First Fidelity Insurance. His unusual methods sometimes led him to clash with office executive Victor Beaudine, though supervisor Wesley Harden often ran interference for Murphy since his methods got results. He lived with girlfriend and fashion model Kimiko Fannuchi (Han), while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Cast

Main

Joshua Mostel is an American actor, with numerous film and Broadway credits. The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Harry and Tonto (1974), Sophie's Choice (1982), City Slickers (1991), Billy Madison (1995), and Big Daddy (1999).

Charles Rocket actor, comedian

Charles Adams Claverie, known by such stage names as Charlie Hamburger, Charlie Kennedy, and, most famously, Charles Rocket, was an American actor, comedian and television news reporter. He was best known for his tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, for his role as the villain Nicholas Andre in the film Dumb and Dumber, and for his appearance as Dave Dennison, Max and Dani Dennison's father, in Disney's Hocus Pocus.

Kim Lankford American actress

Kim Lankford is an American businesswoman and retired actress, best known for her role as Ginger Ward on Knots Landing from 1979 to 1983.

Guest Stars

Gerard Christopher actor

Gerard Christopher is an American actor and writer. He was the second actor to play the role of Superboy in the television series of the same name, replacing John Haymes Newton who played the role in season one (1988-1989). During his tenure on Superboy he would later also be a producer and writer on the series. He has performed in a number of telemovies, and was a guest star on daytime soap operas such as Days of Our Lives and Sunset Beach, and the prime time soap opera Melrose Place. He has also starred in the comedy movie Tomboy (1985).

Will Estes American actor

William Estes Nipper is an American actor known for his role on CBS police drama Blue Bloods as Jamison "Jamie" Reagan, a New York Police Department officer and the youngest son of the police commissioner, played by Tom Selleck. Previously, he starred as J.J. Pryor, on the NBC drama American Dreams.

Norman Fell American actor *1924

Norman Fell, was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers. Early in his career, he was billed as Norman Feld.

Episodes

Twelve episodes are registered with the United States Copyright Office.

United States Copyright Office

The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States including a Copyright Catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"The Room Above the Indian Grocery"TBATBANovember 2, 1988 (1988-11-02)
2"Where are My Socks and Other Mysteries of Love"TBATBADecember 3, 1988 (1988-12-03)
3"If You Can't Win, Shoot for a Tie"TBATBADecember 10, 1988 (1988-12-10)
4"Do Someone a Favor and It Becomes Your Job"TBATBADecember 17, 1988 (1988-12-17)
5"Never Play Leapfrog with a Unicorn"TBATBAJanuary 14, 1989 (1989-01-14)
6"Never Try to Teach a Pig to Sing"TBATBAJanuary 21, 1989 (1989-01-21)
7"Two Wrongs Are Only the Beginning"TBATBAJanuary 28, 1989 (1989-01-28)
8"Never Wear Earmuffs in a Bed of Rattlesnakes"TBATBAFebruary 4, 1989 (1989-02-04)
9"Where There's a Will, There's a Won't"TBATBAFebruary 11, 1989 (1989-02-11)
10"When You're Over the Hill, You Pick Up Speed"TBATBAFebruary 18, 1989 (1989-02-18)
11"Experience Is Something You Don't Get Until Just After You Need It"TBATBAMarch 11, 1989 (1989-03-11)
12"Doing It the Hard Way Is Always Easier"TBATBAMarch 18, 1989 (1989-03-18)
13"All's Wrong That Ends Wrong"TBATBAUNAIRED

Related Research Articles

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> American police procedural crime drama television series

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. It stars Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, the lead detective of the Special Victims Unit in a fictionalized version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Christopher Meloni starring as Elliot Stabler was the main lead until he left the cast after twelve seasons, unable to come to an agreement on his contract.

William Beaudine American film actor and director

William Washington Beaudine was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres.

<i>CSI: NY</i> television series (2004-2013)

CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seasons and 197 original episodes. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as "Crime Scene Investigators" as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths, as well as other crimes. The series is an indirect spin-off from the veteran series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and a direct spin-off from CSI: Miami, during an episode in which several of the CSI: NY characters made their first appearances. It is the third series in the CSI franchise.

<i>Mr. Belvedere</i> television program

Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, to July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty. The sitcom stars Christopher Hewett in the title role, who takes a job as a butler with an American family headed by George Owens, played by Bob Uecker.

Samaire Armstrong American actress

Samaire Rhys Armstrong is a Japanese-born American actress, fashion designer and model. She is known for her roles in Stay Alive, The O.C., It's a Boy Girl Thing, and as Juliet Darling in the ABC television series, Dirty Sexy Money. She has appeared on television as Elaine Richards in the ABC fantasy-drama Resurrection. She has also appeared in music videos for "Penny & Me" by Hanson and "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter.

<i>Webster</i> (TV series) American television sitcom

Webster is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 16, 1983 to May 8, 1987 and in first-run syndication from September 21, 1987 to March 10, 1989. The series was created by Stu Silver.

Brenda Strong American actress

Brenda Lee Strong is an American actress. She began her career in television, including appearances in Twin Peaks, Party of Five, Seinfeld, and Sports Night. She was a regular cast member in the sitcoms Scorch (1992), and The Help (2004).

<i>The Buzz on Maggie</i>

The Buzz on Maggie is an American animated sitcom television series created by Dave Polsky for Disney Channel. The series centers on an ambitious and expressive tween fly named Maggie Pesky and her family and friends. The show is set in Stickyfeet, a city for insects located in a dump. While conceptualizing the series, Polsky wanted it to contain a playful aspect at adolescence and director Dave Wasson formed the overall look of the characters, being heavily influenced by early Walt Disney cartoon shorts. The Buzz on Maggie was Disney's first series to be fully animated in Adobe Flash, a process done by Bardel Entertainment and Future Thought Productions.

<i>Law & Order</i> (franchise) legal/criminal procedural television franchise

Law & Order is a franchise composed of a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf. They were originally broadcast on NBC, and all of them deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system. Together, the original series, its various spin-offs, the TV film, and crossover episodes from other shows constitute over 1,000 hours of programming.

Ben Murphy American actor

Benjamin Edward Murphy is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Kid Curry in the ABC television series Alias Smith and Jones.

Michael Michele is an American actress and fashion designer. She began her career on stage before appearing opposite Wesley Snipes in the 1991 film New Jack City.

Murphy's law is a popular adage regarding misfortune.

Robert Clohessy is an American actor. He is best known for playing Correctional Officer Sean Murphy on the HBO prison drama Oz from seasons 3-6, in addition to playing Warden Boss James Neary on the HBO crime drama Boardwalk Empire for the first two seasons and Lieutenant Sid Gormley on police drama Blue Bloods.

<i>Uncle Buck</i> (1990 TV series)

Uncle Buck is an American sitcom based on the 1989 film of the same name starring John Candy. The series aired on CBS from September 10, 1990 to March 9, 1991 during the 1990–91 season.

<i>Life on Mars</i> (U.S. TV series) American television series

Life on Mars is an American science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC. The series was co-produced by Kudos Film and Television, 20th Century Fox Television, and ABC Studios.

<i>CSI</i> (franchise) Franchise of American television series

CSI is a media franchise of American television programs created by Anthony E. Zuiker. The first three CSI series follow the work of forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious deaths, while the fourth series, CSI: Cyber, emphasizes behavioral psychology and how it can be applied to cyber forensics.

<i>Charlies Angels</i> (2011 TV series) 2011 American action crime drama television series

Charlie's Angels is an American action crime drama television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The series is a reboot based of the 1976–1981 series of the same name created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. The series premiered on ABC on September 22, 2011. On October 14, 2011, the day after the fourth episode, low ratings led ABC to cancel the series. Three more episodes aired, with the eighth episode left unaired in the United States.

Traitor in Zebra is the eleventh episode of the second series of the 1960s cult British spy-fi television series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman. It originally aired on ABC on 8 December 1962. The episode was directed by Richmond Harding and written by John Gilbert.

John Capodice is an American character actor.

I Had Three Wives is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from August 14 to September 11, 1985. The series' lead was Victor Garber in his first starring role on television.

References

  1. "'Murphy's Law' Series Is Canceled by ABC". The New York Times . March 10, 1989. Retrieved 2009-07-03.