The Mississippi (TV series)

Last updated
The Mississippi
Created by Darryl Ponicsan
Starring Ralph Waite
Linda Miller
Stan Shaw
ComposerLee Holdridge
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes23
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesRalph Waite Productions
Hajeno Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseMarch 25, 1983 (1983-03-25) 
March 6, 1984 (1984-03-06)
Promotional Picture The Mississippi The Mississippi (TV series).jpg
Promotional Picture The Mississippi

The Mississippi is an American legal drama television series which ran for 2 seasons from 1983 to 1984 on CBS. The series consisted of 24 episodes: 1 pilot, 6 first-season episodes and 17 episodes in the second season. The series was written by Aubrey Solomon and starred Ralph Waite, Linda Miller, and Stan Shaw. [1]

Contents

Plot

Ralph Waite played Ben Walker, a successful criminal attorney who, after retiring his law practice, sought a simpler life on the Mississippi River as the captain of a stern wheel river boat. Conflicting with his desire for an easy retirement from legal practice, he'd find at every port someone who needed a good attorney, and he would end up defending him or her. His “crew” consisted of Stella McMullen and Lafayette 'Lafe' Tate, both of whom were more interested in helping people, fighting crime, and becoming attorneys than in running the tug.

Filming occurred in several cities along the Mississippi River including Natchez, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1: 1982–83

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
00"The Mississippi" Richard C. Sarafian Darryl Ponicsan June 14, 1982 (1982-06-14)
Series pilot.
11"Murder at Mt. Parnassus" Lee H. Katzin Jerry ZiegmanMarch 25, 1983 (1983-03-25)
22"Edge of the River"Lee H. KatzinShel WillensApril 1, 1983 (1983-04-01)
33"Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" Russ Mayberry Terry Louise Fisher April 8, 1983 (1983-04-08)
44"We Remember, We Revere" Leo Penn Story by: John Wilder & Paul Savage
Teleplay by: Paul Savage
April 15, 1983 (1983-04-15)
55"Mardi Gras" Ralph Waite Jeffrey Lane April 29, 1983 (1983-04-29)
66"Old Hatreds Die Hard"Leo PennStory by: John Wilder & Paul Savage
Teleplay by: Paul Savage
May 6, 1983 (1983-05-06)

Season 2: 1983–84

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
71"There Is a Tiger in the Town" Jeffrey Hayden Robert CraisSeptember 27, 1983 (1983-09-27)
82"Cradle to Grave" Leo Penn Patricia Green October 4, 1983 (1983-10-04)
93"The Trial of Ben Walker"David ShawDavid ShawOctober 11, 1983 (1983-10-11)
104"The Last Voice You Hear"Alex March David Karp October 18, 1983 (1983-10-18)
115"The Shooting" Georg Stanford Brown Sidney EllisOctober 25, 1983 (1983-10-25)
126"Peace with Honor"Robert SallinPatricia GreenNovember 1, 1983 (1983-11-01)
137"Joey"Alex MarchIrv PearlbergNovember 8, 1983 (1983-11-08)
148"Crisis of Identity" Harry Harris David ShawNovember 15, 1983 (1983-11-15)
159"A Town Without Pity" Oz Scott Steve Greenberg & Aubrey SolomonNovember 22, 1983 (1983-11-22)
1610"G.I. Blues"Leo PennStory by: Preston Marshall Ransone & Art Eisenson
Teleplay by: James M. Miller
November 13, 1983 (1983-11-13)
1711"Between Fathers and Sons" John Patterson Chris ManheimDecember 13, 1983 (1983-12-13)
1812"The Big Leagues"Leo PennIrv PearlbergDecember 27, 1983 (1983-12-27)
1913"Going Back to Hannibal"Allen Reisner Alan Brennert January 10, 1984 (1984-01-10)
2014"Wheels of Justice"William WiardDavid Shaw,
Ed Waters
January 17, 1984 (1984-01-17)
2115"Informed Consent"Oz ScottRogers TurrentineJanuary 24, 1984 (1984-01-24)
2216"Abigail"Alex MarchIrv PearlbergFebruary 7, 1984 (1984-02-07)
2317"Home Again"Allen ReisnerAlan BrennertMarch 6, 1984 (1984-03-06)

US television ratings

SeasonEpisodesStart dateEnd dateNielsen rankNielsen rating
1982–836March 25, 1983May 6, 19831519.3 [2] [a]
1983–8417September 27, 1983March 6, 19846613.6 [3] [b]

Awards

The episode "Old Hatreds Die Hard" was nominated for a 1983 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. [4]

Notes

  1. Ted with 9 to 5
  2. Tied with Mama's Family and Automan

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References

  1. The Mississippi at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. Lina. "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces" . Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  3. "1983-84 Ratings History -- The Networks Are Awash in a Bubble Bath of Soaps".
  4. "Awards for The Mississippi". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-07-04.