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Benson is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986. The series was a spin-off of Soap in which the character Benson, portrayed by Robert Guillaume, first appeared as the wise-cracking yet level-headed African-American butler for the highly dysfunctional Tate family. However, Benson eschewed the soap opera format of its parent series for a more conventional sitcom structure, and the lead character eventually moved from his service position to a role as lieutenant governor. The series was created by Susan Harris, and produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. In 1985, Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in the series.
Original Release
09/13/1979 on ABC
US Release
09/13/1979
Links
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Robert Guillaume | Benson DuBois |
| James Noble | Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling |
| Inga Swenson | Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus / Gretchen Kraus |
| Missy Gold | Katherine 'Katie' Olivia Gatling / Katie Gatling |
| Rene Auberjonois | Clayton Runnymede Endicott III / Clayton Endicott III |
| Ethan Phillips | Peter 'Pete' John Downey / Pete Downey |
| Didi Conn | Denise Florence Stevens / Denise Florence Stevens Downey / Denise Stevens |
| Caroline McWilliams | Marcy Hill |
| Billie Bird | Mrs. Rose Cassidy / Mrs. Endicott / Rose Cassidy |
| Lewis J. Stadlen | John Taylor |
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benson the Hero | Friday, 04 October 1985 |
| 2 | Love and Politics | Friday, 11 October 1985 |
| 3 | Uncle Jack | Friday, 18 October 1985 |
| 4 | The Stranger | Friday, 25 October 1985 |
| 5 | We Spy | Friday, 08 November 1985 |
| 6 | $1,000,000 an Hour | Friday, 15 November 1985 |
| 7 | Flight of the Dodo: Part 1 | Friday, 29 November 1985 |
| 8 | Flight of the Dodo: Part 2 | Friday, 06 December 1985 |
| 9 | Two Boys and Their Dog | Friday, 13 December 1985 |
| 10 | Last Man on Earth | Friday, 03 January 1986 |
| 11 | Secret Love | Saturday, 18 January 1986 |
| 12 | Summer of Discontent | Saturday, 25 January 1986 |
| 13 | Parade Rest | Saturday, 01 February 1986 |
| 14 | Reel Murder: Part 1 | Saturday, 08 February 1986 |
| 15 | Reel Murder: Part 2 | Saturday, 15 February 1986 |
| 16 | The Hat and the Ring | Saturday, 22 February 1986 |
| 17 | The Bucks Stop Here | Saturday, 01 March 1986 |
| 18 | Pardon Me | Saturday, 08 March 1986 |
| 19 | Hi, Society | Saturday, 22 March 1986 |
| 20 | Three on a Mismatch | Saturday, 29 March 1986 |
| 21 | Friends and Enemies | Saturday, 12 April 1986 |
| 22 | And the Winner Is... | Saturday, 19 April 1986 |
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Directors
John Rich, Bill Foster, Gary Brown, Rob Dames, Jay Sandrich, Tony Mordente, Peter Baldwin, John Bowab, Katherine Helmond, Bob Fraser, Mark Warren, Asaad Kelada, Gilbert Moses, Linda Day, John Tracy, Whitney J. LeBlanc, Hilton L. Smack, Tony Singletary, Lee Shallat Chemel, Ellen Gittelsohn, Don Barnhart
Writers
Bob Fraser, Rob Dames, Bob Colleary, Terry Grossman, Kathy Speer, Barry Fanaro, Mort Nathan, Bill Boulware, Winifred Hervey, Rich Reinhart, Tom Whedon, Jeff Levin, Rick McCurdy, Tom Reeder, Don Hart, Tom Biener, Ron Landry, Ralph Phillips, John Donley, Clay Graham, Richard Vaczy, Robin Pennington, Russ Woody, Phil Margo, David Langston Smyrl, Don Segall, Susan Harris, Jurgen Wolff, Marshall Goldberg, Paul Wayne, Lee Maddux, Korby Siamis, Eric Monte, Bill Overton, Jill Gordon, Debra Frank, Bernard Dilbert, Norman Barasch, Stuart Silverman, Ron Birnbach, Paul Raley, Scott Rubenstein, Daryl G. Nickens, Hilton L. Smack, Calvin Kelly, Warren S. Murray, Len Riley, Bud Slocomb, Louis A. Coppola, Shelley Zellman, Joan Brooker, Nancy Eddo, Mark Barkan, Mike Weinberger, Ken Russ, Jim Tisdale, Ken Eulo, Elena Yates Eulo, William Wolff, Doug Keyes, Chip Keyes, Wally Dalton, Mitch Markowitz, Michael J. Weithorn, Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner, Michael Weinberger
Creators
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Robert Guillaume | Benson DuBois |
| James Noble | Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling |
| Inga Swenson | Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus / Gretchen Kraus |
| Missy Gold | Katherine 'Katie' Olivia Gatling / Katie Gatling |
| Rene Auberjonois | Clayton Runnymede Endicott III / Clayton Endicott III |
| Ethan Phillips | Peter 'Pete' John Downey / Pete Downey |
| Didi Conn | Denise Florence Stevens / Denise Florence Stevens Downey / Denise Stevens |
| Caroline McWilliams | Marcy Hill |
| Billie Bird | Mrs. Rose Cassidy / Mrs. Endicott / Rose Cassidy |
| Lewis J. Stadlen | John Taylor |
| Bob Fraser | Sen. Leonard Tyler / Senator Tyler / The Spy / Air Traffic Controller |
| Jim Hackett | Corky / Dan Bartlett / Fred Randall / Waiter |
| Ed Peck | Police Capt. Dennis McDermott |
| Donna LaBrie | Sen. Diane Hartford |
| Percy Rodrigues | Ned Harper / Judge Harper |
| Kevin Guillaume | Mr. Klean / Watson Street |
| Jack Dodson | Mac McFadden / Major / Senator Chapman |
| Ben Piazza | Arthur Duffy / Mr. Grunning |
| Marian Mercer | Ursula Van Dyne / Trudi |
| Jerry Seinfeld | Frankie |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Paul Junger Witt | Executive Producer |
| Tony Thomas | Executive Producer |
| John Rich | Executive Producer |
| Norman Barasch | Executive Producer |
| Rob Dames | Producer |
| Bob Fraser | Producer |
| Bob Colleary | Producer |
| Marsha Posner Williams | Producer |
| Don Richetta | Producer |
| Andrew J. Selig | Producer |
| Susan Harris | Producer |
| Gil Junger | Producer |
| Tom Reeder | Producer |
| Tom Whedon | Producer |
| Terry Grossman | Producer |
| Greg Giangregorio | Producer |
| Kathy Speer | Producer |
| Tom Biener | Producer |
| Ron Landry | Producer |
| Gary Brown | Producer |
| Bill Foster | Producer |
| Tommy Reeder | Producer |
Editors
Bill Petty, Bob Fisher, Gary Anderson, Abe Schwartz, Michael Riolo, Harold McKenzie
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1986 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 1985 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical | Nominated |
| 1985 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Won |
| 1985 | Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1985 | Emmy | Outstanding Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork/Video Control for a Series | Won |
| 1984 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical | Nominated |
| 1984 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1984 | Emmy | Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Series | Nominated |
| 1984 | Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1984 | Emmy | Outstanding Technical Direction/Camerawork/Video for a Series | Nominated |
| 1984 | Emmy | Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series | Nominated |
| 1983 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical | Nominated |
| 1983 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1983 | Emmy | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Series | Nominated |
| 1983 | Emmy | Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Series | Nominated |
| 1983 | Emmy | Outstanding Tape Sound Mixing for a Series | Nominated |
| 1983 | Emmy | Outstanding Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork for a Series | Nominated |
| 1982 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 1982 | Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series | Nominated |
| 1980 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
