Hooperman
| Hooperman | |
|---|---|
| Created by |
Steven Bochco Terry Louise Fisher |
| Starring |
John Ritter Debrah Farentino Barbara Bosson Felton Perry Clarence Felder Sydney Walsh Joseph Gian Alix Elias Paul Linke (1988–1989) Rod Gist (1988–1989) |
| Composer(s) | Mike Post |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robert M. Myman |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Adam Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 23, 1987 – July 26, 1989 |
Hooperman is an American comedy-drama series which aired on ABC from September 23, 1987 until July 26, 1989. The show centered on the professional and personal life of San Francisco police Inspector Harry Hooperman, played by John Ritter. The series was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, who were the team responsible for creating L.A. Law. Though not the first comedy-drama — in fact, the long-running M*A*S*H, which could also be categorized as one[1], had the highest-rated TV episode of all time with its series finale just four years earlier[2] — Hooperman was considered the vanguard of a new television genre when it premiered, and critics coined the term "dramedy" to describe it.[3]
Synopsis
Ritter plays San Francisco police Inspector Harry Hooperman. In the first episode, Hooperman inherits the rundown apartment building he lives in when his elderly landlady is killed in a robbery. He also inherits her temperamental pet Jack Russell terrier named Bijoux. Due to the demands of his job as a police officer, he hires Susan Smith (played by Debrah Farentino) to be the building manager, and the pair become romantically involved throughout the first season.
Also starring on the show was Alix Elias as the cheerful and bubbly police dispatcher, Betty Bushkin; Barbara Bosson was Hooperman's divorced superior, Capt. Celeste "C.Z." Stern; Felton Perry as Harry's partner, Inspector Clarence McNeil; Clarence Felder as redneck inspector Boris "Bobo" Pritzger; Joseph Gian as Rick Silardi, a gay cop, and Sydney Walsh as officer Maureen "Mo" DeMott, his patrol partner who was intent on "saving" him from being gay by making unwanted passes. Dan Lauria played Celeste's former husband, Lou Stern.
The theme music was composed by Mike Post.
Guest stars in the series' 42-episode run included: Don Cheadle, Kim Delaney, Dennis Dugan, Norman Fell (who worked with Ritter on Three's Company), Miguel Ferrer, Jack Gilford, Mark Hamill, Joanna Kerns, Richard Kind, Dan Lauria, Jane Leeves, Lorna Luft, David Paymer, Barbara Rush, and Shannon Tweed.
Except for a brief syndicated run on the FX Network in the mid 90s, and the pilot rebroadcast on TV Land in 2003 following Ritter's death, the series hasn't aired since.
Episodes
Season 1 (1987–88)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hooperman" | September 23, 1987 |
| 2 | "The Answer My Friend Is Passing in the Wind" | September 30, 1987 |
| 3 | "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel" | October 7, 1987 |
| 4 | "Aria da Capo" | October 14, 1987 |
| 5 | "John Doe, We Hardly Knew Ye" | October 28, 1987 |
| 6 | "The Shooting" | November 4, 1987 |
| 7 | "Hot Wired" | November 18, 1987 |
| 8 | "Baby Talk" | November 25, 1987 |
| 9 | "Blues for Danny Welles" | December 2, 1987 |
| 10 | "I, Witness" | December 9, 1987 |
| 11 | "Deck the Cell with Bars of Folly" | December 23, 1987 |
| 12 | "The Naked and the Dead" | January 6, 1988 |
| 13 | "The Snitch" | January 13, 1988 |
| 14 | "Chariots of Fire" | January 20, 1988 |
| 15 | "High Noon" | February 3, 1988 |
| 16 | "Blaste from the Past" | February 10, 1988 |
| 17 | "Tomato Can" | March 9, 1988 |
| 18 | "Me and Mr. Magoo" | March 16, 1988 |
| 19 | "Baby on Board" | April 6, 1988 |
| 20 | "Trudy and Clyde" | April 13, 1988 |
| 21 | "Nick Derringer, P.I." | May 4, 1988 |
| 22 | "Surprise Party" | May 18, 1988 |
Season 2 (1988–89)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | "Requiem for an S.O.B." | November 30, 1988 |
| 24 | "We'll Always Have Paris" | December 7, 1988 |
| 25 | "Who Do You Truss?" | December 14, 1988 |
| 26 | "In Search of Bijoux" | December 21, 1988 |
| 27 | "Look Homeward, Dirtbag" | January 11, 1989 |
| 28 | "Nightmare in Apartment One" | January 18, 1989 |
| 29 | "Hooperman Goes to Hell in a Handcart" | January 25, 1989 |
| 30 | "Rashomanny" | February 1, 1989 |
| 31 | "In the Still of My Pants" | February 8, 1989 |
| 32 | "The Dating Game" | February 15, 1989 |
| 33 | "Intolerance" | February 22, 1989 |
| 34 | "The Nun and I" | March 1, 1989 |
| 35 | "The Sure Thing" | March 15, 1989 |
| 36 | "The Long So Long" | March 22, 1989 |
| 37 | "Stakeout" | June 14, 1989 |
| 38 | "Dog Day Afternoon, Morning and Night" | June 21, 1989 |
| 39 | "Love Bytes" | June 28, 1989 |
| 40 | "Take My Building, Please" | July 5, 1989 |
| 41 | "Some of That Jazz" | July 12, 1989 |
| 42 | "Goodnight, Sweet Hooperman" | July 26, 1989 |
Home media
On January 24, 2017, Olive Films released both seasons on DVD in Region 1.[4][5]
Awards and nominations
The pilot episode won the 1988 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.[6]
References
- ↑ Lowry, Brian (21 September 2012). "Critic says 'MASH' top show of character". Variety. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (2012). Television's Top 100. US: McFarland. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-4891-3. Archived from the original on 2011-03-26.
- ↑ Kelley, Bill (27 April 1988). "The Best And The Brightest Abc`s Hooperman -- The Hands-down Winner Of The Best New Show Of The Year -- Introduces A New Format, ``dramedy,`` While Slap Maxwell Reintroduces Dabney Coleman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ↑ Long-Awaited DVDs for the Steven Bochco Show Starring John Ritter! ***UPDATED!*** Archived 2016-11-17 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Package Cover and Pricing Arrives for 'Season 1' and 'Season 2' Archived 2016-11-22 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 1438. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.