The Slap Maxwell Story

The Slap Maxwell Story (sometimes seen in print as The "Slap" Maxwell Story) is a sitcom broadcast in the United States by ABC as part of its 1987–88 lineup.

The Slap Maxwell Story
Created by	Jay Tarses
Developed by	Bob Brush
Starring	Dabney Coleman Megan Gallagher
Composer(s)	Patrick Williams
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	22
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Slap Happy Productions
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 23, 1987 – June 8, 1988

It starred Dabney Coleman as "Slap" Maxwell, an egocentric sportswriter for a newspaper called The Ledger, somewhere in the American Southwest. The Ledger is an old-fashioned newspaper, and Slap is an old-fashioned man, who composes his "Slap Shots" column on a typewriter. Despite the newly litigious environment of journalism, Slap insists on filling his column with rumor and innuendo, which draws lawsuits and frequently results in Slap's termination. After each termination, Slap makes groveling apologies and is rehired.

Slap has an on-again, off-again relationship with Judy (Megan Gallagher), one of the paper's secretaries. The series also featured Annie (Susan Anspach) as Slap's ex-wife, who retains a soft spot for him.

Each episode featured a recurring joke in which someone would hit Slap.

The show was created by Jay Tarses, who in 1983 was co-creator of Buffalo Bill, an NBC sitcom in which Coleman starred as an off-putting talk show host.