Benson (television)
| Benson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Susan Harris |
| Starring |
Robert Guillaume James Noble Inga Swenson Missy Gold René Auberjonois (1980–1986) Ethan Phillips (1980–1985) Caroline McWilliams (1979–1981) Didi Conn (1981–1985) Lewis J. Stadlen (1979–1980) Billie Bird (1984–1986) |
| Theme music composer | George Tipton |
| Composer(s) | George Aliceson Tipton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 158 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Paul Junger Witt Tony Thomas Susan Harris |
| Running time | 24–25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions |
| Distributor |
Columbia Pictures Television (1984–1996) Columbia TriStar Television (1996–2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–present) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 13, 1979 – April 19, 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Soap |
Benson is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986. The series is a spin-off of the soap opera parody Soap in which the character Benson, portrayed by Robert Guillaume, had 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 show for a more conventional sitcom structure. 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 show.
The main character was Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume), who was hired to be the head of household affairs for scatterbrained and widowed Governor Eugene X. Gatling (James Noble) and his daughter Katie (Missy Gold). Governor Gatling was a cousin of sisters Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and Mary Campbell (Cathryn Damon) from Soap. Although Soap was situated in Connecticut, the state of which Gatling was governor remained unidentified throughout the series.
The show revolved around Benson's housekeeping dilemmas, his squabbles with German cook Gretchen Wilhemina Kraus (Inga Swenson, one of Guillaume's fellow alumni from Soap) and his interactions with John Taylor (David Hedison in the pilot episode, then Lewis J. Stadlen), who assisted Governor Gatling as chief of staff. After the first season, Taylor's job was filled by the pompous Clayton Endicott III (René Auberjonois). In spite of their adversarial relationship (during the early years, Kraus' trademark line was a loud "I hear you!" from off-stage), Benson and Kraus eventually became good friends. Benson also had good friendships with the Governor's secretary, Marcy Hill (Caroline McWilliams) and her successor, Denise (Didi Conn). Marcy left after her second-season wedding. Jerry Seinfeld played a small role as Frankie, a delivery boy and unsuccessful comedian, for three episodes in 1980; he was asked to leave because of creative differences.
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