Beverly Hills Buntz

Beverly Hills Buntz
Genre Comedy
Created by
Directed by Barnet Kellman
Starring
Composer(s) Mike Post
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13 (4 unaired)
Production
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) MTM Enterprises
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network NBC
Original release November 5, 1987 (1987-11-05) – April 22, 1988 (1988-04-22)

Beverly Hills Buntz is an American comedy series and a spin-off of Hill Street Blues that aired on NBC from November 5, 1987, to April 22, 1988.

Overview

The show was a half-hour dramedy, a hybrid between light private eye fare and a sitcom. The main character, Norman Buntz, was previously seen as a morally and ethically questionable cop on Hill Street Blues. The series has the character quitting the police force, moving to Beverly Hills, and becoming a private investigator. In a programming experiment, NBC president Brandon Tartikoff announced that this show would be a "designated hitter" and was originally given prize time slots once a month following Cheers and Night Court. The other two "designated hitters" that season were Bruce Weitz and Nancy Walker sitcom, Mama's Boy and the second season of Edward Asner drama The Bronx Zoo. Eventually, Buntz was scheduled Fridays at 9:30pm between Night Court and Miami Vice in March 1988. The line-up didn't click for Night Court and Buntz but gained Miami Vice a fifth season with an improved performance having moved from 9pm back to 10pm.

Three pilots of Buntz were filmed including one by director Hal Ashby.

Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which only nine were broadcast. The first episode was broadcast November 5, 1987 and the last on April 22, 1988. The series starred Dennis Franz as Norman Buntz, and Peter Jurasik as Sid "The Snitch" Thurston. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson joined the cast and former Blues character Irwin Bernstein played by George Wyner made an appearance.

Cast

Episode list

  1. "Pilot" – November 5, 1987
  2. "Fit to Be Tied" – November 29, 1987
  3. "Sid and Randy" – December 24, 1987
  4. "Duck! L'Orange!" – January 27, 1988
  5. "Umbrella in the Water" – March 25, 1988
  6. "Brief Encounter" – April 1, 1988
  7. "El Norte by Norte West" – April 8, 1988
  8. "Buntz of the Desert" – April 15, 1988
  9. "A Christmas Carol" – April 22, 1988
  10. "Ad Astra Per Peoria" – Unaired
  11. "A Falcone in the Hand" – Unaired
  12. "Cannon-Aid" – Unaired
  13. "Terry and the Pirates" – Unaired
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