Burke's Law (1994 TV series)
Revival of the 1960s crime drama with Gene Barry.
In the mid-1990s, CBS revived the 1960s crime drama *Burke's Law* for a single season. The new series, produced by Spelling Television, starred Gene Barry, who returned as millionaire cop Amos Burke—now a deputy chief rather than a captain. His son, Detective Peter Burke, played by Peter Barton, joined him on the force. The show retconned the original series' final season, in which Burke became a government agent, and instead returned to the premise of the first two seasons.
Burke and his son were assisted by Medical Examiner Lily Morgan (Bever-Leigh Banfield) and Burke's Filipino driver, Henry (Danny Kamekona). After the death of Peter's mother when he was young, Burke and Henry raised him. Though the two men shared a close bond, they sometimes clashed over Peter's impulsiveness. The revival carried over running gags from the original, including Burke (and later his son) being the object of frequent female interest, a recurring question about why a millionaire would work as a cop, and Burke's habit of dispensing professional wisdom, dubbed "Burke's Law." The series was considered even more campy than its predecessor. Many guest stars were Barry's contemporaries from 1960s cop and spy shows, such as Patrick Macnee and Peter Graves. Anne Francis also appeared, reprising her character Honey West under the name "Honey Best" to avoid confusion with the separate *Honey West* series.
The cast also included Dom DeLuise as Vinnie Piatte.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Crime drama
- Based On
- Burke's Law by Frank D. Gilroy
- Developer
- James L. Conway
- Starring
- Gene Barry / Peter Barton / Danny Kamekona / Bever-Leigh Banfield
- Theme Music Composer
- John E. Davis
- Composer
- Christopher Klatman
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 2
- Num Episodes
- 27
- Executive Producer
- Aaron Spelling / E. Duke Vincent
- Producer
- Joel J. Feigenbaum
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The revival of the show, which ran on CBS during the 1994–1995 television season, was produced by Aaron Spelling's production company. Although the final season of the original series had the character become an agent for the government, the revival retconned this and continued the premise of the first two seasons. In the second incarnation, Burke is now a deputy chief, assisted by his son Peter (Peter Barton). The two are assisted by Medical Examiner Lily Morgan (Bever-Leigh Banfield), and Burke's Filipino driver Henry (Danny Kamekona). Burke and Henry raised Peter after the death of his mother when he was young; although they share a close bond, Burke and Peter can butt heads at times, particularly over Peter's impulsiveness.
Reader's Guide
The series shared several running gags with its original incarnation, such as Burke often being the object of much female interest — something passed onto his son — a variant of someone asking why Burke, a millionaire, is a cop, and Burke dispensing wisdom to his son and others in a professional manner, dubbed 'Burke's Law'. The revival, even more than the original program, was regarded as being largely camp. In a nostalgic touch, many of the guest stars were Barry's peers in 1960s cop shows and spy-fi programs, including Patrick Macnee (The Avengers) and Peter Graves (Mission: Impossible). Anne Francis appeared reprising the character Honey West (though she was called 'Honey Best' for legal reasons). The series is remembered as a campy, nostalgic revival that brought back the character of Amos Burke for a new generation.
Did You Know?
- The revival starred Gene Barry as millionaire cop Amos Burke, now deputy chief instead of a captain.
- Peter Barton played Burke's son, Det. Peter Burke.
- The series was produced by Spelling Television.
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