Benson (TV series)
A spin-off sitcom about a wise-cracking butler turned lieutenant governor.
Benson is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, spanning seven seasons. The series stars Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois, the head of household for Governor Eugene X. Gatling, and focuses on the conflicts and relationships within the governor's household. It is a spin-off of the soap opera Soap, where the character Benson first appeared as a wise-cracking but level-headed butler. The show avoided the soap opera format of its parent series for a more conventional sitcom structure, and Benson eventually rose from his service position to become lieutenant governor.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Runtime
- 24–25 minutes
- Creator
- Susan Harris
- Executive Producer
- Paul Junger Witt / Tony Thomas / Susan Harris
- Starring
- Robert Guillaume / James Noble / Inga Swenson / Missy Gold / René Auberjonois / Ethan Phillips / Caroline McWilliams / Didi Conn / Lewis J. Stadlen / Billie Bird
- Theme Music Composer
- George Tipton
- Composer
- George Aliceson Tipton
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Network
- ABC
- Company
- Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions
- First Aired
- 1979-09-13
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Benson DuBois, played by Robert Guillaume, is hired as head of household affairs for widowed Governor Eugene X. Gatling and his daughter Katie. The governor was a cousin of Jessica Tate from Soap. Benson faces housekeeping dilemmas and interacts with German cook Gretchen Kraus and John Taylor, the governor's chief of staff. After season 1, Taylor leaves and Clayton Endicott III becomes the new chief of staff. The governor's press secretary Pete Downey is introduced in season 2, and Benson's secretary Denise Stevens appears in season 3; she leaves in season 4 to take a job with NASA.
Reader's Guide
Benson is significant as a successful spin-off that transformed a supporting character from the soap opera Soap into the lead of a conventional sitcom. The series ran for seven seasons and 158 episodes, and Robert Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1985 for his role. The show's unresolved cliffhanger finale—where Benson and Gatling run against each other for governor and the winner is never revealed—has become a notable aspect of its legacy. The series was created by Susan Harris and produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. Its blend of political satire and household comedy, anchored by Guillaume's performance, helped it remain a staple of late-1970s and 1980s television.
Did You Know?
- The series was a spin-off of Soap, where Benson first appeared as the butler for the Tate family.
- The series finale ended on a cliffhanger with the election results unresolved; three different outcomes were filmed.
- Jerry Seinfeld appeared in three episodes in 1980 as a delivery boy and unsuccessful comedian.
More in American television spinoffs 1-24
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