| Murphy's Law | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Lee David Zlotoff, based on characters from the "Trace" and "Digger" novels by Warren Murphy |
| Written by | Lee David Zlotoff Michael Gleason Lee Goldberg William Rabkin Ernie Wallengren |
| Starring | George Segal Maggie Han Josh Mostel |
| Theme music composer | Steve Kipner Paul Bliss Al Jarreau |
| Opening theme | "Murphy's Law" performed by Al Jarreau |
| Composer | Jeanette Acosta |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Zev Braun Leonard Stern Michael Gleason |
| Producers | Ernie Wallengren Gareth Davies |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Zev Braun Productions Michael Gleason Productions New World Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 2, 1988 (1988-11-02) – March 18, 1989 (1989-03-18) |
Murphy's Law is an American crime drama that starred George Segal and Maggie Han, loosely based on the Trace and Digger novels by Warren Murphy. The opening theme song, which replaced an instrumental by Mike Post, was an edited version of "Murphy's Law," a song featured on the album "High Crime" by Al Jarreau. The series premiered November 2, 1988 on ABC. On March 9, 1989, ABC announced that it had canceled the series and that the final episode would air on March 18, 1989. The actual final, unaired episode, entitled "All's Wrong That Ends Wrong," resolved a key storyline in the series (recovering alcoholic Murphy was awarded custody of his daughter from his estranged ex-wife) and also served an unsold pilot for a spin-off starring Joan Severance.
Synopsis
Daedelus Patrick Murphy (Segal) was a recovering alcoholic who worked as an insurance-fraud investigator for First Fidelity Insurance. His unusual methods sometimes led him to clash with office executive Victor Beaudine, though supervisor Wesley Harden often ran interference for Murphy since his methods got results. He lived with girlfriend and fashion model Kimiko Fannuchi (Han), while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter. In the actual final, unaired episode, entitled "All's Wrong That Ends Wrong," Murphy was awarded custody of his daughter from his estranged ex-wife. The episode also served as an unsold pilot for a proposed spin-off starring Joan Severance as an insurance investigator.
Cast
Main
- George Segal as Daedalus Patrick Murphy
- Maggie Han as Kimiko Fannuchi
- Josh Mostel as Wesley Harden
- Sarah Sawatsky as Kathleen Danforth
- Charles Rocket as Victor Beaudine
- Kim Lankford as Marissa Danforth
- Serge Houde as Ed
Guest Stars
- Gerard Christopher
- Will Estes
- Norman Fell
- Clyde Kusatsu
- Patrick Macnee
- Reni Santoni
- Joan Severance
- John Standing
- Julia Sweeney
Episodes
Twelve episodes are registered with the United States Copyright Office.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Room Above the Indian Grocery" | Lee David Zlotoff | Lee David Zlotoff | November 2, 1988 (1988-11-02) | 13.4 | |
| 2 | "Where are My Socks and Other Mysteries of Love" | Bill Bixby | Michael Gleason | December 3, 1988 (1988-12-03) | 11.4 | |
| 3 | "If You Can't Win, Shoot for a Tie" | Don Weis | Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin | December 10, 1988 (1988-12-10) | 10.4 | |
| 4 | "Do Someone a Favor and It Becomes Your Job" | Bill Bixby | E.F. Wallengren | December 17, 1988 (1988-12-17) | 9.9 | |
| 5 | "Never Play Leapfrog with a Unicorn" | Bruce Seth Green | Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin | January 14, 1989 (1989-01-14) | 8.7 | |
| 6 | "Never Try to Teach a Pig to Sing" | Charles Correll | Ken Goldstein | January 21, 1989 (1989-01-21) | 11.4 | |
| 7 | "Two Wrongs Are Only the Beginning" | Don Weis | Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin | January 28, 1989 (1989-01-28) | 10.3 | |
| 8 | "Never Wear Earmuffs in a Bed of Rattlesnakes" | Seymour Robbie | Michael Gleason | February 4, 1989 (1989-02-04) | 9.1 | |
| 9 | "Where There's a Will, There's a Won't" | Don Weis | Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin | February 11, 1989 (1989-02-11) | 8.3 | |
| 10 | "When You're Over the Hill, You Pick Up Speed" | Seymour Robbie | E.F. Wallengren | February 18, 1989 (1989-02-18) | 9.7 | |
| 11 | "Experience Is Something You Don't Get Until Just After You Need It" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Bill Schmidt | March 11, 1989 (1989-03-11) | 7.5 | |
| 12 | "Doing It the Hard Way Is Always Easier" | Bruce Seth Green | Lee Goldberg & William Rabkin | March 18, 1989 (1989-03-18) | 8.3 | |
| 13 | "All's Wrong That Ends Wrong" | Burt Brinckerhoff | Michael Gleason & E.F. Wallengren | Unaired (Unaired) | N/A | |
| Unsold pilot for a spin-off starring Joan Severance | ||||||
References
- "'Murphy's Law' Series Is Canceled by ABC". The New York Times. March 10, 1989. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. November 9, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306136856.
- "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 7, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306146398.
- "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. December 14, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306143538.
- "A very 'Brady' ratings hit". Life. USA Today. December 21, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306159082.
- "NBC clinches season's ratings title". Life. USA Today. January 18, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306171627.
- "NBC scores super ratings". Life. USA Today. January 25, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306147740.
- "Midseason entries boost NBC". Life. USA Today. February 1, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306144802.
- "Comedies sweep up for NBC". Life. USA Today. February 8, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306179902.
- "CBS gallops to a tie with NBC". Life. USA Today. February 15, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306163263.
- "NBC's back alone on top". Life. USA Today. February 22, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306175741.
- "NBC, in front with 'Left Behind'". Life. USA Today. March 15, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306172200.
- "Glad tidings for all networks". Life. USA Today. March 22, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306198820.
External links
- Murphy's Law at IMDb