''Benson'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series that originally aired on

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from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986. The show stars Robert Guillaume in the title role of Benson DuBois, the head of the household for Governor Eugene X. Gatling, played by James Noble. The show focused on the conflicts and relationships within the Governor's household, with Benson generally providing the sarcastic voice of reason.

Inga Swenson Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932) is an American actress and singer. She appeared in multiple Broadway productions and received two Tony nominations. She also spent seven years portraying Gretchen Kraus in the ABC comedy series '' Benson''. ...

Missy Gold Missy Gold (born Melissa Fisher; July 14, 1970) is an American psychologist and former child actress. She is known as portraying the governor's daughter, Katie Gatling, on the sitcom ''Benson'' (1979–86). Career Gold appeared on ''Eight Is Eno ...

Didi Conn Edith "Didi" Conn (née Bernstein; born July 13, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her work as Frenchy in '' Grease'', Denise Stevens Downey in '' Benson'' and Stacy Jones in '' Shining Time Station''. Early life Edith Bernst ...

Ethan Phillips Ethan Phillips (born John Ethan Phillips February 8, 1955) is an American actor and playwright. He is best known for his television roles as Neelix on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and PR man Pete Downey on '' Benson''. Personal life Phillips was raise ...

, and

René Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony A ...

all played long-term supporting roles. The series was a spin-off of ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' in which the character Benson first appeared as the wise-cracking yet level-headed African-American butler for the highly dysfunctional Tate family. However, ''Benson'' avoided the soap opera format of its parent series for a more conventional sitcom structure, and the lead character eventually moved from his service position to a role as lieutenant governor. The series was created by Susan Harris, and produced by

Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions Witt/Thomas Productions is an American television and movie production company run by TV producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas. The company was consistently productive between its founding in 1973 and 1999, but is still active, producing an ...

. In 1985, Guillaume won an Emmy Award for

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emm ...

for his role in the series.

Plot

Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) is hired to be the head of household affairs for widowed Governor Eugene X. Gatling ( James Noble) and his daughter Katie (

). Governor Gatling was a cousin of Jessica Tate (

Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as ...

) from ''Soap''. Benson faces housekeeping dilemmas and interacts with German cook Gretchen Wilomena Kraus (

) and John Taylor (

David Hedison Albert David Hedison Jr. (May 20, 1927 – July 18, 2019) was an American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work until 1959 when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espion ...

; later

Lewis J. Stadlen Lewis J. Stadlen (born March 7, 1947) is an American stage and screen character actor. He is best known for playing Ira Fried in '' The Sopranos''. Career Born in Brooklyn, New York, to voice actor Allen Swift, Stadlen studied acting with S ...

) who assists Governor Gatling as chief of staff. After Season 1, character Taylor's job is filled by Clayton Endicott III (

). The governor's press secretary Pete Downey (

) is introduced in Season 2, and Benson's secretary Denise Stevens (

) is introduced in Season 3. They later marry, having a child in the show's fifth season. Both were then written out, with the reason given that Denise secured a job with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

. Benson works his way up the ladder during the series, going from head of household affairs to state budget director and eventually is elevated to the position of Lieutenant-Governor. Finally, Benson runs for governor against Gatling.

Series finale

The

term-limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

Governor Gatling runs for re-election as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate with Benson securing the party nomination, setting the stage for the two to go head-to-head in the general election. At the end of the series' final episode, Benson and Gatling—who had strained relations due to the race—make peace with each other and watch the tight election returns together on television. As the broadcaster begins to announce that a winner is at last being projected, the episode ends on a freeze frame of Benson and Gatling, leaving the series with an unresolved

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

. Coincidentally, Guillaume's previous series (''Soap'', from which ''Benson'' spun off) was also canceled with unresolved cliffhangers. In 2007, ''Benson''

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

Bob Fraser said that the season ended on a cliffhanger at the request of the network. The show was cancelled after the cliffhanger had already aired. Fraser indicated that, if the show had been renewed for another season, Gatling would have won the election and Benson would have become a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. According to Gary Brown who directed the finale and 20 other episodes of ''Benson'', three different outcomes were filmed; with Benson winning, Gatling winning, and a tie. The intent was to decide over summer break which outcome to use. Brown also stated that regardless of the outcome, the long-term intent for the next season was for Benson to become the governor.

Cast and characters

Main

* Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois, the main character, hired as head of household affairs for Governor Gatling and his daughter Katie. Quick-witted and quick-thinking, Benson has helped the governor on several issues, bailing him out of tight political and public situations. * James Noble as Eugene X. Gatling, the widowed and scatterbrained (but well-meaning) governor. Gatling has a penchant for telling off-the-wall stories, which Benson (and everyone else in the household) dreads. *

as Gretchen Kraus, the governor's chef. A fiercely proud German immigrant, she is often at odds with Benson and trades insults with him. A running gag in the series was whenever she would walk out of the room, under his breath, Benson would cast one last barb toward Kraus, to which she shouted from off-stage, "I He-e-e-ear You-u-u-u!". Despite their rivalry, Benson and Kraus become close friends. She later becomes Benson's strongest supporter when he runs for governor against Gatling. *

as Katie Gatling, the governor's pre-teen daughter. *

as John Taylor, Governor Gatling's chief of staff (season 1 only), played by

in the pilot episode. * Caroline McWilliams as Marcy Hill, the governor's personal secretary (seasons 1 and 2). She is Benson's closest friend in the mansion and often confides in him. Frequently unlucky in love, Marcy eventually marries toward the end of Season 2. *

as Denise Stevens, Marcy's replacement (seasons 3 through 5) *

as Pete Downey, Gatling's press secretary. (seasons 2 through 5) *

as Clayton Endicott III; he replaced Taylor as Gatling's chief of staff beginning in season 2. Clayton is very snobbish and high-handed—even more so than his predecessor, Taylor. He is also a hypochondriac. *

Billie Bird Billie Bird Sellen (February 28, 1908 – November 27, 2002), better known professionally as Billie Bird, was an American actress and comedian. She played Margie in '' Dear John'' (1988–1992). Early life Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was ...

as Rose Cassidy; she becomes Gatling's chef in season 6 when Kraus is promoted to Benson's administrative assistant.

Recurring

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...

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.

Episodes

Home media

On July 24, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Season 1 of ''Benson'' on DVD in Region 1. On April 3, 2012, Sony released season 2 on DVD. On August 27, 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment announced it had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including ''Benson''. They re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on September 2, 2014.

Setting

The exterior shots of the "governor's mansion" are actually of a private home located at 1365 South Oakland Avenue in Pasadena, California.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=078569, title=Benson
''Benson''
at Sitcoms Online 1979 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1970s American black sitcoms 1980s American black sitcoms 1970s American sitcoms 1980s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Benson DuBois 1970s American political comedy television series 1980s American political comedy television series American television spin-offs Television series by Sony Pictures Television