''Paris'' is an American

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

that aired on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television network from September 29, 1979 to January 15, 1980. The show is notable as the first appearance of actor

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

in a television lead role. ''Paris'' was created and executive produced by

Steven Bochco Steven Ronald Bochco Masterson (December 16, 1943 – April 1, 2018) was an American television writer and producer. He developed a number of television series, including ''Hill Street Blues'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Cop Rock'' ...

, and produced by Edward DeBlasio for

MTM Enterprises MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the productio ...

Plot

Los Angeles Police {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Law enforcement in Los Angeles County is conducted by a variety of law enforcement agencies. State agencies *California Highway Patrol *University of California Police Department * California ...

Captain Woody Paris (Jones) is the supervisor of a team of rookie detectives, led by Sergeant Stacy Erickson ( Cecilia Hart) and including officers Charlie Bogart (Jake Mitchell), Ernesto Villas ( Frank Ramirez), and Willie Miller ( Michael Warren).

Hank Garrett Hank Garrett (born Henry Greenberg Cohen Sandler Weinblatt, October 26, 1931) is an American actor, comedian, author, speaker, teacher, mixed martial artist and retired professional wrestler best known for the television role of Officer Nicholson ...

portrayed Deputy Chief Jerome Bench, Paris' superior, and, in an unusual turn for police dramas of that era, Paris' home and off-duty life was given considerable attention, with

Lee Chamberlin Lee Chamberlin (born Alverta LaPallo; February 14, 1938 – May 25, 2014) was an American theatrical, film and television actress. Early life Chamberlin was born in New York City. She was the daughter of Ida Roberta (née Small) and Brazilian au ...

portraying his wife Barbara. Paris additionally moonlighted as a professor of

criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

at a local university.

Reception

Although ''Paris'' was critically acclaimed for its portrayal of the tension between the title character and his often impetuous underlings, it failed to attract viewers due to CBS scheduling it in one of the worst timeslots on a weekly schedule: Saturdays at 10 p.m. CBS moved the show to Tuesdays in the same timeslot in a futile attempt to improve ratings, and the show was canceled in 1980 after one season of thirteen episodes, two of which were not broadcast. Jones married former costar Hart two years after ''Paris'' cancellation, and they remained together until her death in 2016.

Cast

as Detective Capt. Woodrow "Woody" Paris *

as Deputy Chief Jerome Bench * Cecilia Hart as Sgt. Stacey Erickson *Jake Mitchell as Det. Charlie Bogart *

Frank Ramírez Frank Augusto Ramírez Mateus (12 February 1939 – 19 February 2015) was a Colombian actor and television director, playing roles in various series, both American and Colombian. Biography Ramírez was the son of Jorge Ismael Ramírez Rojas, phar ...

as Det. Ernie Villas * Michael Warren as Det. Willie Miller *

as Barbara Paris

Episodes

Sources

''Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present,'' Alex McNeil, New York: Penguin, revised ed., 1984.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paris (1979 Tv Series) 1979 American television series debuts 1980 American television series endings 1970s American crime drama television series 1980s American crime drama television series 1970s American police procedural television series 1980s American police procedural television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series by MTM Enterprises Television series created by Steven Bochco American detective television series