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Paris is an American television series that appeared on the CBS television network from September 29, 1979 to January 15, 1980. A crime drama, the show is notable as the first-ever appearance of renowned actor James Earl Jones in a lead role on television and was created by Steven Bochco, who later achieved fame for Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, also served as executive producer. The program told the story of Los Angeles Police Captain Woody Paris, who supervised a team of young detectives. The rookie investigators were led by Sergeant Stacy Erickson and included officers Charlie Bogart, Ernesto Villas, and Willie Miller. Hank Garrett 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 in the plots, with Lee Chamberlin playing his wife, Barbara. Paris was also shown moonlighting as a professor of criminology at a local university. Although Paris was critically acclaimed for its portrayal of the tension between the professional Paris character and his often impetuous underlings, CBS scheduled the show in one of the worst possible timeslots on a weekly schedule: Saturdays at 10 p.m./9 Central. All three networks debuted new shows for the 1979-80 season in that slot; only ABC's Hart to Hart survived its first 13 weeks. Toward the end of its run, CBS moved it to Tuesdays at 10/9, but to no avail. Edward DeBlasio produced the show for MTM Enterprises, which would unveil, during the next season, executive producer Bochco's landmark Hill Street Blues, on NBC.
Themes
Episodes
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- E1 PilotNext upSep 29, 1979
Synopsis
Captain Woodrow Paris is brought in to solve the murder of a prominent councilman's wife.
Guest stars: Barbara Babcock (Florence Carlin), Don Diamond (Sam), Kiel Martin (Bo Manning), Vic Morrow (Julius Wellman), Alan Rachins (Davis), Joe Spano (Milton Levelle)
- E2 Dear JohnOct 6, 1979
Synopsis
After his mother is crippled by muggers, a rookie cop under the command of Captain Paris tries to take the law into his own hands.
Guest stars: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Clinton Derricks-Carroll, Taurean Blacque
- E3 PawnOct 13, 1979
Synopsis
Paris finds that identifying a killer-rapist is a lot easier than coming up with evidence to convict him.
Guest stars: David Carroll, Joan Darling, Irene Tedrow, Wendy Phillips, Stephen Pearlman
- E4 Friends and EnemiesOct 20, 1979
Synopsis
Paris investigates the slaying of an unarmed restaurant owner by a policeman.
Guest stars: Rosanna DeSoto, Mark Slade, Alice Hirson (Mrs. Dalton), Rudy Ramos
- E5 Once More for FreeOct 27, 1979
Synopsis
Two quite different police philosophies cause conflict between Paris and his old mentor in a case of an elusive drug dealer.
Guest stars: Jerry Lacy, Michael Conrad, Dan Hedaya, Victor Brandt
- E6 Dead Men Don't KillDec 4, 1979
Synopsis
In a desperate effort to save a possibly innocent man on death row, Paris searches for evidence linking a suave robber to a six-year-old cop killing.
Guest stars: Georg Stanford Brown, Robert Englund, Jordan Clarke, Stephen Pearlman
- E7 BurnoutDec 11, 1979
Synopsis
Paris' delicate investigation of a gun-running gang is jeopardized by the insatiable ambition of a fellow officer.
Guest stars: James B. Sikking (Lew Castle), Ellen Geer (Marie Castle), Peter Jurasik (Brian Duff), Bruce Weitz (Haggart)
- E8 DecisionsDec 18, 1979
Synopsis
Paris' conscience is deeply troubled when an innocent man is killed by hijackers in the course of an undercover investigation.
Guest stars: John Quade, James Oliver
- E9 The Price Is RightJan 1, 1980
Synopsis
With a juicy political appointment on the line, Paris persists in his investigation of crooks who are driving elderly people from their beach-front homes.
Guest stars: Frank Ronzio, Granville Van Dusen, Don Gordon
- E10 The Ghost MakerJan 8, 1980
Synopsis
Paris locks horns with federal agents when he tries to prosecute a killer who, as star witness in a gangland trial, is being protected by the government.
Guest stars: Nicolas Coster (Richard Adkins), Ben Piazza (Fred Latimore), James Gallery (Tom Lipsky), Lee Wallace (Zucky)
- E11 Fitz's BoysJan 15, 1980
Synopsis
Paris becomes an honorary Irishman when he and his squad investigate thefts from the docks and the suspicious death of an old stevedore.
Guest stars: John P. Ryan, Laurence Lau, Roger E. Mosley, Joe Penny, Tom Clancy (Tim Fitz)
- E12 America the BeautifulJan 22, 1980
Synopsis
When a good friend is framed for murder due to an extortionist's plot, Paris works to exonerate the innocent man.
Guest stars: Ed Harris, Dolph Sweet, Paul Koslo
- E13 Pay the Two BucksJan 29, 1980
Synopsis
Paris finds himself caught in the middle when violence erupts between a neighbourhood association and American Nazis on the eve of a 4th of July rally.
Guest stars: Jonathan Frakes, Anne Sward
Cast & crew
Created by Steven Bochco
Lee Chamberlin
James Earl Jones
Michael Warren
Cecilia Hart
Hank Garrett
Frank Ramírez
Jake Mitchell
