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American TV series or program
Beverly Hills Buntz
is an American
comedy-drama
television series and a
spin-off
of the acclaimed police drama
Hill Street Blues
. Beverly Hills Buntz aired on
NBC
from November 5, 1987, to May 20, 1988.
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Overview
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The show was a half-hour dramedy, a hybrid between light
private eye
fare and a
sitcom
. The main character, Norman Buntz, was previously seen as a morally and ethically questionable cop on
Hill Street Blues
, which was a dramatic series (this series is one of a handful of examples of a series in one genre, drama, spinning off a series in another: comedy). The series has the character quitting the police force, moving to
Beverly Hills
, and becoming a private investigator. In a programming experiment,
NBC
president
Brandon Tartikoff
announced that this show would be a "designated hitter" and was originally given prize time slots once a month following
Cheers
and
Night Court
. The other two "designated hitters" that season were the
Bruce Weitz
and
Nancy Walker
sitcom,
Mama's Boy
,
and the second season of the
Edward Asner
drama
The Bronx Zoo
(incidentally, each show would be canceled the following year). Eventually, Buntz was scheduled Fridays at 9:30pm between
Night Court
and
Miami Vice
in March 1988.
Night Court
and
Buntz
were unsuccessful, but
Miami Vice
gained a fifth season with an improved performance having moved from 9pm back to 10pm.
Three pilots of
Buntz
were filmed including one by director
Hal Ashby
.
Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which only nine were broadcast. The first episode was broadcast November 5, 1987 and the last on May 20, 1988. The series starred
Dennis Franz
as Norman Buntz, and
Peter Jurasik
as Sid "The Snitch" Thurston.
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
joined the cast.
Cast
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Episodes
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References
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External links
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