Booker (TV series)

Booker is an American crime drama series starring Richard Grieco that aired on the Fox Network from September 24, 1989, to May 6, 1990. The series is a spin-off of 21 Jump Street and the second installment of the Jump Street franchise. The character of Dennis Booker was originally a recurring character on that police drama during its third season.

Booker
Genre
Created byEric Blackeney
Stephen J. Cannell
StarringRichard Grieco
Carmen Argenziano
Marcia Strassman
Opening theme"Hot in the City" performed by Billy Idol
Ending theme"Hot in the City" performed by Billy Idol
ComposerMike Post
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerBill Nuss
ProducersCarleton Eastlake
Brooke Kennedy
Jo Swerling, Jr.
Production locationVancouver
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companyStephen J. Cannell Productions
Release
Original networkFox
Picture formatColor
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1989 (1989-09-24) 
May 6, 1990 (1990-05-06)
Chronology
Related shows21 Jump Street

Synopsis

Dennis Booker, who once worked for a large metropolitan police department, is now hired by the US office of a large Japanese company to investigate some suspicious insurance claims. Booker is portrayed as despising authority, and he is often openly disdainful of the orders he receives. He also occasionally undertakes non-work-related tasks in order to help friends and family. Katie Rich left the show in the middle of its run, and Lori Petty was added to the cast.

Fox scheduled Booker as its Sunday night leadoff program, airing in the 7/6 pm slot that was vacated by its parent series, 21 Jump Street; the latter moved to Monday nights.[1] Booker was not the hit that its predecessor had been, with Fox eventually moving the show to 10:00 pm (during the period when the network was programming past that hour on Sundays) and later cancelling it following the season.[2]

Cast

Main

Notable guest stars

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Booker"David JacksonStephen J. CannellSeptember 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)31101
Dennis Booker helps Elena clear a man she thinks was wrongly convicted when she served jury duty.
2"The Pump"Mark SobelT: Stephen J. Cannell;
S/T: Nicolas J. Corea
October 1, 1989 (1989-10-01)31102
Booker is targeted by a gang seeking revenge for the death of a member who shot Judy (Holly Robinson Peete guest-starring from 21 Jump Street).
3"Raising Arrizola"Rob BowmanGordon DawsonOctober 8, 1989 (1989-10-08)31106
Booker has a busy day getting involved with a Teshima executive, avoiding a supposedly reformed ex-con and trying to keep a homeless kid on the right path.
4"High Rise"Jorge MontesiCarleton EastlakeOctober 22, 1989 (1989-10-22)31109
In an homage to Die Hard, Booker takes action when gunmen take the execs of Teshima hostage.
5"All You Gotta Do Is Do It"Reynaldo VillalobosStephen J. CannellOctober 29, 1989 (1989-10-29)31105
Alicia asks Booker to find her gambler ex-husband when he takes off with their daughter.
6"Bête Noir"James Whitmore, Jr.Charles Grant CraigNovember 5, 1989 (1989-11-05)31110
Booker concocts a plan to catch a woman he suspects murdered her two husbands for insurance money.
7"Flat Out"Jefferson KibbeeCarleton EastlakeNovember 12, 1989 (1989-11-12)31111
Booker races to find a young woman who skipped bail before mobsters kill her.
8"Wheels and Deals – Part 1"Mark SobelCharles Grant Craig & Thania St. JohnNovember 26, 1989 (1989-11-26)31113
Booker plots the downfall of his nemesis Raymond Crane. This episode concludes on 21 Jump Street.
9"Someone Stole Lucille"Kim MannersBill NussDecember 10, 1989 (1989-12-10)31112
Booker and a young executive are sent to find B.B. King's stolen guitar.
10"Cementhead"Jorge MontesiGlen Morgan & James WongDecember 17, 1989 (1989-12-17)31114
Booker deals with his childhood idol, a hockey player seeking to make a comeback on a team owned by Teshima.
11"The Red Dot"Mario AzzopardiS: Carleton Eastlake;
T: Bill Nuss & Charles Grant Craig
January 14, 1990 (1990-01-14)31118
A woman hires Booker to find her missing boyfriend, who's also the target of a hit man.
12"Who Framed Roger Thorton?"Jefferson KibbeeS: Thania St. John;
T: Charles Grant Craig
January 21, 1990 (1990-01-21)31115
Booker investigates the murder of a fashion-designer and encounters an old acquaintance.
13"Hacker"Bryan SpicerT: Charles Grant Craig and Thania St. John;
S/T: Carleton Eastlake
February 4, 1990 (1990-02-04)31119
Booker is pursued by the FBI as soon as he cracks a computer hacker's code.
14"The Life and Death of Chick Sterling"Kim MannersBill Nuss & Thania St. JohnFebruary 11, 1990 (1990-02-11)31122
Chick and an old Army buddy are targeted for assassination because of a past incident.
15"Black Diamond Run"Peter D. MarshallSeth PearlmanFebruary 18, 1990 (1990-02-18)31120
A cat burglar is stealing from guests at a ski resort who are insured by Teshima.
16"Love Life"Jefferson KibbeeS: Gary Rosen;
S/T: Jacqueline Zambrano
February 25, 1990 (1990-02-25)31121
Booker sets out to prove that a prostitute was framed for stabbing a Teshima executive.
17"Reunion"Jan EliasbergCarleton Eastlake & Thania St. JohnMarch 25, 1990 (1990-03-25)31124
Booker attends his high school reunion where an old girlfriend asks him to find her missing fiancé, who happens to be the guy she left Booker for.
18"Wedding Bell Blues"Jefferson KibbeeCharles Grant Craig, Bill Nuss and Thania St. JohnApril 1, 1990 (1990-04-01)31125
An old high school friend of Booker's is engaged to two women, both of whom have vengeful relatives.
19"Molly and Eddie"David NutterCharles Grant Craig, Bill Nuss and Thania St. JohnApril 8, 1990 (1990-04-08)31123
Booker takes care of a 6-year-old girl while he searches for her father, a repo man who may have gotten involved in a stolen-car ring.
20"Crazy"Bill CorcoranChad Hayes & Carey W. HayesApril 15, 1990 (1990-04-15)31127
A crazy killer escapes custody and leads Booker on a through his troubled psyche.
21"Mobile Home"Christopher T. WelchS: David Kemper;
T: Charles Grant Craig, Bill Nuss and Thania St. John
April 29, 1990 (1990-04-29)31128
Booker helps a friend search for his first home, which has been stolen by three siblings hunting for treasure.
22"Father's Day"Jan EliasbergJan EliasbergMay 6, 1990 (1990-05-06)31129
Booker's father asks for his help when he must testify against the mob.

Home media

On September 17, 2008, Beyond Home Entertainment released Booker- The Complete Series on DVD in Australia (Region 4). The episode titled "Deals and Wheels pt.1" has been removed as it is part of a crossover with 21 Jump Street. Both episodes are included on the 4th season release of 21 Jump Street. The original Billy Idol "Hot in the City" main theme song is in tact on the episodes. The episode "Someone Stole Lucille" is included in this set as well.

On August 25, 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released Booker- Collector's Edition on DVD in Region 1.[3] Music rights have kept the episode "Someone Stole Lucille" from appearing on the set, thus the reason why the title of the release was changed from 'complete series'. The theme song was also changed to a generic action piece (entitled "Hot Summer Night") as the rights to "Hot in the City" could not be negotiated.

DVD Name Ep # Region 1 Region 4
Booker: Collector's Edition 22 August 25, 2009 September 17, 2008

References

  1. Shales, Tom (1989-07-29). "FOX Finds Success By Aiming Low". archive.deseretnews.com. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
  2. "Top 10 Worst TV Spin-Offs". time.com. October 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  3. "Booker DVD news: Update About Booker - Collector's Edition". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2009-12-08. Archived from the original on 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
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