The Devlin Connection

The Devlin Connection is a short-lived American television crime drama[1] starring Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia. The show aired on NBC for 13 episodes in 1982, premiering on October 2.[2]

The Devlin Connection
GenreDetective fiction
Procedural drama
Created byJohn Wilder
StarringRock Hudson
Jack Scalia
Theme music composerPatrick Williams
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerJerry Thorpe
ProducersCliff Gould
Harvey Frand
Running time48 minutes
Production companiesJerry Thorpe Productions
Mammoth Films, Inc.
Viacom Productions
DistributorCBS Television Distribution
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 2 (1982-10-02) 
December 25, 1982 (1982-12-25)

Premise

Hudson stars as Brian Devlin, a former military intelligence officer and ex-owner of a detective agency who is now the director of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Devlin meets racquetball pro and private investigator Nick Corsello (Scalia), who is revealed to be Devlin's son from a brief affair 28 years earlier. The accent of the show was put on the fun of investigating crimes instead of classic drama crime investigation. Hudson's intent was to create "classy, sophisticated, educational, literate entertainment".[3][4] The duo proceed to solve a mystery-of-the-week.

Hudson and Scalia had previously worked together on the film The Star Maker in 1981.[3] The Devlin Connection was Harvey Frand's first job as a producer.[5]

Cast

  • Rock Hudson as Brian Devlin, director of Performing Arts Center
  • Jack Scalia as Nick Corsello, racquetball pro and private detective
  • Leigh Taylor-Young as Lauren Dane, Brian's assistant1
  • Louis Giambalvo as Lt. Earl Borden, Nick's friend and former colleague from New York1
  • Takayo as Mrs. Watanabe, Brian's housekeeper1
  • Melanie Vincz as Alice Arms, Nick's health club co-worker1
  • Jack Kruschen as Max Salkall, orchestra conductor at Performing Arts Center1
  • Irene Tedrow as Margaret Hollister, Brian's assistant2
  • Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Otis Barnes, Nick's friend and night club owner2

1^ Character only in second version filmed in 1982 but aired first.
2^ Character only in first version filmed in 1981 but aired second.

Production changes

Production started in 1981 but after several episodes were filmed it was delayed a year due to Hudson's heart problems[6] (heart surgery with five heart bypasses[7]). When the filming resumed there were many changes. In the first version Brian has an older assistant (Irene Tedrow), and his office and apartment are modest. Nick is a Vietnam veteran and now just a small-time private detective who works out of a night club. The stories are grittier. In the second version Brian's assistant is glamorous (Leigh Taylor-Young), and his office and apartment are much larger and more sumptuous. Nick is a former NYPD officer and now a racquetball pro who works at a health club and investigates on the side. The stories are much more upscale. At Hudson's insistence, the nine flashier episodes aired first which was a little confusing because the episode where they actually meet, "Claudine", became the tenth episode.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Brian and Nick"Christian I. Nyby IICliff GouldOctober 2, 1982 (1982-10-02)
2"Lady on the Billboard"James FrawleyHenri SimounOctober 9, 1982 (1982-10-09)
3"Love, Sin and Death at Point Dume"Christian I. Nyby IIGuerdon TruebloodOctober 16, 1982 (1982-10-16)
4"The Corpse in the Corniche"Barry CraneHoward Berk & Cliff GouldOctober 23, 1982 (1982-10-23)
5"The Absolute Monarch of Ward C"Barry CraneMichael Sloan & Cliff GouldOctober 30, 1982 (1982-10-30)
6"The French Detective"Rod HolcombPeter LefcourtNovember 6, 1982 (1982-11-06)
7"Of Nuns and Other Black Birds"Christian I. Nyby IIRobert Dozier & Rob GilmerNovember 13, 1982 (1982-11-13)
8"Ring of Kings, Ring of Thieves"Jeff BlecknerRudolph BorchertNovember 27, 1982 (1982-11-27)
9"Arsenic and Old Caviar"James FrawleyRudolph BorchertDecember 4, 1982 (1982-12-04)
10"Claudine"Lee H. KatzinJohn WilderDecember 11, 1982 (1982-12-11)
11"Allison"Bernard L. KowalskiAnne CollinsDecember 18, 1982 (1982-12-18)
12"Erica"Bernard L. KowalskiPeter LefcourtDecember 25, 1982 (1982-12-25)
13"Jennifer"Lee H. KatzinFrank V. FurinoUNAIRED1

1^ NBC burned off the final episode in 1983. All 13 episodes aired on TV Land in the late 1990s.

Ratings

Season Episodes Start Date End Date Nielsen Rank Nielsen Rating
1982–83 13 October 2, 1982 December 25, 1982 96[8] N/A

Video releases

In the mid-1980s Trans World Entertainment officially released the first three episodes on VHS videotape cassettes.[9] There are also bootleg DVDs of all the TV Land aired episodes.

References

  1. Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
  2. "Devlin Connection". TV Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  3. Unger, Arthur (October 1, 1982). "Rock Hudson looks back on his films and ahead to his TV series". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  4. "The Devlin Connection – 1982". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  5. Staff (July 31, 2009). "Emmy-winning producer Frand dies". Hollywood.com. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  6. Staff (November 15, 1982). "One Year After Heart Surgery, Rock Hudson Is Rolling Again, but His Devlin Connection Is Ailing". People. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  7. Berger, Joseph (October 3, 1985). "Rock Hudson, Screen Idol, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  8. Clawson, J. (July 9, 2017). "1982–83 Ratings History — Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". The TV Ratings Guide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  9. "Devlin Connection Vol. 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
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