"Gideon Oliver" (1989) TV series

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

Gideon Oliver is an anthropology professor at Columbia University who uses his knowledge of other cultures to solve crimes, aided by his daughter/assistant Zina.

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Gideon Oliver / ... (5 episodes, 1989)
Shari Headley	...	Zina Oliver (3 episodes, 1989)
Mary Fogarty	...	Catharine / ... (2 episodes, 1989)

Also Known As:

"By the Rivers of Babylon" (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Only five episodes aired, between February and September 1989.

Proof positive of what the entertainment industry wants...

...and what they want is the same thing this country's politicians want - people who aren't interested in the world around them and will just accept what's shoved at them. Gideon Oliver was not just smart, it was intelligent. I'd been somewhat familiar with Aaron Elkins' work when this series debuted, and the biggest surprise I had was seeing Professor Oliver played by Louis Gossett, Jr. It's not that this was a problem, it's just that his ethnic background had never been a part of the books (at least the couple I had read), so I had never thought of picturing him as Black. Mr. Gossett played his part admirably and with flair, but the best part of this series was the fact that it engaged the viewer intellectually, not just as a piece of mindless entertainment. That's why it failed: it encouraged viewers to think and there was even the shocking possibility that something interesting and worthwhile could actually be learned from it - Egad, what a horrifying notion! Fortunately, at least one episode, the two-part "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver", shows up on cable as a movie from time to time.