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The Paper Chase

  • TV Series
  • 1978–19861978–1986
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
981
YOUR RATING
The Paper Chase (1973)
Trailer for the home video release of the series based on the movie
Play trailer0:49
1 Video
39 Photos
Drama
The trials of a group of law students under the tutelage of a strict professor.The trials of a group of law students under the tutelage of a strict professor.The trials of a group of law students under the tutelage of a strict professor.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
981
YOUR RATING
    • James Bridges(developed for television by)
  • Stars
    • John Houseman
    • James Stephens
    • Tom Fitzsimmons
    • James Bridges(developed for television by)
  • Stars
    • John Houseman
    • James Stephens
    • Tom Fitzsimmons
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 24User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys

    Episodes58

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos1

    The Paper Chase: Season One
    Trailer 0:49
    Watch The Paper Chase: Season One

    Photos39

    The Paper Chase (1978)
    John Rubinstein in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Sherry Hursey in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Denise Nicholas in The Paper Chase (1978)
    John Friedrich in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Lynn Swann in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Tony Lo Bianco in The Paper Chase (1978)
    John Houseman and James Stephens in The Paper Chase (1978)
    David Opatoshu and Martha Scott in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Mady Kaplan and Michael Tucci in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Clare Kirkconnell and James Stephens in The Paper Chase (1978)
    Alan Feinstein in The Paper Chase (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Houseman
    John Houseman
    • Professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr.
    James Stephens
    James Stephens
    • James T. Hart
    Tom Fitzsimmons
    Tom Fitzsimmons
    • Franklin Ford III
    James Keane
    James Keane
    • Willis Bell
    Betty Harford
    Betty Harford
    • Mrs. Nottingham…
    Michael Tucci
    Michael Tucci
    • Gerald Golden
    Andra Millian
    Andra Millian
    • Laura Kiernan
    Clare Kirkconnell
    Clare Kirkconnell
    • Rita Harriman
    Penny Johnson Jerald
    Penny Johnson Jerald
    • Vivian Conway
    Wortham Krimmer
    • Martin Zeiss
    Robert Ginty
    Robert Ginty
    • Thomas Craig Anderson
    Francine Tacker
    • Elizabeth Logan
    Diana Douglas
    Diana Douglas
    • Professor Tyler
    Peter Nelson
    • Tom Ford
    Lainie Kazan
    Lainie Kazan
    • Rose Samuels
    Charles Hallahan
    Charles Hallahan
    • Ernie
    Steve Levitt
    • Stotz
    Jonathan Segal
    • Jonathan Brooks
      • James Bridges(developed for television by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The show lasted only one season on CBS, from 1978 to 1979, and was canceled because of low ratings. The cable channel Showtime revived the series in 1983, where it ran for three years without commercials and was a great success. John Houseman passed away two years after the series went off the air. The first season was released on DVD in April 2009, with Season 2 scheduled to follow in December.
    • Goofs
      In one show, Professor Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman) is meeting with several law school administrators. One of whom calls Kingsfield "John" rather than "Charles", his character's name during their conversation.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 31st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      First Years
      (Theme Song - 1st season only)

      Music by Charles Fox

      Lyrics by Norman Gimbel

      Sung by Seals & Crofts

    User reviews24

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A very good series that follows a terrific film
    I did not think it would be all that good, but the series has lived up to the film, not an easy thing to do. Many new characters are added as the students progress through the three years of Harvard Law. Some come and go for various reasons but the main ones remained - Hart, Bell, Ford, Golden, Kingsfield, and Mrs. Nottingham. While there are a few less interesting episodes, most do not disappoint even though it is a 45 minute television show. There are ones on tenure, cheating by students, plagiarism by a faculty member, job interviews, stress, faculty abuse of power over female students, love versus career, law review pressure and even suicide. One of the most entertaining was My Dinner with Kingsfield, a great episode. John Houseman, even over 80 years old at the time does not miss a step with his perfect diction, measured speech, wisdom and dominating personality even though his role is very limited in several shows. All in all, they did a very good job creating this series after the film. It certainly was not filmed in Boston which took away from the urban grit, colorful autumns and dreary winters that gave a lot of character to the original film. But all in all, it was ery enjoyable to watch even decades after its first run on TV.
    helpful•4
    0
    • mxsuba26
    • Feb 25, 2019

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 9, 1978 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 2, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour
      • Color
      • Mono

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