The Paper Chase 

The trials of a group of law students under the tutelage of a strict professor.

Creator:

James Bridges

Stars:

John Houseman, James Stephens, Tom Fitzsimmons

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
John Houseman	...	Professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. 58 episodes, 1978-1986
James Stephens	...	James T. Hart 58 episodes, 1978-1986
Tom Fitzsimmons	...	Franklin Ford III 58 episodes, 1978-1986
James Keane	...	Willis Bell 58 episodes, 1978-1986
Betty Harford	...	Mrs. Nottingham / ... 44 episodes, 1978-1986
Michael Tucci	...	Gerald Golden 36 episodes, 1983-1986
Andra Millian	...	Laura Kiernan 29 episodes, 1984-1986
Clare Kirkconnell	...	Rita Harriman 29 episodes, 1984-1986
Penny Johnson Jerald	...	Vivian Conway 29 episodes, 1984-1986

Storyline

A TV Series about a bunch of Law students, their everyday lives and their effort to make it through Law School. Hart, Ford, Bell and the rest of them have to face Kingsfield, the most feared of professors but they are determined to study hard and eventually get their diploma...

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Plot Keywords:

student | law student | law school | professor | harvard law school | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Paper Chase: The Fourth Year

Filming Locations:

Stage 2, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (57 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chicago PBS station WTTW bought the rights to air season one episodes over a year after the series ended on CBS. The program aired on numerous PBS stations between 1980 and 1982. The revival was such a success, the Showtime cable network aired new episodes from 1983 to 1986.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Bob Newhart/James Stephens/Ronnie Porter (1983)

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Soundtracks

First Years
(Theme Song - 1st season only)
Music by Charles Fox
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Sung by Seals & Crofts

User Reviews

One of the greatest and most underrated television shows of all time.

The television show "The Paper Chase" is one of the greatest television shows of all time. That seems like an incredible statement to say about a show that lasted about 2 seconds on commercial television but it was that good. It unfortunately never had a chance to continue because it was placed at the same time spot as one of the hottest shows on television at the time.

Amazingly enough, it got a second chance on the cable network Showtime years after it was cancelled! Because cable allowed the show greater freedom, I actually found the show to be superior to the commercial network version! The show centers around the great actor, John Houseman and James Stephens as the law professor Charles W. Kingsfield and his student James T. Hart but the ensemble cast was also excellent. Tom Fitzsimmons and James Keane were the main supporting characters but it also had major contributions in later years from excellent actors like Jane Kaszmarek, (Malcolm in the Middle) Penny Johnson (24 and The Larry Sanders Show)and Michael Tucci.

The show eventually ran its course on cable and ended with the graduation of the students, 8 years after the show started on commercial television! A show that should be rated with the greatest shows of all time but is largely forgotten today. Just superbly acted with great writing.