Benson 

Jessica Tate's sharp-tongued former butler, Benson DuBois, moves up in the world, becoming first the governor's "director of household affairs," then the state's budget director, then lieutenant governor and candidate for the executive mansion.

Creator:

Susan Harris

Stars:

Robert Guillaume, James Noble, Inga Swenson

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Robert Guillaume	...	Benson DuBois 159 episodes, 1979-1986
James Noble	...	Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling 159 episodes, 1979-1986
Inga Swenson	...	Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus 159 episodes, 1979-1986
Missy Gold	...	Katherine 'Katie' Olivia Gatling 159 episodes, 1979-1986
Rene Auberjonois	...	Clayton Runnymede Endicott III 135 episodes, 1980-1986
Ethan Phillips	...	Peter 'Pete' John Downey 96 episodes, 1980-1985
Didi Conn	...	Denise Florence Stevens / ... 72 episodes, 1981-1985

Storyline

In this spinoff of "Soap," Benson DuBois is sent out West to serve as butler to widowed state governor Gene Gatling, an honest but bumbling servant of the people. Although he has his rivals in German maid Kraus and persnickety aides Clayton and Taylor, Benson, armed with an acerbic wit and plenty of smarts, becomes the Governor's close friend and helper, and eventually is elected Lieutenant Governor.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as series title | forename as series title | governor | butler | mansion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Benson's name on Soap was simply "Benson"; he had no last name (that we knew about). Likewise, in the pilot of this show Marcie introduces Benson to the Governor as simply "Benson from your cousin Jessica's family". We never hear the "Dubois" until later in the series; he's simply Benson.

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Quotes

Marcy Hill: Clipper ship bound for Spain, all that gold and Phillipe. How romantic. I hope the ship sank.

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Connections

Referenced in Primetime Glick: Dennis Miller/Jerry Seinfeld (2001)

User Reviews

Benson

'Benson' was a spin-off from 'Soap', but actually did very well in its own right, proving that spin-off's can work (sorry 'Joey').

This is a charming, funny sitcom, with the lovely Robert Guillaume in the lead.

Well worth a revisit.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Benson

Filming Locations:

1365 S Oakland Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3