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 158 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 Downey 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

governor | butler | mansion | servant | 1970s | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Poderoso 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Guillaume's Emmy win as Best Actor ins a Comedy Series made him the first black performer to win in this category.

---

Goofs

In the episode "Fools Gold" the blueprints Benson was hiding in his robe weren't visible in early shots (long or close-up) of the scene, but can be clearly seen sticking out of his robe right before he takes them out to show the Governor.

---

Quotes

Gretchen: I'm going out and have myself a wild time.
Benson DuBois: Don't forget your library card.

---

Connections

Referenced in Scrubs: Our New Girl-Bro (2010)

User Reviews

Benson episodes on TV Land

I have been watching re-runs of "Benson" on TV Land. I love this story of Benson going from butler to bureaucrat to lieutenant governor.

The final episode of the series was a stroke of genius. Governor Gatling finds out that through a loophole in the state constitution, he may run for a third term although everyone simply assumed he was term limited at two terms.

When Gatling announces to Benson and everyone that he's going to run for an unprecedented third term; the relationship between Gatling and Benson chills. Until a television debate where the governor suddenly realizes that what Benson has said is not personal.

The cliffhanger comes when the two meet in the kitchen of the Governor's Mansion and the two sit at the table to reminisce. They both agree that they could both be out of a job if the third candidate in the race wins.

Then Governor Gatling and Benson's attention is drawn to the small TV set where the announcer says "Cap-TV is now prepared to make a projection in the governor's race." Both wish each other good luck and shake hands. Fade to black. The classic of all cliffhangers.