Booker 

Dennis Booker, an ex-cop, is hired by the US office of a large Japanese company to investigate some suspect insurance claims. He is very anti-authority, resents being told what to do, and ... See full summary »

Creators:

Eric Blakeney, Stephen J. Cannell

Stars:

Richard Grieco, Marcia Strassman, Katie Rich

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Richard Grieco	...	Dennis Booker 22 episodes, 1989-1990
Marcia Strassman	...	Alicia Rudd 22 episodes, 1989-1990
Katie Rich	...	Elaine Grazzo 22 episodes, 1989-1990
Carmen Argenziano	...	Chick Sterling 22 episodes, 1989-1990
Lori Petty	...	Suzanne Dunne / ... 10 episodes, 1989-1990

Storyline

Dennis Booker, an ex-cop, is hired by the US office of a large Japanese company to investigate some suspect insurance claims. He is very anti-authority, resents being told what to do, and seems to spend most of his time investigating cases related to his family, friends and colleagues rather than his employers.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as series title | surname as series title | ex cop | private detective | insurance scam | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Booker, P.I.

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stephen J. Cannell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (22 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Booker visits Jump Street chapel a few times during this series.

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Alternate Versions

On DVD, the theme song was changed to a generic action piece (entitled "Hot Summer Night") as the rights to "Hot in the City" could not be negotiated.

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Connections

Spun-off from 21 Jump Street (1987)

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Soundtracks

Hot in the City
Performed by Billy Idol

User Reviews

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?

Funny how things turn out. When "Family Ties" started, everyone thought that Meredith Baxter Birney was the star as opposed to Michael J. Fox; anyone who put money on Neve Campbell being a bigger name than Jennifer Love Hewitt after "Party of Five" ended would not have been considered mistaken; and similarly, when Richard Grieco joined the cast of "21 Jump Street" and drew attention away from the perpetually miserable-looking Johnny Depp, it did look like he'd be the breakout star.

So he was booted out of the force, became a private detective in his own series "Booker" (complete with Billy Idol's "Hot In The City" with the words "NEW YORK!" blanked out - due to the show taking place on the other side of the country!), and... wound up being cancelled a year before "21 Jump Street." And to be honest, you can see why; while there aren't many cop shows about people going undercover in schools (well, there was "The Mod Squad"...), there wasn't anything about the show that really made it stand out from any others of its type, and it didn't help that his assistant was played by the ever-annoying Lori Petty.

Johnny Depp went on to pull Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis (we'll forgive him for Kate Moss) and deliver a string of impressive performances in high-profile movies; Grieco went on to "If Looks Could Kill" (or as Joss Whedon called it, "If Looks Could Fail At The Box Office") and "A Night At The Roxbury." It's called having the last laugh.