Must Kill TV 

When one of Dr. Sloan's patients, a major network's VP of program development, ignores his warnings by rushing back to stress-ridden pilot season after a heart-attack, he's not surprised to... See full summary »

Director:

Christopher Hibler

Writers:

Joyce Burditt (creator), Lee Goldberg

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell, Charlie Schlatter

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Dr. Mark Sloan
Victoria Rowell	...	Amanda Bentley-Livingston
Charlie Schlatter	...	Dr. Jesse Travis
Barry Van Dyke	...	Steve Sloan
John Aniston	...	Carlton Everest
Tom Gallop	...	Phil Zarkin
Michele Greene	...	Rachel Woodrall
Molly Hagan	...	Paige Jennings
Brenda Varda	...	Karen Danino
Fred Willard	...	Harry Fellows
Stephen J. Cannell	...	Jackson Burley
Erik Estrada	...	Erik Estrada
Peter Graves	...	Peter Graves
Doug E. Doug	...	Doug E. Doug
Reginald VelJohnson	...	Reginald VelJohnson (as Reginald Vel Johnson)

Storyline

When one of Dr. Sloan's patients, a major network's VP of program development, ignores his warnings by rushing back to stress-ridden pilot season after a heart-attack, he's not surprised to hear the next kills her, until Amanda's autopsy shows her nitro-pills were substituted with placebo sugar. As Jesse is desperate not to have to spend his first (fishing) vacation in years with his father, who was never there for him, he successfully applies for a job in the studio's mail-room and thus gathers an insiders perspective which confirms the length of the list of suspects, which largely remains after he finds successor hung in her office, as the job mass-produces enemies: jealous and ambitious rivals, actors, producers and even loony fans for who her approval of a pilot or decision to scrap a show is vital. Yet after it turns out the first victim died from seeing a specially doctored vile version of a pilot she had already pre-approved, Mark figures out a less obvious culprit and the way ...

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1997 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fred Silverman Company, Dean Hargrove Productions, Viacom Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the set for "Frankencop", Jackson Burley waxes lyrical about how this show could be talked about among the greats, such as "Police Story" and "Hill Street Blues", Steve Sloan then chips in with "Airwolf". Airwolf (1987), of course, being a series that Barry Van Dyke himself had a starring role in.

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Goofs

Rachel supposedly took nitro glycerin pills in the parking lot. However, she was given a normal size pill which she swallowed like a normal pill. Nitro pills are tiny and are placed under the tongue to quickly dissolve into the blood stream.

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Quotes

Jackson Burley: You know what they say: You can walk the talk, but don't run the gun, if you you can't stand the hand.
Steve Sloan: [Sarcastically] That's what I always say.

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Connections

References Police Story (1973)

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