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Leg Work
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<h2 id="synopsis">Synopsis</h2> <p>Set in <a href="/facts/New_York_City/YlyvFmVC">New York City</a>, the show's main character was Claire McCarron (played by <a href="/facts/Margaret_Colin/wR4GxhNt">Margaret Colin</a>), a former <a href="/facts/District_Attorney/pf0nyU2l">Assistant D.A.</a> turned private investigator. A policeman's daughter (Colin was a policeman's daughter in real life),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> she drove around town in a <a href="/facts/Porsche_911_classic/t5db4f3t">Porsche 911</a> <a href="/facts/Convertible/dVom4A5N">Cabriolet</a> but lived beyond her means and often struggled to make a living from her fledgling detective agency. The show also starred Patrick James Clarke as her brother and NYPD lieutenant Fred McCarron, and <a href="/facts/Frances_McDormand/r2oD3ok9">Frances McDormand</a> as Willie Pipal, her friend who still worked for the DA's office. </p> <h2 id="cast">Cast</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Margaret_Colin/wR4GxhNt">Margaret Colin</a> as Claire McCarron</li> <li>Patrick James Clarke as Fred McCarron</li> <li><a href="/facts/Frances_McDormand/r2oD3ok9">Frances McDormand</a> as Willie Pipal</li> <li>Robert Dorfman as Jeffrey</li></ul> <h2 id="episodes">Episodes</h2> <table><tbody><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original air date</th><th>Prod.code</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">1</th><td rowspan="1">"Pilot"</td><td><a href="/facts/Richard_Michaels/RATB8lX2">Richard Michaels</a></td><td>Frank Abatemarco</td><td>October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03)</td><td rowspan="1">5G79</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">2</th><td rowspan="1">"Things That Go Bump in the Night"</td><td><a href="/facts/Ray_Danton/C0RpymE0">Ray Danton</a></td><td>Deborah R. Baron</td><td>October 10, 1987 (1987-10-10)</td><td rowspan="1">5G01</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">3</th><td rowspan="1">"The Best Couple I Know"</td><td><a href="/facts/Peter_H._Hunt/RKRjMvzv">Peter H. Hunt</a></td><td>Mark Lisson</td><td>October 17, 1987 (1987-10-17)</td><td rowspan="1">5G02</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">4</th><td rowspan="1">"All This and a Gold Card Too"</td><td>Peter H. Hunt</td><td><i>Story by</i> : Frank Abatemarco<i>Teleplay by</i> : Frank Abatemarco & Deborah R. Baron</td><td>October 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)</td><td rowspan="1">5G05</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">5</th><td rowspan="1">"Blind Trust"</td><td>John Nicolella</td><td>Frank Abatemarco & Mark Lisson & Marvin Kupfer & Deborah R. Baron</td><td>October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31)</td><td rowspan="1">5G06</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">6</th><td rowspan="1">"The Art of Murder"</td><td>John Nicolella</td><td>Marvin Kupfer</td><td>November 7, 1987 (1987-11-07)</td><td rowspan="1">5G04</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">7</th><td rowspan="1">"Mystery Woman"</td><td>Ray Danton</td><td>Janis Hirsch</td><td>UNAIRED</td><td rowspan="1">5G03</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">8</th><td rowspan="1">"Life Itself"</td><td>Dale White</td><td>Chaim Laeb</td><td>UNAIRED</td><td rowspan="1">5G07</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">9</th><td rowspan="1">"The American Dream"</td><td>Michael Zinberg</td><td>Bruce Graham</td><td>UNAIRED</td><td rowspan="1">5G08</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="1">10</th><td rowspan="1">"Peaches"</td><td>Dale White</td><td>Kathy McCormick</td><td>UNAIRED</td><td rowspan="1">5G09</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="reaction-and-ratings">Reaction and ratings</h2> <p>Critical opinion was mixed. It was described as having a "somewhat leering tone", but also the "best and brightest of CBS' new series" as well as being a seeming extension of Colin's 1985 lawyer sitcom, the equally short-lived <a href="/facts/Foley_Square_(TV_series)/DktnkHYH"><i>Foley Square</i></a> (in which Colin had played an assistant district attorney). However even before its premiere, critics anticipated a quick demise due to its difficult programming slot, on Saturday nights opposite NBC's <i><a href="/facts/The_Golden_Girls/f1YP74n0">The Golden Girls</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Amen_(TV_series)/durHon0w">Amen</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Ratings were indeed dismal, as in its five weeks on the air, <i>Leg Work</i> was always rated within the bottom five network shows every single week. In its final airing it was ranked dead last, 71st out of 71 ranked shows that week.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>Despite its brief run, <i>Leg Work</i> was shown in other countries outside of the US. It premiered in the UK on the <a href="/facts/ITV_(TV_network)/pIlD3oza">ITV</a> network (usually in a late Friday night slot) in Spring 1988. It was also screened on <a href="/facts/Network_10/E9nB73FV">Network 10</a> in Australia. </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092393/"><i>Leg Work</i></a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="https://epguides.com/LegWork/"><i>Leg Work</i></a> at <a href="/facts/Epguides/UBf0fnp0">epguides.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://thrillingdetective.com/2021/05/17/claire-mccarron-leg-work/">Thrilling Detective: Claire McCarron</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Buck, Jerry (August 19, 1987). "Cop's daughter plays cop's daughter". Toronto, ON: Toronto Star. pp. B.3. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. <a href="https://archive.today/20130131154246/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/471956431.html?dids=471956431:471956431&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+19,+1987&author=Jerry+Buck+Associated+Press&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Cop's+daughter+plays+cop's+daughter&pqatl=google" target="_blank">https://archive.today/20130131154246/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/471956431.html?dids=471956431:471956431&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+19,+1987&author=Jerry+Buck+Associated+Press&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Cop's+daughter+plays+cop's+daughter&pqatl=google</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Kelley, Bill (August 5, 1987). "CBS aims to attract male viewers with new fall lineup". Fort Lauderdale, FL: Sun Sentinel. pp. 5.E. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214216/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-08-05/features/8703050428_1_nine-new-series-network-won-t-show" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214216/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-08-05/features/8703050428_1_nine-new-series-network-won-t-show</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Baker, Kathryn (11 November 1987). Miniseries draws Nielsen points, Kentucky New Era (Associated Press) <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=siRXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1109%2C1174380" target="_blank">https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=siRXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1109%2C1174380</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>