Leg Work is an American crime drama television series created by Frank Abatemarco that premiered on CBS on October 3, 1987. Ten episodes of the series were produced, of which six were aired prior to the show's cancellation. The final episode aired on November 7, 1987. The cable network TV Land later aired the remaining four episodes.
Synopsis
Set in New York City, the show's main character was Claire McCarron (played by Margaret Colin), a former Assistant D.A. turned private investigator. A policeman's daughter (Colin was a policeman's daughter in real life),1 she drove around town in a Porsche 911 Cabriolet 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 Frances McDormand as Willie Pipal, her friend who still worked for the DA's office.
Cast
- Margaret Colin as Claire McCarron
- Patrick James Clarke as Fred McCarron
- Frances McDormand as Willie Pipal
- Robert Dorfman as Jeffrey
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod.code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Richard Michaels | Frank Abatemarco | October 3, 1987 (1987-10-03) | 5G79 |
| 2 | "Things That Go Bump in the Night" | Ray Danton | Deborah R. Baron | October 10, 1987 (1987-10-10) | 5G01 |
| 3 | "The Best Couple I Know" | Peter H. Hunt | Mark Lisson | October 17, 1987 (1987-10-17) | 5G02 |
| 4 | "All This and a Gold Card Too" | Peter H. Hunt | Story by : Frank AbatemarcoTeleplay by : Frank Abatemarco & Deborah R. Baron | October 24, 1987 (1987-10-24) | 5G05 |
| 5 | "Blind Trust" | John Nicolella | Frank Abatemarco & Mark Lisson & Marvin Kupfer & Deborah R. Baron | October 31, 1987 (1987-10-31) | 5G06 |
| 6 | "The Art of Murder" | John Nicolella | Marvin Kupfer | November 7, 1987 (1987-11-07) | 5G04 |
| 7 | "Mystery Woman" | Ray Danton | Janis Hirsch | UNAIRED | 5G03 |
| 8 | "Life Itself" | Dale White | Chaim Laeb | UNAIRED | 5G07 |
| 9 | "The American Dream" | Michael Zinberg | Bruce Graham | UNAIRED | 5G08 |
| 10 | "Peaches" | Dale White | Kathy McCormick | UNAIRED | 5G09 |
Reaction and ratings
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 Foley Square (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 The Golden Girls and Amen.2 Ratings were indeed dismal, as in its five weeks on the air, Leg Work 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.3
Despite its brief run, Leg Work was shown in other countries outside of the US. It premiered in the UK on the ITV network (usually in a late Friday night slot) in Spring 1988. It was also screened on Network 10 in Australia.
External links
References
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. 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 ↩
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. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214216/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-08-05/features/8703050428_1_nine-new-series-network-won-t-show ↩
Baker, Kathryn (11 November 1987). Miniseries draws Nielsen points, Kentucky New Era (Associated Press) https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=siRXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1109%2C1174380 ↩