Saturday, September 23, 2017

Forgotten TV: JJ Starbuck (1987)

We've all run across people consumed by their careers at the expense of their families. Stephen J. Cannell decided to try and develop a crime drama based around one of those people.

J. J. Starbuck ran for 1 season (1987-8) on NBC, and brought Dale Robertson (ex-Iron Horse, Death Valley Days) back to series television after a lengthy absence. Starbuck (Robertson) was a self-made millionaire whose wife and son were killed in a plane crash when they tried to pay a surprise visit to JJ while on a job. From that point, Starbuck experienced an epiphany, and decided to help common folks avoid the same life mistakes he made.

Starbuck turned over his business to his second-in-command, Charlie Bullets, played in the pilot by character actor David Huddleston, but when the series started, actor-singer-sausage salesman Jimmy Dean, in his first TV role since Daniel Boone, replaced Huddleston.

After a mid-season accident at home created some physical issues for Robertson, actor-singer Ben Vereen reprised his role as E. L. "Tenspeed" Turner (Tenspeed & Brown Shoe), with Turner now acting as a wheelman for Starbuck. Unfortunately, the series lasted just 5 more weeks with Vereen on board before being cancelled in favor of In The Heat Of The Night.

The Rap Sheet offers the intro, with the theme performed by country singer Ronnie Milsap.



No rating. Never saw the show.

2 comments:

Hal said...

I did see it on Tuesday nights a few times then. One of Cannell's lesser efforts IMO, but it was great to see Robertson back on TV. Probably a better show than IRON HORSE was.

hobbyfan said...

Iron Horse got 2 seasons to Starbuck's 1. In between, IIRC, Robertson had put in the time on Death Valley Days, and I think he had the same look he had on Starbuck when he was on Dallas.