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Benson(1979–1986)
September 13, 19797 Seasons · 158 Episodes
Ended
Comedy
3.6from 40 users
Overview
A butler deals with life at the governor's mansion.
Created by Susan Harris
Network ABC
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A butler deals with life at the governor's mansion.
1982
A yacht cruise becomes a murder mystery when the owner of the boat is stabbed to death.
Murders abound on a working vacation aboard a yacht, but Benson saves the day.
While attending a conference in Latin America, Benson and Pete are kidnapped by revolutionaries. In exchange, they want 6 United States fighter jets in their possession.
Benson's younger brother visits him at the same time an important report is due.
Charlie, the mansion's gardener, is about to retire. Charlie wants to still work, so he tries to get Benson's help.
Benson must pass an economics test to keep her job, but when she finds out that Benson is going to be her teacher, she thinks that it's hopeless.
Benson holds an army reunion and hatred surfaces when Kim, a Korean kid they befriended during the war, turns out to me a successful mulit-millionaire.
Benson buys a house from a shady real estate salesman and since the house has so many major problems, Benson tries to get him to renovate it.
When Benson's condo is robbed, he finds out that it won't be easy to catch the crooks.
It's Christmas time and Benson helps an assistant cook keep her foster children.
Kraus' pen pal, who is an Ex-convict, visits her hoping for a job, which disrupts the execitive mansion.
Kraus is about to get married. But when he can't make it, Benson plays as a substitute and ends up really getting married to Kraus. What makes him married to Kraus is the fact that he signed the marriage license and didn't sign her real husband-to-be's name on the license.
While Benson and the Governor are playing golf, a UFO shows up.
The Governor allows Katie to go on her 1st date aside from the rise of an ecomonic crisis.
A former street gang is hired to paint the mansion for the visiting Queen of England.
The men come to Benson's house to swap stories, play cards, and watch tv. Also, the Governor is a little disappointed at Benson for vetoing a legislative bill he was for.
When an aunt dies, Benson and Clayton, learn that they might be related to each other.
Kraus pretends to be a wealthy heiress to keep a manufacturing plant in the state.
Benson hosts a telethon and lets Kraus sing when other acts cancel out.
Benson learns that his nephew, a basketball star, can hardly reador write.
Benson and the Governor try putting an antenna on the roof, but the ladder falls and the two get trapped up there.
Benson is upset when his girlfriend Jennifer, decides to date other men.
1979
In the pilot of this spinoff series of Soap, Benson, the Butler of Jessica Tate helps out her cousin Gene Gatling, who is the Governor of the state. Benson's first escapade lands him into finding a way for a huge company to build their new bridge without killing beavers. His success in this idea seems to land him a ""trial offer"" for this new job.
1980
Benson and Kraus are held hostage during a market robbery.
Katie attends a controversial rock concert, even though her father forbid her to go and had Benson watch her. Now the question is, who will get home in time? The Governor or Katie? Benson, afraid Katie will not come home in time applies for another job in the meantime.
Governor Gatling goes with African president Ukassi to a dinner. The African president becomes a victim of an assasination attempt and while his wounds get worse, Benson plays the part of the African president. The problem is that the assasins want that president dead and they have their desires on killing him not knowing that it's Benson.
Benson meets an attrative woman in the mansion and asks her out, not knowing she is a senator.
The Governor is faced with a family problem. Should he go see his daughter in her school play as he promised, or should he accept a very important political invitation that is scheduled for the same night? The Governor decides he has to attend the political meeting and Benson has to stand in.
Benson is forced to lay off some staff members when the Governor makes a campaign to cut ""unecessary"" spending. Katie resents Benson when he has to fire the sweet woman who lightens up everyone's day.
Governor Gatling wants the staff to join him on his little vacation to a snow cottage. Benson agrees when he learns that Kraus will not attend. Later Kraus changes her mind and Benson has to live with it. He has to live with it harder when the staff gets snowed in.
Jessica Tate visits and she gets involved in a scandal. She falls in love with the French Baron who is visiting and all of a sudden he dies. It's now up to Benson and Jessica to try to fool a crowd of media that he is still alive and departing the Hotel he's staying at without them knowing and connecting Jessica with the death.
A bad remark about a senator gets aired out and the staff is in trouble. They have to find who blabbed before more damaging information gets out.
Benson's old army buddy Eddie visits and him and Marcy hit it off after Benson introduces him to single Marcy. The problem is that Eddie is a married man and Benson didn't know that.
Very mysterious things happen in the Governor's mansion. Kraus panicks and says that the house is haunted. They have a seance and find out that the ghost was a goveror who was murdered a long time ago. The reason he is haunting the mansion is because the man who murdered that Governor was going to be honored by Gov. Gatling with a memorial street named after him.
Taylor quits being the advisor to Governor Gatling and decides to run for a public office. The Governor starts to need Taylor back when he can't manage his own political responsibilities.
The domestic workers demand more money and Benson grants their requests to give them a raise. The blue-collar people go on strike after Governor Gatling refuses their plea. At the same time, very important people come to dinner and Benson has to do all the duties. He does all he can do, and with his smarts he turns it into a disaster so that they can get a taste of what it's like not to have them.
Governor Gatling is trying to get Howard Walker, the entrepreneur to settle his new factory in his constituency. Benson on his own tries not to let this go through because him and Howard's wife had a love affair years ago.
The Governor gets sick and has to stay in bed. Ed, his younger replacement takes advantage of the position and responsibilities of Governor too far. Ed tries to become the permanent replacement for the Governor. Benson catches this and tries to stop it.
Somebody bugged the mansion and Benson tries to find out who by trapping them inside. It turned out that Taylor's lover, who was inside the mansion before, dispensed all equipment in the building.
Kraus falls for the Butcher, but she loses her self-confidence asking him out.
An 11 year old Soviet is brought to the mansion for a professional chess tournament. While the boy is homesick and wanting to be out of the public's eye, he sees Katie who hides him in her room. All hell breaks loose when the Soviets can't find him and accuses the US staff of kidnapping him. The Soviets then threaten war if the boy is not returned.
Just before a very important banquet with guests, Benson and Kraus go in the old storage room to look for something and the door shuts on them. With minimal healthy air and a freezing temperature Benson and Kraus have to find themselves a way out. Benson risks it all when he starts a fire near an old heat duct and the mansion fills with smoke. That is the way the firemen tracked them.
The Governor's loudmouth father comes to visit and wreaks havoc among the staff. Benson then gets so fed up with the arrogance and the idea of the father breathing down his son's back that he traps him in the kitchen. Benson supervises him until the Governor's speech is over.
A load of dead fish and sludge is delivered to the Mansion by a conservationist.
Wanting to know how the ""little people"" really feel about politics and their real needs, Governor Gatling and Benson visit a mangy bar to talk to the constituents but land in trouble when a man picks a fight with Gatling at the bar, not knowing who he is.
Benson, a war veteran suspicious when he is told to report for an ""evaluation."" It seems that on their record, Benson Dubois died in the Korean war, so treating Benson like some kind of a spy or something, the Fed's watch and follow his every move. Even the staff is trying to link spydom with his work habits.
Marcy is going on vacation and she gets worried that Lorraine, her replacement may do a better job than she does and get dismissed for good.
Humor swipes the Governor's Mansion when Benson is hospitalized. Benson turns out to be their funniest patient ever. They realize that he has a strange malady that has all the doctors in question.
After a press conference, Benson notices a strange difference in one side of the fire place. He tries to twist it so it is similar with the other side. When he twists the knob a secret map comes out which gives the staff gold fever. They go to the shed in back and frantically look for the gold.
A priceless gold statue is brought to the mansion and some revolutionaries are after it. They replace the statue with a replica and they find out so they have to find a way to get the real statue back. They end up having to hide it in the bowl of punch.
Katie is jealous when her father gives special treatment to a very important hostess which he calls Pretty Lilly. Katie fears that she may be losing him to her.
Gretchen attends night classes in order to win her American citizenship. With a lot of hard work and achievement she fails the test. It seems that she remembers more when she's angry, so Benson and Marcy come with her. Benson then uses the anger strategy when she is failing. She gets angry and spews out answers that eventually win her her citizenship.
Benson's summer romance follows him home at the same time important religious leaders visit the mansion. The main problem in this episode ia that she likes Benson so much, she'll try anything to ""win"" him over to her. She even threatens to disrupt the religious conference and get Benson fired.
The pilot of the Governor's charter plane becomes ill and there is no co-pilot, so Benson tries to fly the plane himself.
Libby, The Governor's sister thinks that Katie should be sent to a boarding school and the Governor sends her to one. The staff is crushed with the Governor taking his sister's advice.
Wanting to be alone, Benson rents an apartment. Everybody though manages to know where he is.
The press secretary hatches a new scheme and it involves Benson in a ""Big Buddy"" program.
The Governor is scheduled to be on television, but a lover's quarrel between Marcy and Dan, (the producer of the Governor's telecast) end up bleeding to his telecast, ruining it as one can say. Benson himself has to get into this.
Marcy is marrying Dan, a producer and Benson is responsible for the wedding plans. That is until Marcy's mother disrupts Benson's plans by butting in.
Kraus' childhood enemy comes from Germany to visit her.
Benson's mother comes to visit and everyone makes her feel welcome. Tender moments stir in this episode between Benson and his mother. Unfortunately Benson's mom passes away which leaves Benson very upset. The only thing that gives comfort to Benson was the faith his mother had in Jesus and when he asks the Lord to give him a sign, the taxicab driver recites the same words his mother taught him for so long. ""You've got to have faith""
After receiving death threats, the Governor's new advisor, Clayton Endicott the 3rd moves into the mansion.
After a boy breaks his arm by falling out of a tree, Benson has different feelings about becoming the boy's surrogate father.
Katie tries to ""paint a picture"" of everyone in her household through an essay.
Katie is suppose to write a school paper on her family, so she writes about certain situations that Benson, The Governor, Marcy, Pete, and Gretchen Kraus have all been in.
The Governor, Benson and Clayton are trapped in a bordello with a muckraking columnist.
An earthquake occurs and the Governor demmands strict rescue orders. One of those orders include Benson and Clayton hiding in the cellar which actually brings them to get along a little bit.
Benson saves Kraus' life but wonders if he did the right thing when Kraus' appreciation goes way too far.
1981
The Governor tries to work out the struggles to make Benson the State Budget Director.
Benson goes undercover to investigate conditions in a Prison.
In Benson's office, a conductor holds a concert in protest. He would like to point out the musician's plight with the culture's subsides. Meanwhile Mary has her last working day with Benson.
Benson must help an FBI agent uncover a bribe scandal, but as the job becomes more complicated, the Attourney office jumps in to accuse the corrupt politicians.
Benson's lobbyist girlfriend approaches Benson with a project he approves, but the project bring Benson a bunch of charges of corruption.
The Governor hold an encounter session with the staff.
While Benson learns that his old flame (Rosalind Cash) is confined to a wheelchair, Clayton is trying to celebrate his birthday.
Clayton is assaulted and Benson approves of tighter security at his expense. Meanwhile a ""being"" is claiming that starships are coming.
Kraus falls in love with a man who is ineligible for her.
Benson accepts some stock from Pete as a debt payment. He tells Denise this information and tells her not to tell anyone. She accidentally slips and tells Gretchen and Clayton and they invest in the stock too. Unfortunately when Pete gets the idea that his stock went up, he buys back the stock from Benson and Clayton and Kraus get an unfortunate end of the deal. The stock they bought was in a rubber ball factory, but they thought they were buying in a satellite investment.
Kraus tries to live life to the absolute fullest after she gets the idea that she only has 6 months to live.
The former Governor Mulligan pays his successor a visit. He intoroduces his hot niece Rose to the astonished present. Clayton is striked by her beauty and tries to ingratiate himself with her.
Benson tries to help a street gang stay out of trouble by trying to bid for a job in the city which requires a government contract.
Katie starts to have romantic feelings for Pete after he accompanies her to a gymnastics meet.
Clayton ends up buying into an apartment building and at the same time Benson tries to get the landlord to fix the problems in his apartment. Benson also learns that the apartment complex that he lives in, is the apartment building Clayton just bought, so when Benson asks Clayton what he should do to take measures against a landlord, Clayton gives Benson the ammunition that would soon turn against his new landlord. Suddenly, Benson and Clayton threaten each other with lawsuits and when Clayton decides to tear it down, he learns that the complex is historical and comes to terms that Benson and the tennants won and that it would be a goldmine to keep running.
When a wealthy investor seeks sexual favors from Denise more than contributing to the state, Benson steps in by pretending that Denise was murdered by the man himself and a big ""witness"" act is brought up which eventually puts fear into the man.
Pete Begs Benson to borrow his car and when Benson finally let him, Pete comes back with the car totaled. Pete stopped a van with a couple of armed robbers using Benson's car. Everything looks great for Pete on account of his good deed, but nothing looks good for Benson who is not only out of a car, but who's insurance will not even pay for the damages. Finally, it's up to Pete, Benson, and a televised conference which may give Benson a chance to broadcast his way into coverage for his totaled car.
Pete and Benson are captured by guerrillas when they visit an island.
Benson, the Governor, Clayton, and Pete are at each others throats after playing a round of golf together.
The Governor learns a lot about dirty politics when his party won't support his renomination.
After visiting his old Lumber Mill, the Governor decides to run for re-election as an independant.
The Governor's campaign comes to a hectic close and the election results show that he has lost.
1983
In the 5th season opener, Denise and Pete are about to get married in the woods, but trouble arises when Pete forgets to put gasin the car and him, Benson, Denise and Kraus are are stranded. They then have to find a way to cicilization so they steal the minister's gasoline can and take off.
G.I. operatives replace Gene with a double.
Everyone thinks that Benson is out of it when he sees, hears, and talks to Jessica Tate's ghost.
Benson poses as Kraus' husband when her mother visits from Germany.
Katie is assigned to write a report about what goes on in the mansion and she starts to wrie about Benson and Clayton exchanging insults. Anyway Clayton feels that Benson has insulted him one last time and the case goes to court.
Plumbing problems at Benson's flat causes him to calling a crotchety old workman to fix his sink, but something unexpected happens to the plumber.
Benson gets the annoyng assigment of convncing a sheik to act on a multi-million dollar headquarter complex and his passionate advances toward Kraus.
Benson wins the state lottery but loses it all because he accidentally said that he would donate it to charity on a television program.
Benson helps Katie win a cookie contest while he's suppose to testify against the mob.
While Benson's neigbor is trapped in a snowstorm, Benson must take care of his baby for longer than he expected to.
The Governor meets the woman he had a crush on in high school, so Benson tries to fix the two up.
G.I. operatives replece Governor Gatling with a double.
Winston, one of Katie's classmates tries to set Benson up with his widowed mother.
Benson tries hard toget Gladys Knight and the pips to perform at a telethon.
Benson and Governor Gatling are surprised at Pete, who reverted back to his youth.
Benson is named Citywide Magazine's ""Bachelor of the Month"", but the female response threatens his romnce with the photographer.
When the visiting President orders a security check of all the emloyees at the mansion, Benson is labeled as a spy.
When Benson judges a beauty pageant, Clayton and Governor Gatling try to sway the vote in their direction.
While Denise is about to give birth, Denise, Benson, and the Governor get stuck in an elevator.
Clayton gets upset when his father chooses Benson to run his empire after he dies.
Kraus nags Benson in joining her to save an old hotel from being torn down and when Kraus uses extreme measures that could be dangerous to their lives, Benson seems to have no choice in the matter.
Benson learns that a crusty old medic does not have a medical license and when that man is up for the governor's Humanitarin Award, he wants none of the credit.
Robert Guillaume
Benson DuBois
James Noble
Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling
Inga Swenson
Gretchen Kraus
Missy Gold
Katie Gatling
René Auberjonois
Clayton Endicott III
Billie Bird
Rose Cassidy
1985
While Governor Gatling is away, Benson and Clayton are depended upon to spend an 8 million dollar budget surplus before the next fiscal year, which is only a matter of several hours away. When the surplus was found out by someone, The Governor and Clayton go through political embarassment.
When Benson revisits a relationship with Senator Hartford, the Senator changes her position on Clayton's commercial-development-of-state-parks bill. When Benson calls her on it, she flip-flops again and ultimately abstains.
Benson tries to bring the Governor and his brother Jack together after 25 years of not seeing each other.
A mysterious stranger lurks around the Governor's mansion on Haloween night.
While Benson and Kraus go to East Germany on official business, the two are accused of being spies and get arrested.
Synopsis currently unknown
Despite warnings, on their way to fly a helicopter to play golf, Benson, the Governor, and Clayton run into disasterous problems with Clayton as their pilot.
After crash landing the helicopter in the desert, Benson, the Governor, and Clayton all struggle to survive on account of them being stranded.
Benson becomes involved in one of Clayton's wacky investment schemes. This one is investing in a weiner-dog to breed for puppies, but Benson grows too attached to the dog, as does also Clayton.
After talk about Halley's comet, Karus dreams that she and Benson are the only ones left on earth.
Clayton's nomination of the Governor's budget director has a problem after it is found out that Clayton lives with a Soviet defector.
Benson and the Governor seek advice from a conservationist in helping them pass some environmental legislation.
A veteran is hired to retile the bathroom, but happens to disappear. Benson now has to investigate what happened and where his wherabouts are.
Actor George Kennedy's plan to film a movie in the Goveror's mansion runs into deadly problems, and turns into a lethal murder mystery.
With everyone's lives in danger and not much time left, they try to crack the case and survive.
Benson, convinced that the question Senator Hartford has for him is ""the"" question, runs quickly to initiate a proposal.
Clayton has his sights on running the family fortune, until he meets his father's new, young, and pretty fiancee. Then he realizes that inheriting the fortune will be pretty challenging.
Benson persuades to pardon a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years.
A conservation expert may help Benson and the Governor pass an inportant bill, but when Kraus hears of the strategy, she leaks it out to a friend who turs out to be a columnist and a major gossip to people who can owe her a favor for information.
The Governor answers an ad from a personal's column from a magazine.
With Governor Gatling's term about to close and Benson up to run for Governor, the Governor learns that he can run for yet one more term and decides to grab it. This leads to a final competition, hurt, and quarrels between the Governor and Benson. (Part 1 of 2)
As time is running out, Benson, the Governor, or the crooked senator will soon be out of a job. Which one? As the details come to a close we find that the winner of the election is......
1984
While going undercover, Benson learns that the Lieutenant Governor is accepting bribes from a construction company.
Benson finds it hard to believe that he is the sole heir to the Playbird magazine empire.
Benson's pleasure turns to panic when the attractive doctor who conducted his physical wants to meet him to discuss the results.
After Benson decides to run for Lieutenant Governor, he learns that the man who offers money to his campaign will have to benefit from Benson by doing him special political ""favors.""
When Benson runs out of his campaign money, a benefactor arrives when things look darkest.
Benson, the Governor, Clayton, and Kraus go off to Hong Kong where Clayton is mistaken for a famous designer and kinapped by a fashion tycoon and her henchmen.
Benson, in help from the Police, is persued while trying to rescue the captured Governor and Kraus, who earlier attempted to rescue Clayton from Lady Van Dyne.
Benson plans to have Kraus become Lieuteant Governor Benson's assistant. But things get screwed up when a nebbish with political clout is hired instead.
Benson fixes Clayton up with a date, but the date is disgusted with Clayton's romance ploys and ""manners"".
Benson is shocked when he tells his sister to be cautious with her ex boyfriend and doesn't listen.
Benson visits with his brother and Uncle who he hasn't seen in years.
A Declaration of War is brought out among two fighting nations after Benson attends a Trade conference.
As he is walking on the sidewalk during a Christmas rush, he trips and falls. While he is unconscious, he dreams about Christmas with his mother (Beah Richards).
Benson tries to investigate Kraus when she doesn't show up for a while. Kraus returns to acting and Benson disguises himelf as a limo driver to try and get her back.
Benson gets surrounded in red tape when he takes on the city mayor who pans to outlaw breakdancing in public places.
Benson, the Governor, Kraus, and Clayton talk about people from their past who influenced their lives greatly.
On a trip to Las Vegas, Benson meets the comic duo The Smothers Brothers.
While being called in from President Reagan on account of a remark Benson made, Benson and the Governor reach The Oval Office, and while waiting for the President, the two get trapped in there.
An exhausted Governor Gatling decides to play cowboy at a dude ranch to unwind.
Benson, the Governor, and everyone in the mansion go to the bomb cellar to try and prepare for a nuclear attack against the United States.
While the Governor is away on business, Benson is responsible for the work that needs to get done. In this particular case, Benson vetoes a bill that the Governor agreed to sign.
Katie's wild and undisciplined cousin Laura persuades Katie to lie to her father about sleeping at a friends and really go to a bar to pick up College men. You know what really flies when Benson and Clayton go to the same bar to get a drink and see them. Benson confronts Katie that he won't tell on her, it's up to her to decide whether or not to tell her dad or not.
Benson's tie-breaking vote on a school bill leads to a major conflict with a powerful senator and a book-burning incident.
When Clayton's name is passed over at the table of the Man of the Year Award, an award given by the Press, Clayton tries to capture Benson's personality so that he can win the award.
