Leg Work
{{Short description|American crime drama television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Leg Work.jpg
| caption = Main title screen
| runtime = 60 minutes
| genre = Crime drama
| creator = Frank Abatemarco
| starring = Margaret Colin
Frances McDormand
Patrick James Clarke
| composer = Michael Omartian
| country = United States
| language = English
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| company = Treasure Island Productions
20th Century Fox Television
| network = CBS
| first_aired = {{start date|1987|10|3}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1987|11|7}}
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 10 (4 unaired)
}}
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),{{cite news
| last =Buck
| first =Jerry
| title =Cop's daughter plays cop's daughter
| publisher =Toronto Star
| location =Toronto, ON
| date =August 19, 1987
| pages =B.3
| url =https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/471956431.html?dids=471956431:471956431&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+19%2C+1987&author=Jerry+Buck+Associated+Press&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Cop%27s+daughter+plays+cop%27s+daughter&pqatl=google| archive-url =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| url-status =dead| archive-date =January 31, 2013}}
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.
Episodes
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:100%; background:#fff;" |
| style="background:#;"| No.
! style="background:#;"| Title ! style="background:#;"| Directed by ! style="background:#;"| Written by ! style="background:#;"| Original air date ! style="background:#;"| Prod. {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = Pilot |DirectedBy = Richard Michaels |WrittenBy = Frank Abatemarco |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|10|3}} |ProdCode = 5G79 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |Title = Things That Go Bump in the Night |DirectedBy = Ray Danton |WrittenBy = Deborah R. Baron |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|10|10}} |ProdCode = 5G01 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |Title = The Best Couple I Know |DirectedBy = Peter H. Hunt |WrittenBy = Mark Lisson |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|10|17}} |ProdCode = 5G02 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |Title = All This and a Gold Card Too |DirectedBy = Peter H. Hunt |WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Frank Abatemarco|t= Frank Abatemarco & Deborah R. Baron}} |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|10|24}} |ProdCode = 5G05 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |Title = Blind Trust |DirectedBy = John Nicolella |WrittenBy = Frank Abatemarco & Mark Lisson & Marvin Kupfer & Deborah R. Baron |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|10|31}} |ProdCode = 5G06 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |Title = The Art of Murder |DirectedBy = John Nicolella |WrittenBy = Marvin Kupfer |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1987|11|7}} |ProdCode = 5G04 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 7 |Title = Mystery Woman |DirectedBy = Ray Danton |WrittenBy = Janis Hirsch |OriginalAirDate=UNAIRED |ProdCode = 5G03 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 8 |Title = Life Itself |DirectedBy = Dale White |WrittenBy = Chaim Laeb |OriginalAirDate=UNAIRED |ProdCode = 5G07 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 9 |Title = The American Dream |DirectedBy = Michael Zinberg |WrittenBy = Bruce Graham |OriginalAirDate=UNAIRED |ProdCode = 5G08 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 10 |Title = Peaches |DirectedBy = Dale White |WrittenBy = Kathy McCormick |OriginalAirDate=UNAIRED |ProdCode = 5G09 |ShortSummary= |LineColor= }} |
|---|
Reaction and ratings
Critical opinion was mixed. {{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} 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.{{cite news
| last =Kelley
| first =Bill
| title =CBS aims to attract male viewers with new fall lineup
| publisher =Sun Sentinel
| location =Fort Lauderdale, FL
| date =August 5, 1987
| pages =5.E
| url = http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-08-05/features/8703050428_1_nine-new-series-network-won-t-show| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214216/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-08-05/features/8703050428_1_nine-new-series-network-won-t-show| url-status = dead| archive-date = March 3, 2016}}
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.Baker, Kathryn (11 November 1987). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=siRXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1109%2C1174380 Miniseries draws Nielsen points], Kentucky New Era (Associated Press)
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.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0092393}}
- {{Epguides|id=LegWork}}
- [https://thrillingdetective.com/2021/05/17/claire-mccarron-leg-work/ Thrilling Detective: Claire McCarron]
Category:1980s American crime drama television series
Category:1987 American television series debuts
Category:1987 American television series endings
Category:Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
Category:Television shows set in New York City
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:American detective television series
{{US-drama-tv-prog-stub}}