Paris is an American police procedural that aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1979 to January 15, 1980. The show is notable as the first appearance of actor James Earl Jones in a television lead role. Paris was created and executive produced by Steven Bochco, and produced by Edward DeBlasio for MTM Enterprises.

Plot

Los Angeles Police Captain Woody Paris (Jones) is the supervisor of a team of rookie detectives, led by Sergeant Stacy Erickson (Cecilia Hart) and including officers Charlie Bogart (Jake Mitchell), Ernesto Villas (Frank Ramirez), and Willie Miller (Michael Warren). Hank Garrett portrayed Deputy Chief Jerome Bench, Paris' superior, and, in an unusual turn for police dramas of that era, Paris' home and off-duty life was given considerable attention, with Lee Chamberlin portraying his wife Barbara. Paris additionally moonlighted as a professor of criminology at a local university.

Reception

Although Paris was critically acclaimed for its portrayal of the tension between the title character and his often impetuous underlings, it failed to attract viewers due to CBS scheduling it in one of the worst timeslots on a weekly schedule: Saturdays at 10 p.m. CBS moved the show to Tuesdays in the same timeslot in a futile attempt to improve ratings, and the show was canceled in 1980 after one season of thirteen episodes, two of which were not broadcast. Jones married former costar Hart two years after Paris' cancellation, and they remained together until her death in 2016.

Cast

Episodes

Sources

Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present, Alex McNeil, New York: Penguin, revised ed., 1984.