The Law & Harry McGraw

The Law & Harry McGraw
Genre
Created byPeter S. Fischer
Starring
ComposerRichard Markowitz
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producerPeter S. Fischer
ProducerTom Sawyer
Running time60 minutes
Production company
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 27, 1987 (1987-09-27) –
February 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
Related
Murder, She Wrote

The Law & Harry McGraw is an American mystery crime drama television series created by Peter S. Fischer and a spin-off of Murder, She Wrote that aired on CBS from September 27, 1987, to February 10, 1988.[1]

Harry McGraw had been a recurring character in Murder She Wrote, having appeared in six episodes, beginning with "Tough Guys Don't Die" (season 1, episode 16).[2]

Plot

The series stars Jerry Orbach as a loudmouthed, uncouth, old school private detective who continually finds himself solving mysteries on behalf of the prim and proper attorney (played by Barbara Babcock), who has an office across the hall. The attorney, Ellie Maginnis, finds McGraw's methods somewhat hard to digest, albeit effective, and a romantic attraction between the two is suggested although the series didn't last long enough for such a subplot to fully develop.

Cast

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Viewers
(in millions)
1"Dead Men Don't Make Phone Calls"Peter CranePeter S. FischerSeptember 27, 1987 (1987-09-27)15.20[7]
2"Murder by Landslide"Peter CranePeter S. FischerOctober 6, 1987 (1987-10-06)9.4 rating[8]
3"Mr. Chapman, I Presume?"Sigmund Neufeld Jr.Steven Long Mitchell & Craig W. Van SickleOctober 13, 1987 (1987-10-13)15.40[9]
4"The Fallen Arrow"Allen ReisnerRobert E. SwansonOctober 20, 1987 (1987-10-20)14.80[10]
5"Rapaport's Back in Town"Jackie CooperPeter S. FischerOctober 27, 1987 (1987-10-27)12.70[11]
6"She's Not Wild About Harry"Seymour RobbieJanice FishmanNovember 3, 1987 (1987-11-03)13.30[12]
7"Angela's Secret"Nick HavingaArthur David WeingartenNovember 10, 1987 (1987-11-10)15.40[13]
8"Solve It Again, Harry"Jackie CooperMarvin Kupfer & Peter S. FischerNovember 17, 1987 (1987-11-17)12.40[14]
9"State of the Art"Allen ReisnerTom SawyerNovember 24, 1987 (1987-11-24)13.00[15]
10"Yankee Boodle Dandy"Seymour RobbieTom SawyerDecember 1, 1987 (1987-12-01)17.40[16]
11"Old Heroes Never Lie"Walter GraumanWalter BroughDecember 8, 1987 (1987-12-08)13.40[17]
12"Gilhooley's is History"Sigmund Neufeld Jr.Story by : Joe Goldberg
Teleplay by : Richard Stanley & Ralph Meyering Jr.		January 13, 1988 (1988-01-13)12.50[18]
13"Beware the Ides of May"Seymour RobbiePeter S. FischerJanuary 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)12.90[19]
14"Waiting Game"Allen ReisnerPeter S. FischerJanuary 27, 1988 (1988-01-27)12.30[20]
15"Harry Does the Hustle"John Llewellyn MoxeyPeter S. FischerFebruary 3, 1988 (1988-02-03)13.10[21]
16"Maginnis for the People"Allen ReisnerPeter S. FischerFebruary 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)11.10[22]

Cancellation

After the show's fast cancellation (it lasted a little more than a half-season), Orbach reprised the role of Harry McGraw in a few episodes of Murder, She Wrote before a few years later moving on to play NYPD Senior detective Lennie Briscoe on fellow Universal Television series Law & Order.[23][24]

Home media

The complete series was released in Australia by Madman Entertainment in 2012 as a 5-Disc (PAL Format) box set for region 4.[25]

References

  1. ^ "The Law And Harry McGraw and Murder, She Wrote". Poobala. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  2. ^ "Harry McGraw (The Law and Harry McGraw)". The Thrilling Detective Web Site. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Harry McGraw". Thrilling Detective. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  4. ^ (via Goggle Boks)Rowan, Terry (2015). Whodoneit! A Film Guide. Lulu. p. 284. ISBN 9781312308060.
  5. ^ a b "The Law & Harry McGraw - Starring Jerry Orbach". Vintage TV and more. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  6. ^ a b (via Goggle Boks)Rowan, Terry (2015). Whodoneit! A Film Guide. Lulu. p. 264. ISBN 9781312308060.
  7. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending September 27, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  8. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending October 4, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  9. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending October 11, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  10. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending October 18, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  11. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending October 25, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  12. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending November 1, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  13. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending November 8, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  14. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending November 15, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  15. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending November 22, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  16. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending December 6, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  17. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending December 13, 1987". Ratings Ryan.
  18. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending January 17, 1988". Ratings Ryan.
  19. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending January 24, 1988". Ratings Ryan.
  20. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending January 31, 1988". Ratings Ryan.
  21. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending February 7, 1988". Ratings Ryan.
  22. ^ "Nielsen Ratings: Week Ending February 14, 1988". Ratings Ryan.
  23. ^ "Point of View". Law & Order. Season 3. Episode 9. November 25, 1992. NBC.
  24. ^ "TNT Pays Month-Long Tribute to Beloved Law & Order Detective Lennie Briscoe". The Futon Critic. Futon Media. September 18, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  25. ^ "Amazon.com: The Law and Harry McGraw". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved June 4, 2016.


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