The Devlin Connection
The Devlin Connection is a short-lived American television crime drama[1] starring Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia. The show aired on NBC for 13 episodes in 1982, premiering on October 2.[2]
| The Devlin Connection | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Detective fiction Procedural drama |
| Created by | John Wilder |
| Starring | Rock Hudson Jack Scalia |
| Theme music composer | Patrick Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jerry Thorpe |
| Producer(s) | Cliff Gould Harvey Frand |
| Running time | 48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Jerry Thorpe Productions Mammoth Films, Inc. Viacom Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 2 – December 25, 1982 |
Premise
Hudson stars as Brian Devlin, a former military intelligence officer and ex-owner of a detective agency who is now the director of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Devlin meets racquetball pro and private investigator Nick Corsello (Scalia), who is revealed to be Devlin's son from a brief affair 28 years earlier. The accent of the show was put on the fun of investigating crimes instead of classic drama crime investigation. Hudson's intent was to create "classy, sophisticated, educational, literate entertainment".[3][4] The duo proceed to solve a mystery-of-the-week.
Hudson and Scalia had previously worked together on the film The Star Maker in 1981.[3] The Devlin Connection was Harvey Frand's first job as a producer.[5]
Cast
- Rock Hudson as Brian Devlin, director of Performing Arts Center
- Jack Scalia as Nick Corsello, racquetball pro and private detective
- Leigh Taylor-Young as Lauren Dane, Brian's assistant1
- Louis Giambalvo as Lt. Earl Borden, Nick's friend and former colleague from New York1
- Takayo as Mrs. Watanabe, Brian's housekeeper1
- Melanie Vincz as Alice Arms, Nick's health club co-worker1
- Jack Kruschen as Max Salkall, orchestra conductor at Performing Arts Center1
- Irene Tedrow as Margaret Hollister, Brian's assistant2
- Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Otis Barnes, Nick's friend and night club owner2
1^ Character only in second version filmed in 1982 but aired first.
2^ Character only in first version filmed in 1981 but aired second.
Production changes
Production started in 1981 but after several episodes were filmed it was delayed a year due to Hudson's heart problems[6] (heart surgery with five heart bypasses[7]). When the filming resumed there were many changes. In the first version Brian has an older assistant (Irene Tedrow), and his office and apartment are modest. Nick is a Vietnam veteran and now just a small-time private detective who works out of a night club. The stories are grittier. In the second version Brian's assistant is glamorous (Leigh Taylor-Young), and his office and apartment are much larger and more sumptuous. Nick is a former NYPD officer and now a racquetball pro who works at a health club and investigates on the side. The stories are much more upscale. At Hudson's insistence, the nine flashier episodes aired first which was a little confusing because the episode where they actually meet, "Claudine", became the tenth episode.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Brian and Nick" | Christian I. Nyby II | Cliff Gould | October 2, 1982 |
| 2 | "Lady on the Billboard" | James Frawley | Henri Simoun | October 9, 1982 |
| 3 | "Love, Sin and Death at Point Dume" | Christian I. Nyby II | Guerdon Trueblood | October 16, 1982 |
| 4 | "The Corpse in the Corniche" | Barry Crane | Howard Berk & Cliff Gould | October 23, 1982 |
| 5 | "The Absolute Monarch of Ward C" | Barry Crane | Michael Sloan & Cliff Gould | October 30, 1982 |
| 6 | "The French Detective" | Rod Holcomb | TBA | November 6, 1982 |
| 7 | "Of Nuns and Other Black Birds" | Christian I. Nyby II | TBA | November 13, 1982 |
| 8 | "Ring of Kings, Ring of Thieves" | Jeff Bleckner | Rudolph Borchert | November 27, 1982 |
| 9 | "Arsenic and Old Caviar" | James Frawley | Rudolph Borchert | December 4, 1982 |
| 10 | "Claudine" | Lee H. Katzin | John Wilder | December 11, 1982 |
| 11 | "Allison" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Anne Collins | December 18, 1982 |
| 12 | "Erica" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Peter Lefcourt | December 25, 1982 |
| 13 | "Jennifer" | TBA | Frank Furino | UNAIRED1 |
1^ NBC burned off the final episode in 1983. All 13 episodes aired on TV Land in the late 1990s.
Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Start Date | End Date | Nielsen Rank | Nielsen Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | 13 | October 2, 1982 | December 25, 1982 | 96[8] | N/A |
Video releases
In the mid-1980s Trans World Entertainment officially released the first three episodes on VHS videotape cassettes.[9] There are also bootleg DVDs of all the TV Land aired episodes.
References
- Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
- "Devlin Connection". TV Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- Unger, Arthur (October 1, 1982). "Rock Hudson looks back on his films and ahead to his TV series". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- "The Devlin Connection – 1982". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- Staff (July 31, 2009). "Emmy-winning producer Frand dies". Hollywood.com. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- Staff (November 15, 1982). "One Year After Heart Surgery, Rock Hudson Is Rolling Again, but His Devlin Connection Is Ailing". People. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- Berger, Joseph (October 3, 1985). "Rock Hudson, Screen Idol, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- Clawson, J. (July 9, 2017). "1982–83 Ratings History — Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". The TV Ratings Guide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- "Devlin Connection Vol. 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.