Created by
Steven Bochco
Terry Louise Fisher
Starring
John Ritter
Debrah Farentino
Barbara Bosson
Felton Perry
Clarence Felder
Sydney Walsh
Joseph Gian
Alix Elias
Paul Linke (1988–1989)
Rod Gist (1988–1989)
Composer
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
2
No. of episodes
42
Production
Executive producer
Robert M. Myman
Running time
30 minutes
Production companies
Adam Productions
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
Network
Release
September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23) –
July 19, 1989 (1989-07-19)
Hooperman is an American comedy-drama television series which aired on ABC from September 23, 1987, to July 19, 1989. The show centered on the professional and personal life of San Francisco police Inspector Harry Hooperman, played by John Ritter. The series was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, who were the team responsible for creating L.A. Law. Though not the first comedy drama, Hooperman was considered the vanguard of a new television genre when it premiered, and critics coined the term "dramedy" to describe it.[1][2]
Ritter plays San Francisco police Inspector Harry Hooperman. In the first episode, Hooperman inherits the rundown apartment building he lives in when his elderly landlady is killed in a robbery. He also inherits her temperamental pet Jack Russell terrier named Bijoux. Due to the demands of his job as a police officer, he hires Susan Smith (played by Debrah Farentino) to be the building manager, and the pair become romantically involved throughout the first season.
Also starring on the show was Alix Elias as the cheerful and bubbly police dispatcher, Betty Bushkin; Barbara Bosson was Hooperman's divorced superior, Capt. Celeste "C.Z." Stern; Felton Perry as Harry's partner, Inspector Clarence McNeil; Clarence Felder as redneck inspector Boris "Bobo" Pritzger; Joseph Gian as Rick Silardi, a gay cop, and Sydney Walsh as officer Maureen "Mo" DeMott, his patrol partner who was intent on "saving" him from being gay by making unwanted passes. Dan Lauria played Celeste's former husband, Lou Stern.
The theme music was composed by Mike Post.
Guest stars in the series' 42-episode run included: Don Cheadle, Kim Delaney, Dennis Dugan, Norman Fell (who worked with Ritter on The Stone Killer and Three's Company), Miguel Ferrer, Jack Gilford, Mark Hamill, Joanna Kerns (who did a guest spot on Three's Company), Richard Kind, Dan Lauria, Jane Leeves, Lorna Luft, David Paymer, Barbara Rush, and Shannon Tweed.
Except for a brief syndicated run on the FX Network in the mid 1990s, and the pilot rebroadcast on TV Land in 2003 following Ritter's death, the series has not aired since then.
Season
Episodes
Originally aired
First aired
Last aired
22
September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)
May 18, 1988 (1988-05-18)
20
November 30, 1988 (1988-11-30)
July 19, 1989 (1989-07-19)
No.
overall
No.in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
Rating/share
(households)
1
1
"Hooperman"
Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher
September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)
5J01
21.5/35[3]
2
2
"The Answer My Friend Is Passing in the Wind"
Gregory Hoblit
Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher
September 30, 1987 (1987-09-30)
5J02
17.5/28[4]
3
3
"Don We Now Our Gay Apparel"
Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher
October 7, 1987 (1987-10-07)
5J05
16.8/26[5]
4
4
"Aria da Capo"
Story by : Steven Bochco
Teleplay by : Leon Tokatyan
October 14, 1987 (1987-10-14)
5J04
17.9/27[6]
5
5
"John Doe, We Hardly Knew Ye"
John Patterson
Story by : Lydia Woodward
Teleplay by : Rick Kellard
October 28, 1987 (1987-10-28)
5J06
12.8/20[7]
6
6
"The Shooting"
Nick Havinga
Story by : Steven Bochco & Amy K. Milkovich & Ed Milkovich
Teleplay by : Leon Tokatyan
November 4, 1987 (1987-11-04)
5J07
15.9/25[8]
7
7
"Hot Wired"
Story by : Steven Bochco & Rick Kellard
Teleplay by : Rick Kellard
November 18, 1987 (1987-11-18)
5J08
14.7/24[9]
8
8
"Baby Talk"
Steven Hollander
November 25, 1987 (1987-11-25)
5J10
15.0/26[10]
9
9
"Blues for Danny Welles"
Story by : Robert Rabinowitz & Steven Bochco & Rick Kellard
Teleplay by : Rick Kellard
December 2, 1987 (1987-12-02)
5J11
17.8/29[11]
10
10
"I, Witness"
Kim Friedman
Story by : Ross Hirshorn
Teleplay by : Leon Tokatyan & Rick Kellard
December 9, 1987 (1987-12-09)
5J09
16.0/25[12]
11
11
"Deck the Cell with Bars of Folly"
Story by : Steven Bochco
Teleplay by : Peter Nasco
December 23, 1987 (1987-12-23)
5J12
14.4/25[13]
12
12
"The Naked and the Dead"
Story by : Steven Bochco & Gina Goldman
Teleplay by : Gina Goldman
January 6, 1988 (1988-01-06)
5J13
15.6/24[14]
13
13
"The Snitch"
Rick Wallace
Terry Hart
January 13, 1988 (1988-01-13)
5J14
14.2/22[15]
14
14
"Chariots of Fire"
Michael Zinberg
James Kramer
January 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)
5J15
15.6/24[16]
15
15
"High Noon"
Kim Friedman
Steven Hollander
February 3, 1988 (1988-02-03)
5J16
16.4/25[17]
16
16
"Blaste from the Past"
Anson Williams
Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
February 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
5J17
14.5/22[18]
17
17
"Tomato Can"
John Schulian
March 9, 1988 (1988-03-09)
5J19
13.2/20[19]
18
18
"Me and Mr. Magoo"
Rick Kellard
March 16, 1988 (1988-03-16)
5J03
13.7/22[20]
19
19
"Baby on Board"
Gina Wendkos
April 6, 1988 (1988-04-06)
5J18
14.6/24[21]
20
20
"Trudy and Clyde"
Michael Zinberg
Story by : Rick Kellard & Steven Hollander
Teleplay by : Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
April 13, 1988 (1988-04-13)
5J20
12.6/20[22]
21
21
"Nick Derringer, P.I."
Michael Zinberg
Steven Bochco & Rick Kellard
May 4, 1988 (1988-05-04)
5J22
14.0/23[23]
22
22
"Surprise Party"
John Patterson
Story by : Steven Bochco & Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
Teleplay by : Gary Rosen
May 18, 1988 (1988-05-18)
5J21
11.1/19[24]
No.
overall
No.in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
Viewers
(millions)
23
1
"Requiem for an S.O.B."
Win Phelps
Rick Kellard
November 30, 1988 (1988-11-30)
6X01
21.7[25]
24
2
"We'll Always Have Paris"
Story by : Rick Kellard & Michael Wagner
Teleplay by : Phil Kellard & Tom Moore & Jill Gordon
December 7, 1988 (1988-12-07)
6X02
18.2[26]
25
3
"Who Do You Truss?"
Alan J. Levi
Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
December 14, 1988 (1988-12-14)
6X03
19.8[27]
26
4
"In Search of Bijoux"
Jill Gordon
December 21, 1988 (1988-12-21)
6X04
20.8[28]
27
5
"Look Homeward, Dirtbag"
Story by : Jill Gordon & Michael Wagner
Teleplay by : Douglas Steinberg & Rick Kellard & Michael Wagner
January 11, 1989 (1989-01-11)
6X06
14.2[29]
28
6
"Nightmare in Apartment One"
Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
January 18, 1989 (1989-01-18)
6X07
19.2[30]
29
7
"Hooperman Goes to Hell in a Handcart"
Michael Wagner
January 25, 1989 (1989-01-25)
6X05
14.0[31]
30
8
"Rashomanny"
Ron Lagomarsino
February 1, 1989 (1989-02-01)
6X10
17.9[32]
31
9
"In the Still of My Pants"
Jill Gordon
February 8, 1989 (1989-02-08)
6X09
16.3[33]
32
10
"The Dating Game"
Sam Greenbaum
February 15, 1989 (1989-02-15)
6X12
16.9[34]
33
11
"Intolerance"
Michael Wagner
February 22, 1989 (1989-02-22)
6X11
13.9[35]
34
12
"The Nun and I"
March 1, 1989 (1989-03-01)
6X14
16.6[36]
35
13
"The Sure Thing"
Bethany Rooney
Story by : Phil Kellard & Tom Moore & Rick Kellard
Teleplay by : Jill Gordon
March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15)
6X13
14.7[37]
36
14
"The Long So Long"
Bob Dolan Smith
March 22, 1989 (1989-03-22)
6X15
15.7[38]
37
15
"Stakeout"
Max Tash
Jill Gordon
June 14, 1989 (1989-06-14)
6X18
9.2[39]
38
16
"Dog Day Afternoon, Morning and Night"
Betty Thomas
Jill Gordon & Phil Kellard & Tom Moore & Michael Wagner
June 21, 1989 (1989-06-21)
6X20
10.9[40]
39
17
"Love Bytes"
Phil Kellard & Tom Moore
June 28, 1989 (1989-06-28)
6X16
10.8[41]
40
18
"Take My Building, Please"
Roy Campanella II
Rick Kellard
July 5, 1989 (1989-07-05)
6X19
10.0[42]
41
19
"Some of That Jazz"
Arlene Sanford
Glen Merzer
July 12, 1989 (1989-07-12)
6X08
10.7[43]
42
20
"Goodnight, Sweet Hooperman"
Betty Thomas
Michael Wagner
July 26, 1989 (1989-07-26)
6X17
10.6[44]
On January 24, 2017, Olive Films released both seasons on DVD in Region 1.[45][46]
The pilot episode won the 1988 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.[47]
