Bored overseeing his family’s Texas oil drilling business, handsome Matt Houston chooses being an LA private investigator as his hobby. Complete with high-tech gadgets and beautiful women.
When Did Matt Houston Air?
Matt Houston aired on ABC for 3 seasons from 1982 to 1985 totaling 69 episodes of 45 minutes each.
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The complete series is available on DVD.
What Was Matt Houston About?
Millionaire Matt Houston is so bored running his Texas family’s offshore oil drilling business that he decides to run a private investigation business as a hobby. His swank Los Angeles P.I. office is in a high-rise penthouse filled with beautiful secretaries. It even has a helicopter on the roof that he uses to avoid LA traffic and get to crime scenes fast.
Assisting him is beautiful, Harvard-educated lawyer C.J. Parsons. She has a computer named “Baby” that contains information on everyone, living and dead. It comes in handy since this was before the internet was invented.
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While Matt is indulging in his P.I. hobby, his always put-upon manager, Murray, keeps the other business affairs in order.
Most of Matt’s cases involve rich people he knows, played by big-name guest stars. The cases involve everything from killer robots to shark attacks and even UFO encounters. Luckily, Matt’s friend LAPD Lieutenant Vince Novelli seems to be assigned to all of his cases. Matt’s almost like a superhero who can withstand any injury. Frequently C.J. narrates what’s going on in a tongue-in-cheek tone.
It’s all done in a light-hearted, funny way.
Trivia: Pamela Hensley starred as the beautiful Princess Ardala in four episodes of “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” in 1979.
Then in season 2, things begin to take on a more serious tone. Matt’s friend Lt. Novelli is gone, replaced by the grumpy Lt. Hoyt. Matt starts handling more serious criminal cases. C.J.’s narration goes away.
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By season 3, all the big-name guest stars are gone too. Matt’s never-seen-before Uncle Roy joins the cast. He’s ex-CIA and Matt turns control of his financial assets over to him. The cases are grim and dark, including a child murderer and forced prostitution.
Matt Houston begins as a light-hearted detective-spoof comedy and gradually descends into a regular TV drama cop show.
Who Was In The Matt Houston Cast?
- Lee Horsley is Mattlock “Matt” Houston.
- Pamela Hensley is Matt’s lawyer/right-hand lady C.J. Parsons.
- George Wyner is Matt’s frazzled manager Murray Chase.
- John Aprea is Lt. Vince Novelli.
- Penny Santon is Mama Rosa Novelli.
- Lincoln Kilpatrick is Lt. Michael Hoyt (season 2).
- Buddy Ebsen of Barnaby Jones fame is Matt’s Uncle Roy (season 3).
Why Was Matt Houston Canceled?
Matt Houston was canceled due to declining viewership. It had been a surprise ratings success in its first season. But after it was moved to Friday nights at 10:00 pm it faced hard competition from Falcon Crest.
That’s A Wrap!
Matt Houston is a classic early ‘80s nostalgia show. Season 1 is campy and filled with goofy situations, eye candy, fun action stunts, and guest stars. It also has good chemistry between the two leads. Their tongue-in-cheek style paved the way for later ’80s romantic-comedy P.I. shows like Remington Steele, Moonlighting, and Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
The complete series is available on DVD.
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