Beverly Hills Buntz

1 9 8 7 – 1 9 8 8 (USA)

This NBC show was a spin-off from the much-honoured Hill Street Blues.

Lieutenant Norman Buntz (Dennis Franz) quits the police force (in the last episode of Hill Street after punching out pompous Chief Daniels) and moves with his friend and snitch Sid Thurston (Peter Jurasik) to Los Angeles, where he opens his own low-rent private detective business.

Like fish out of water in trendy, fashion-conscious LA, the two shifty sleazeballs take on the dregs of detective work but somehow manage to get things done when the higher-priced talent can not.

True to his code, Sid cooks up a succession of scams to augment their meagre income.

Neither drama or outright comedy, Beverly Hills Buntz confused critics and viewers alike. NBC was so uncertain of its chances that it ran four ‘try out’ episodes in various timeslots from November 1987 to January 1988 before beginning a regular run in March.

Norman Buntz 
Dennis Franz
Sidney Thurston 
Peter Jurasik
Rebecca Giswold 
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson
Lt James Pugh 
Guy Boyd

Video