Although it aired for only one season on CBS, many viewers fondly remember Freebie and The Bean, which was based on the 1974 movie of the same name that starred James Caan and Alan Arkin.
Freebie (Tom Mason) and Bean (Hector Elizondo) were two plainclothes policemen who worked on special assignments for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Detective Sergeant Tim Walker (aka ‘Freebie’) and Detective Sergeant Dan Delgado (aka ‘Bean’) were – although apparently totally mismatched – a very effective crime-fighting team.
Swinging single Freebie and serious-minded family man Bean (who had a wife and two kids) often found themselves in conflict about how certain cases should be handled, but they always got the results they wanted.
Their boss, DA Walter W Cruikshank (William Daniels), overlooked many of their more obvious faults because of their effective detective work. Assisting the team on occasions was Rodney Blake – aka ‘Axle’ (Mel Stewart), a mechanic at the police garage.
The show might have been longer-running had it not been scheduled opposite the very popular Love Boat, which completely overshadowed Freebie and The Bean in viewer polls.
Detective Sgt Dan ‘Bean’ Delgado
Hector Elizondo Detective Sgt Tim ‘Freebie’ Walker
Tom Mason DA Walter W. Cruikshank
William Daniels Rodney ‘Axle’ Blake
Mel Stewart Frank Walker
Edward Binns
