Diagnosis: Murder
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| Diagnosis: Murder | |
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 The cast, circa 1994: Victoria Rowell, Michael Tucci, Barry Van Dyke, Scott Baio, and Delores Hall, with Dick Van Dyke in the center |
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| Format | Drama |
| Created by | Joyce Burditt |
| Starring | Dick Van Dyke Barry Van Dyke Victoria Rowell Scott Baio Charlie Schlatter Michael Tucci Delores Hall |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 178 + 5 TV Movies |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Dean Hargrove Fred Silverman Dick Van Dyke Chris Abbott Michael Gleason Tom Chehak Gerald Sanoff Joel Steiger |
| Producer(s) | The Fred Silverman Company |
| Associate Producer(s) | Viacom |
| Running time | 45 min (approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | October 29, 1993 – May 11, 2001 |
Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series with 45 minute long episodes that was based on the popular 1980s police drama of the same name that was created by Joyce Burditt, the regular series debuted on CBS on October 29, 1993, and became a rapid success, airing in many countries around the world. Almost canceled at the end of the second season, it returned as a midseason replacement in the third season, and was regularly renewed thereafter. 178 episodes were made and aired in the show's eight seasons on the CBS network in the United States and two more TV movies aired after the series' cancellation on May 11, 2001. Since 1997, the popular show used to air in reruns on ABC Family (formerly The Family Channel), and ION Television (formerly i: Independent Television Today, the show is currently airing on the Hallmark Channel. There were also movie versions that were first aired in 1992, 1993, and 2002. The show was produced by Viacom Productions and distributed by CBS Paramount.
The show was a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman. Dr. Mark Sloan made his first appearance in Jake and the Fatman's episode 4.19, "It Never Entered My Mind". Afterwards, three TV movies aired prior to the start of the series.
Plot
The plot centered around Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke), a renowned physician who occasionally worked for the local police department as a consultant, and who could not resist a good mystery or a son in need. Those cases often involved his son, Detective Steve Sloan (played by Van Dyke's real-life son Barry Van Dyke). Helping him were his colleagues, medical examiner/pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley (Victoria Rowell) and Dr. Jack Stewart (Scott Baio), who later left and was replaced by a new resident, Dr. Jesse Travis (Charlie Schlatter).
Cast
- Dr. Mark Sloan (Dick Van Dyke), Chief of Internal Medicine at Community General Hospital, and protagonist of the series. Son of a cop and father of another, in whose cases he often got involved. He has a great eye for detail. Dick Van Dyke was considered for the lead role after the positive reviews he received from his dramatic role in the 1990 movie Dick Tracy (although the character he played in the movie was villainous and very different from the role of Mark Sloan).
- Lieutenant Detective Steve Sloan (Barry Van Dyke), a police detective (later lieutenant) in the Robbery/Homicide Division of the LAPD and Dr. Mark Sloan's son. After an earthquake destroyed his apartment, he lived in a separate apartment in his father's beach house in Malibu.
- Dr. Amanda Bentley, later Bentley-Livingston (Victoria Rowell), resident Pathologist at Community General Hospital and assistant County Medical Examiner, who is also Dr. Mark Sloan's straightwoman and medical partner, involving in each of Mark's & Steve's cases, after the accident. As a favorable character of the show, she also dated Jack and was later Jesse's best friend. During the series, she married a military man, and had a son named C.J. Depending on the episode, she divorced him or he was killed in a plane crash. Later in the series, she adopted another boy, Deon.
- Dr. Jack Stewart (Scott Baio, 1993-1995, seasons 1-2), a doctor at Community General Hospital and Steve's best friend, whom he often helped in his cases. He left to open his own practice in Colorado.
- Dr. Jesse Travis (Charlie Schlatter, 1995-2001, seasons 3-8), a resident at Community General Hospital who Mark took under his wing. He often got involved in Mark and Steve's cases, with good intentions but not always good results.
- Norman Briggs (Michael Tucci, 1993-1997, seasons 1-4), administrator at Community General Hospital and a close friend of Dr. Mark Sloan, even though he is often exasperated by him. He recovered from his injuries, but didn't return to work.
- Delores Mitchell (Delores Hall, 1993-1995, seasons 1-2), Dr. Sloan's lively secretary.
Cameos
One unique aspect of the series was that it frequently appropriated characters from various classic television series.
- Mike Connors reprised his titular character from Mannix in the season 4 episode "Hard-Boiled Murder".
- Andy Griffith reprised his titular role of Ben Matlock from Matlock in season 4 two-parter "Murder Two". In a sense, this brought Diagnosis: Murder full circle, as its parent series, Jake and the Fatman, was inspired by an episode of Matlock.
- Barbara Bain reprised her role of Cinnamon Carter from Mission: Impossible in season 5 episode "Discards".
- Robert Culp also guest starred in the episode "Discards" as Dane Travis, a retired spy, tennis professional, and Dr. Travis' father. The character was similar to his Kelly Robinson character from I Spy, though Travis was said to have worked with the Impossible Mission Force (from Mission Impossible).
- "Discards" also featured appearances by former TV spies Patrick Macnee (The Avengers) and Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), though they did not play their original characters.
- Jack Klugman also guest starred in season 4 episode "Physician, Murder Thyself", as a character very similar to his famous role in Quincy (he guest-starred again, in season 6 episode "Voices Carry" as a police Detective).
- Star Trek's George Takei, Walter Koenig, Majel Barrett, Wil Wheaton and Grace Lee Whitney together with Bill Mumy of Lost in Space and Babylon 5 were guest stars in "Alienated!" one sixth season episode, which involved an alien abduction and coverup.
- A few members of the M*A*S*H television cast, including Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit and William Christopher, as well as Elliot Gould and Sally Kellerman from the original movie were guests in the "Drill for Death" episode.
- Randolph Mantooth and Robert Fuller of Emergency! appeared together in an episode about the Malibu brushfires.
- The episode "Must Kill TV" features a number of small cameos by TV personalities like Eric Estrada and Dr. Joyce Brothers playing themselves and a bigger one from Stephen J. Cannell as an over-the-top persiflage of a producer of action TV. The role is reprised in the two-parter "Trash TV".
- The episode "Food Fight" features the following actors: Erin Moran, Pat Morita, and Don Most (from Happy Days); David Lander and Leslie Easterbrook (from Laverne & Shirley); and Conrad Janis (from Mork and Mindy).
Over the run of the show, various episodes guest starred at least eight different members of the Van Dyke family:
- Dick Van Dyke and son Barry Van Dyke in the lead roles.
- Dick's brother, Jerry Van Dyke.
- One of Dick's daughters, Stacy Van Dyke.
- Barry's children: Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, Wes Van Dyke, and Taryn Van Dyke.
Smaller recurring roles
- Joanna Cassidy (Season 7) plays Madison Wesley, a doctor friend of Mark Sloan, and Dean of Community General's Medical School. She is in 8 episodes.
- Kim Little (Season 6) plays Susan Hillard, Jesse's long time girlfriend, for 11 episodes.
- Susan Gibney (Seasons 5-7) plays Detective Tanis Archer, Steve's partner in over 7 episodes.
- Charmin Lee (Seasons 7-8) is Steve's second partner Cheryl, who is in 7 episodes between seasons 7 and 8.
- Martin Kove (Seasons 6-7) is Captain Newman, for 5 episodes.
- Shane Van Dyke (Seasons 4-8) is Alex Smith, the third year medical student, who appears in 14 episodes. He is also seen as a boxing student in Never Say Die and an actor in Frontier Dad. (Both these episodes star the rest of Barry Van Dyke's children also.)
- Carey Van Dyke (Seasons 4-8) plays various characters: Mr. Kelso, Terry Marshall, Kyle Lewis, Brendan Kelly, Carl Simpson, and Craig Wilson.
- Kevin McNally (Seasons 3-8) as the ubiquitous EMT in 19 episodes.
- Tim Conway plays Tim Conrad, an old friend of Mark's. Also a comedian in over 4 episodes.
- Harry J. Lennix (Seasons 5-6) stars Agent Ron Wagner, in 6 episodes.
Special guest stars
- Adrienne Barbeau
- Lauralee Bell
- Julie Benz
- Elizabeth Berkley
- Bill Bixby
- Eric Braeden
- Kimberlin Brown
- Dixie Carter
- Leslie Charleson
- Brett Cullen
- Doug Davidson
- Dom DeLuise
- Phyllis Diller
- Roma Downey
- Fred Dryer
- Patrick Duffy
- Bernie Kopell
- Will Estes
- Morgan Fairchild
- Robert Fuller
- Brian Gaskill
- Andy Griffith (Played Ben Matlock)
- Kathie Lee Gifford (played a talk-show hostess)
- Robert Guillaume
- Danielle Harris
- Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
- Ken Howard
- Sally Kellerman
- Ken Kercheval
- Andre Khabbazi
- Jack Klugman
- Eva LaRue
- Vicki Lawrence
- Shelley Long
- Randolph Mantooth
- Kent McCord
- Mary Elizabeth McDonough
- Martin Milner
- Bill Mumy
- Chad Michael Murray
- Kathleen Noone
- John O'Hurley
- Regis Philbin (played a talk-show host)
- Michelle Phillips
- Wendy Phillips
- John Pleshette
- Sally Jessy Raphael
- Helen Reddy (played a song-writer with Alzheimer's)
- Melody Thomas Scott
- Kristoff St. John
- Holland Taylor
- Heather Tom
- Deirdre Quinn
- Dick Van Patten
- Joyce Van Patten
- J. Eddie Peck
- Reginald VelJohnson
- Adam West
- Betty White
Episodes
Diagnosis: Murder had a total of Eight seasons and 178 episodes which were broadcast on CBS between 1993 and 2001.
Locations
Community General Hospital
Community General Hospital is the main set for the show. It is six to seven floors depending on the episode. It holds about 400 beds, with three trauma rooms, two psych wards, and one Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Mark Sloan is Chief of Internal Medicine.
BBQ Bob's
BBQ Bob's is a restaurant that Jesse Travis and Steve Sloan co-own. Mark Sloan is also a silent partner. It is located in a small strip mall very close to Community General Hospital. Other stores around it include a jewelery store and a bank. It is often frequented by the hospital staff as an alternative to the hospital cafe. All staff members get discounts.
TV movies
Diagnosis Murder had five TV movies between 1992 and 2002, three of which aired prior to the TV series.
- Diagnosis of Murder, the first TV movie, aired before the regular series, January 5, 1992 on CBS.
- The House on Sycamore Street, the Second TV movie, aired before the regular series, May 1, 1992 on CBS.
- A Twist of the Knife, the third TV movie, aired before the regular series, February 13, 1993 on CBS.
- A Town Without Pity, the fourth TV movie, aired after the end of the regular series, February 6, 2002 on CBS.
- Without Warning, the fifth and final TV movie, aired after the end of the regular series, April 26, 2002 on CBS.
Novels
Since 2003, eight original novels have been released based on the TV series. All of them are written by Lee Goldberg, a former executive producer and writer on the TV series. According to his website,[1] there will be no more books based on the show. The books are, in order:
- Diagnosis Murder: The Silent Partner,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Death Merchant,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Shooting Script,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Waking Nightmare,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Dead Letter,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Double Life,
- Diagnosis Murder: The Last Word
International
- Australia: TV1.
- Finland: YLE TV1.
- Hungary: Viasat 3.
- Japan: NHK and Super Channel.
- Slovenia: POP TV.
- Spain: Telecinco, TV3 (Catalonia).
- United Kingdom:
BBC One and Hallmark Channel. In the UK and Ireland, the show has become particularly popular with students, due to its mid-afternoon showing time. - United States: CBS (original run), Hallmark Channel (reruns).
- Netherlands: Veronica.
Trivia
- Both Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke are the only two who appeared in every episode of the series. Victoria Rowell appeared in almost every episode, and missed most of the episodes in Season 8 (including 2 in the first season).
DVD releases
On September 12, 2006 Paramount Home Entertainment released the complete Season 1 of Diagnosis: Murder on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The set included Jake and the Fatman's episode 4.19, "It Never Entered My Mind," which introduced the character of Dr. Mark Sloan. It did not however, include the TV movies that were made prior to the show's premiere. Season 2 was released on June 12, 2007 and the Season 3 box set is set to be released on December 4, 2007.
| DVD Name | Region 1 |
|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | September 12 2006 |
| The Complete Second Season | June 12 2007 |
| The Complete Third Season | December 4 2007 |
See also
- Murder, She Wrote, An earlier show with a similar premise which was parodied in the sixth season episode Write, She Murdered.
References
External links
- DiagnosisMurder.co.uk
- Lee Goldberg's Diagnosis Murder novels site
- Diagnosis: Murder on ION Television
- Diagnosis: Murder on TV.com
- Diagnosis: Murder at the Internet Movie Database
- Vote Diagnosis: Murder into the Top 40 Shows of All Time
- Victoria Rowell's Official Site
- Buy all 8 Seasons of Diagnosis: Murder at DVD Diesel.com
- DVD Review of Season 2 at Monsters and Critics
- Interview with show producer Lee Goldberg
TV movies
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