Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What was this 80s TV show?

This is topic What was this 80s TV show? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 08-12-2010, 08:46 PM:

I remember seeing a TV show in (I think) the 80s. I can't remember the name of it, and for some reason it has been bugging me.

All I remember about it was that it had a lady who was some kind of a detective or something, and a guy who was kind of a prodigy with very little people skills. The guy was brilliant, and for some reason I seem to remember he lived in a warehouse or something. Or maybe that's where they kept him - I don't know.

Anyone have any idea of the show I'm talking about? I don't think it lasted very long.

Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 08-12-2010, 09:16 PM:

There was a pilot that sounds similar, but I don't think it ever aired, so I doubt it's what you're talking about. In any case, I saw it at a network screening and it starred -- I believe -- Nicol Williamson as a guy in San Francisco who thought he was Sherlock Holmes. He was crazy, brilliant, etc., and the police department had a female detective partnered with him to keep him safe while he helped solve crimes. It was actually a good pilot. Would have been around 1984 or so.

I probably don't have the lead actor right, and have just latched on to Nicol Williamson because of his 7% Solution role.

Posted by Peter Castle (Member # 1997) on 08-13-2010, 06:48 AM:

How about "The Return of the World's Greatest Detective (1976)" starring Larry Hagman as Sherman Holmes and Jenny O'Hara as Dr Joan Watson. To quote IMDB:
A Los Angeles cop falls off his motorcycle, strikes his head and wakes up believing himself to be Sherlock Holmes. Along with the social worker who is treating him, he sets out to solve the murder of an embezzler.

Posted by Alan Plester (Member # 852) on 08-13-2010, 07:36 AM:

Got a feeling it was Dempsey & Makepiece Michael Brandon & Glynis Barber 1984 to 86

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 08-13-2010, 11:25 AM:

Eh, I don't think either one of those is it, guys, I'm sorry. I may not be remembering this show right. I was in my early teens which would have put the show around the early eighties. And my memory is really sketchy. It may not have lasted very long. I remember the lady being the one doing the work. He was kind of in an adviser role if anything, but he was brilliant - somewhere between Tony Stark and Stephen Hawkings brilliant. I always remember him in a warehouse type of setting. I'm not sure if he lived there, or was kept there, or chose to stay there or what.

One scene I remember in particular was him sitting in a chair talking to the girl, and he had some electrodes hooked up to his head which went to a computer where he was apparently controlling the color of an object on the screen with his mind.

Not much to go on, I know. I remember liking the show as a kid, and I'm curious to see how it holds up, but can't for the life of me remember much about it. I've been scouring 80s TV show web sites, but can't find anything that rings a bell.

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 08-13-2010, 11:55 AM:

Try posting your question here.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 08-13-2010, 10:07 PM:

Will do! Thanks!

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 08-14-2010, 06:22 AM:

Good suggestion... that didn't take long.

Someone said it was "Probe". After reading some of the reviews on IMDB, it sounds like that's the show I was looking for. Someone even posted most or all of the episodes on You Tube. I'll have to check them out and see if the show is still as good as I remember it. We'll see!

Thanks for the suggestion, Jeremy!

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 08-15-2010, 04:36 PM:

You're quite welcome. There are quite a few knowledgeable tv people on there.