Benson (TV series)

Benson
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Susan Harris[1]
Starring	Robert Guillaume James Noble Inga Swenson Missy Gold René Auberjonois (1980–1986) Ethan Phillips (1980–1985) Caroline McWilliams (1979–1981) Didi Conn (1981–1985) Lewis J. Stadlen (1979–1980) Billie Bird (1984–1986)
Theme music composer	George Tipton
Composer	George Aliceson Tipton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	158 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Paul Junger Witt Tony Thomas Susan Harris
Running time	24–25 minutes
Production company	Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 13, 1979 (1979-09-13) – April 19, 1986 (1986-04-19)
Related
Soap
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Benson is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986. The show stars Robert Guillaume in the title role of Benson DuBois, the head of the household for Governor Eugene X. Gatling, played by James Noble. The show focused on the conflicts and relationships within the Governor's household, with Benson generally providing the sarcastic voice of reason. Inga Swenson, Missy Gold, Didi Conn, Ethan Phillips, and René Auberjonois all played long-term supporting roles.

The series was a spin-off of Soap in which the character Benson first appeared as the wise-cracking yet level-headed African-American butler for the highly dysfunctional Tate family. However, Benson avoided the soap opera format of its parent series for a more conventional sitcom structure, and the lead character eventually moved from his service position to a role as lieutenant governor. The series was created by Susan Harris, and produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions. In 1985, Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in the series.^[2]