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The Devlin Connection

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The Devlin Connection
GenreDetective fiction
Procedural drama
Created byJohn Wilder
StarringRock Hudson
Jack Scalia
Theme music composerPatrick Williams
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerJerry Thorpe
ProducersCliff Gould
Harvey Frand
Running time48 minutes
Production companiesJerry Thorpe Productions
Mammoth Films, Inc.
Viacom Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 2 (1982-10-02) –
December 25, 1982 (1982-12-25)

The Devlin Connection is an American television crime drama[1] created by John Wilder and starring Rock Hudson and Jack Scalia. The show aired on NBC for 13 episodes in 1982, premiering on October 2.[2]

Premise

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Hudson stars as Brian Devlin, a former military intelligence officer and ex-owner of a detective agency who is now the director of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Devlin meets racquetball pro and private investigator Nick Corsello (Scalia), who is revealed to be Devlin's son from a brief affair 28 years earlier. The accent of the show was put on the fun of investigating crimes instead of classic dramatic crime-solving procedure. Usually Nick would have a case and Brian — wanting to forge a relationship with his long-lost son, but also wanting his son to succeed independently — would unofficially help out with the investigation, sometimes surreptitiously and without Nick's prior knowledge. The duo would proceed to solve each mystery-of-the-week, along the way verbally sparring in a light-hearted fashion about their different investigatory methods and perspectives on life. Hudson's intent was to create "classy, sophisticated, educational, literate entertainment".[3][4]

Hudson and Scalia had previously worked together on the film The Star Maker in 1981.[3] The Devlin Connection was Harvey Frand's first job as a producer.[5]

Cast

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Jack Scalia and Rock Hudson

Main cast (all episodes)

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  • Rock Hudson as Brian Devlin, director of Performing Arts Center
  • Jack Scalia as Nick Corsello, racquetball pro and private detective

Supporting cast, episodes 1–9 (as aired)

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  • Leigh Taylor-Young as Lauren Dane, Brian's assistant
  • Louis Giambalvo as Lt. Earl Borden, Nick's friend and former colleague from New York
  • Takayo as Mrs. Watanabe, Brian's housekeeper
  • Melanie Vincz as Alice Arms, Nick's health club co-worker
  • Jack Kruschen as Max Salkall, orchestra conductor at Performing Arts Center

Supporting cast, episodes 10–13 (as aired)

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Production changes

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Original production started in 1981. After four episodes were filmed production was delayed a year due to Hudson's heart problems — heart surgery with five heart bypasses.[6][7]

In the initial four episodes of The Devlin Connection (in production order, not broadcast order) the show is a slightly gritty P.I. drama. Brian has an older assistant (Irene Tedrow) and his office and apartment are modest. Nick is a Vietnam veteran who works as a small-time private detective operating out of a night club run by his friend Otis (Herbert Jefferson Jr.). The types of cases tackled by Brian and Nick usually involved ordinary people in dire, slightly seedy, and decidedly unglamorous circumstances.

When production resumed after about a year the entire supporting cast was replaced. Changes were made to the characters of Brian and Nick and to the tone of the show. The stories became much more upscale, usually involving rich, glamorous people. Brian's office and apartment are much larger and more sumptuous, and he lives a more conspicuously flashy lifestyle. Brian's assistant is an exceptionally stylish younger woman (Leigh Taylor-Young). At his home he has a housekeeper (Takayo). Nick is a former NYPD officer (instead of being a Vietnam vet) and is not a full-time professional P.I. but instead is a racquetball pro who works at a health club and investigates on the side. Nick has a friend/police contact from his days with the NYPD (Louis Giambalvo) who is a Lieutenant with the LAPD, and with whom Nick has a friendly but sometimes contentious relationship. At the health club where Nick works he often flirts with his shapely co-worker Alice (Melanie Vincz), who is nearly always seen in an extremely form-fitting leotard.

At Hudson's insistence the nine flashier episodes aired first. This meant, from the audience's perspective, that the series abruptly changed tone from flashy to mildly gritty after the first nine weeks and the show's supporting characters were dropped without explanation. Even more confusing, the episode where Nick and Brian actually meet, "Claudine", aired as the tenth episode.

Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Brian and Nick"Christian I. Nyby IICliff GouldOctober 2, 1982 (1982-10-02)
2"Lady on the Billboard"James FrawleyHenri SimounOctober 9, 1982 (1982-10-09)
3"Love, Sin and Death at Point Dume"Christian I. Nyby IIGuerdon TruebloodOctober 16, 1982 (1982-10-16)
4"The Corpse in the Corniche"Barry CraneHoward BerkOctober 23, 1982 (1982-10-23)
5"The Absolute Monarch of Ward C"Barry CraneMichael SloanOctober 30, 1982 (1982-10-30)
6"The French Detective"Rod HolcombStory by : Peter Lefcourt
Teleplay by : Howard Rodman & Cliff Gould and Peter Lefcourt		November 6, 1982 (1982-11-06)
7"Of Nuns and Other Black Birds"Christian I. Nyby IIRobert Dozier & Rob GilmerNovember 13, 1982 (1982-11-13)
8"Ring of Kings, Ring of Thieves"Jeff BlecknerRudolph BorchertNovember 27, 1982 (1982-11-27)
9"Arsenic and Old Caviar"James FrawleyRudolph BorchertDecember 4, 1982 (1982-12-04)
10"Claudine"Lee H. KatzinJohn WilderDecember 11, 1982 (1982-12-11)
11"Allison"Bernard L. KowalskiAnne CollinsDecember 18, 1982 (1982-12-18)
12"Erica"Bernard L. KowalskiPeter LefcourtDecember 25, 1982 (1982-12-25)
13"Jennifer"Lee H. KatzinFrank V. FurinoUNAIRED1

1^ NBC burned off the final episode in early 1983. All 13 episodes aired on TV Land in the late 1990s.

Ratings

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Season Episodes Start Date End Date Nielsen Rank Nielsen Rating
1982–83 13 October 2, 1982 December 25, 1982 96[8] N/A

Video releases

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In the mid-1980s Trans World Entertainment officially released the first three episodes on VHS videotape cassettes.[9] There are also bootleg DVDs of all the TV Land aired episodes.

References

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  1. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2008). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
  2. ^ "Devlin Connection". TV Guide. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Unger, Arthur (October 1, 1982). "Rock Hudson looks back on his films and ahead to his TV series". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  4. ^ "The Devlin Connection – 1982". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  5. ^ Staff (July 31, 2009). "Emmy-winning producer Frand dies". Hollywood.com. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Staff (November 15, 1982). "One Year After Heart Surgery, Rock Hudson Is Rolling Again, but His Devlin Connection Is Ailing". People. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Berger, Joseph (October 3, 1985). "Rock Hudson, Screen Idol, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Clawson, J. (July 9, 2017). "1982–83 Ratings History — Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". The TV Ratings Guide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Devlin Connection Vol. 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
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