Murder One is an American legal drama television series that aired on ABC from September 19, 1995, until May 29, 1997. The series was created by Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, and Channing Gibson.
Like many of Bochco's previous series, Murder One was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Sometime after the conclusion of Murder One, Bochco ended his longtime relationship with Fox and moved his production company over to Paramount, making Murder One his last production with Fox for over a decade.
In 1997, TV Guide ranked the first episode, "Chapter 1", #60 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes in television history.
Premise
In its first season, the series starred Daniel Benzali as defense attorney Theodore (Ted) Hoffman, a criminal litigator and the principal of his own firm, Hoffman and Associates. Backed by a cadre of young associates, Hoffman was a gruff, masterful criminal lawyer who zealously represented his clients in high-profile cases. Patricia Clarkson played his wife, Annie. Unique for a television drama at that time, the first season of the series revolved around a single high-profile criminal case. Stanley Tucci played Richard Cross, a charming but morally ambiguous philanthropist and the first man arrested for the murder of 15-year-old Jessica Costello. Bobbie Phillips played Julie Costello, the murder victim's sister and the girlfriend of Richard Cross.
For the duration of season one, Hoffman defended Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick), a young Hollywood star accused of the murder of Costello. During the first part of the season, Hoffman's associates also handled smaller cases which were usually wrapped up within one episode. While there were many plot twists and misdirections, fundamentally the entire season consisted of one defense case for Hoffman & Associates.
In the second season, Benzali was replaced by Anthony LaPaglia as Jimmy Wyler, a former assistant district attorney who took over Hoffman's firm. The second season also featured this type of seriality, to a limited extent: three unrelated trials, over 18 episodes.
The serial nature of the drama may have been problematic, leaving viewers who either missed episodes or did not see the series from its premiere at a loss. As a result, from about halfway through the first season, an increasingly detailed introduction began to take up several minutes at the start of each episode. Following somewhat disappointing ratings, ABC and Bochco revamped the show significantly for the 1996–97 season. Gone were Benzali and his character, as well as many of the show's former regulars including Clarkson, Gedrick, Tucci and Dylan Baker.
The producers brought in LaPaglia as the new owner of the firm to replace Benzali,<!--Who quit why?--> but the second season of the show was far less successful than the first. The original concept of the series, a James Bond-like defense attorney, could not be salvaged with a replacement lead – not least of which because LaPaglia's character spent most episodes trying to borrow money to keep the firm afloat. Other cast members brought in for the second season included D. B. Woodside and Jack Kehler. ABC aired all the episodes filmed, and the plot was prematurely wrapped up in the final episode. ABC ordered the final six episodes to air as a three-night miniseries in the spring of 1997. As the hopes for a series renewal diminished, the three-night miniseries was rescheduled for the less-viewed Memorial Day weekend. The series was dropped at the end of the 1996-97 season.
Over its two-year run, ABC aired 41 original episodes. The first season of Murder One has aired several times on cable networks such as A&E and Court TV in the United States. (Court TV was substituted in the series by the fictional "Law TV".) Both seasons have been released on DVD in the US and UK, with different packaging in each country.
Characters
Season 1
Main cast
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- Daniel Benzali as Theodore Hoffman
- Mary McCormack as Justine Appleton
- Michael Hayden as Chris Docknovich
- Grace Phillips as Lisa Gillespie
- J. C. MacKenzie as Arnold Spivak
- Stanley Tucci as Richard Cross
- Dylan Baker as Detective Arthur Polson
- Vanessa Estelle Williams as Lila
- John Fleck as Louis Hines
- Kevin Tighe as David Blalock
- Barbara Bosson as Deputy District Attorney Miriam Grasso
- Patricia Clarkson as Annie Hoffman
- Jason Gedrick as Neil Avedon
Recurring guest stars
- Donna Murphy as Francesca Cross
- Bobbie Phillips as Julie Costello
- Linda Carlson as Judge Beth Bornstein
- Stanley Kamel as Dr. Graham Lester
- Gregory Itzin as District Attorney Roger Garfield
- Joe Spano as Ray Velacek
- John Pleshette as Gary Blondo
- Nancy Lee Grahn as Connie Dahlgren
- Adam Scott as Sidney Schneider
- Alexia Robinson as Akeesha Wesley
Season 2
Main cast
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- Anthony LaPaglia as Jimmy Wyler
- Mary McCormack as Justine Appleton
- Michael Hayden as Chris Docknovich
- J. C. MacKenzie as Arnold Spivak
- D. B. Woodside as Aaron Mosley
- Barbara Bosson as Deputy District Attorney Miriam Grasso
- Clayton Rohner as Det. Vince Biggio
- Jack Kehler as Frank Szymanski
Recurring guest stars
- Linda Carlson as Judge Beth Bornstein
- Gregory Itzin as District Attorney Roger Garfield
- John Fleck as Louis Hines
- Pruitt Taylor Vince as Clifford Banks
- Eileen Heckart as Frances Wyler
- Ralph Waite as Malcolm Dietrich
- Pauley Perrette as Gwen