Crazy Like a Fox (TV series)

Crazy Like a Fox is an American television series set in San Francisco, California, that aired on CBS from December 30, 1984, to May 3, 1986.

Crazy Like a Fox
GenreCrime drama/Comedy
Created byJohn Baskin
Roger Shulman
George Schenck
Frank Cardea
Starring
Theme music composerMark Snow
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes35
Production
Executive producersJohn Baskin
Roger Schulman
George Schenck
Frank Cardea
Producers
  • Hugh Benson
  • Philip Saltzman
Running time60 mins.
Production companiesCardea-Schenck-Baskin-Schulman Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseDecember 30, 1984 (1984-12-30) 
May 3, 1986 (1986-05-03)
Related

Overview

The series starred Jack Warden as Harry Fox, a free-spirited private detective who lived by his wits, and John Rubinstein as his high-strung attorney son, Harrison, who unwillingly, and frequently, found himself dragged into his father's cases.

The show's opening would always feature Harry and Harrison talking on the phone in their offices like this:

  • Harrison: Hello?
  • Harry: Harrison, I need your help.
  • Harrison: Dad, you keep forgetting. I'm a lawyer. You're the detective!
  • Harry: Aw, come on son. All I need is a ride. What could possibly happen?

Penny Peyser played Harrison's wife and Della Reese had a recurring role as a nurse at the local hospital who had an antagonistic (but joking and friendly) relationship with Harry, often assisting him in his investigations and providing information.[1]

Originally airing Sundays at 9 pm (EST), the show was a hit in its first season, ranking 10th with a 19.9 rating, and initially continued to pull solid numbers during its second season. But midway through that season, CBS brought back its Sunday Night Movie, which displaced the show (along with Trapper John, M.D., which followed Crazy Like a Fox up to that point), resulting in its being bounced around to various time slots, which caused ratings to drop significantly and led to its cancellation at the end of the season. The second season ended up ranking 44th with a 15.0 rating.[2]

Reruns were later shown in syndication and on the CBN Cable Network, and a reunion TV movie, Still Crazy Like a Fox, aired on CBS in 1987, featuring Monty Python's Graham Chapman in one of his last roles.

For his performance, Warden received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.[3][4]

As of 2020, the show airs on the UK GREAT! TV. In 2023, reruns of the show aired for the first time on American television in over 30 years, being added to the MeTV+ schedule, five days a week at 11AM.[5]

Broadcast history

SeasonTime slot (ET)
1984–85Sunday at 9:00 pm
1985–86Sunday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 1–11)
Wednesday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 12–18)
Saturday at 8:00 pm (Episodes 19–22)

Cast

  • Jack Warden as Harrison Joshua "Harry" Fox, Sr.
  • John Rubinstein as Harrison Joshua Fox, Jr.
  • Penny Peyser as Cindy Fox (Harrison's wife)
  • Robby Kiger as Harrison Joshua "Josh" Fox III (Harrison's and Cindy's son)
  • Lydia Lei as Allison Ling (1984–1985)
  • Patricia Ayame Thomson as Allison Ling (1985–1986)
  • Robert Hanley as Lt. Walker
  • Theodore Wilson as Ernie
  • Della Reese as Nurse Flood (1985–1986)

Episode list

Season 1 (1984–85)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot"Gary NelsonJohn Baskin & Roger Shulman and George Schenck & Frank CardeaDecember 30, 1984 (1984-12-30)
22"Turn of the Century Fox"Paul KrasnyTom ChehakJanuary 6, 1985 (1985-01-06)
33"Premium for Murder"Paul KrasnyStephen Lord and Tim MaschlerJanuary 13, 1985 (1985-01-13)
44"Till Death Do Us Part"Stuart MargolinTim MaschlerJanuary 20, 1985 (1985-01-20)
55"Motor Homicide"William AsherRoger Shulman & John Baskin and George Schenck & Frank CardeaFebruary 3, 1985 (1985-02-03)
66"Wanted Dead and Alive"Paul KrasnyJohn Baskin & Roger Shulman and George Schenck & Frank CardeaFebruary 17, 1985 (1985-02-17)
77"Bum Tip"Stuart MargolinGeorge Lee MarshallFebruary 24, 1985 (1985-02-24)
88"Fox Hunt"Bob SweeneyTom ChehakMarch 3, 1985 (1985-03-03)
99"The Geronimo Machine"Stuart MargolinW.M. WhiteheadMarch 10, 1985 (1985-03-10)
1010"Fox in Wonderland"Paul KrasnyRoger Shulman & John Baskin and George Schenck & Frank CardeaMarch 17, 1985 (1985-03-17)
1111"Fox and Hounds"Charles BravermanStory by: Robert Malcolm Young
Teleplay by: Ruel Fischmann
March 24, 1985 (1985-03-24)
1212"Suitable for Framing"Paul KrasnyTim MaschlerMarch 31, 1985 (1985-03-31)
1313"The Man Who Cried Fox"Vincent McEveetyTom ChehakApril 7, 1985 (1985-04-07)

Season 2 (1985–86)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
141"Eye in the Sky"Paul KrasnyPaul Robert CoyleOctober 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)
152"Sunday in the Park with Harry"Paul KrasnyHarvey Weitzman & Sid DorfmanOctober 13, 1985 (1985-10-13)
163"Requiem for a Fox"Vincent McEveetyTom ChehakOctober 20, 1985 (1985-10-20)
174"Murder is a Two Stroke Penalty"Don WeisGeorge Schenck & Frank Cardea and Roger Shulman & John BaskinOctober 27, 1985 (1985-10-27)
185"Fox in 3/4 Time"Charles BravermanJulie FriedgenNovember 3, 1985 (1985-11-03)
196"Desert Fox"Vincent McEveetyTim MaschlerNovember 10, 1985 (1985-11-10)
207"Some Day My Prints Will Come"Paul KrasnyStory by: David R. Toddman & Philip Saltzman
Teleplay by: Harvey Weitzman & Sid Dorfman
December 1, 1985 (1985-12-01)
218"If the Shoe Fits"Marc DanielsMaryanne Kasica & Michael ScheffDecember 15, 1985 (1985-12-15)
229"Is There a Fox in the House?"Paul KrasnyElroy SchwartzDecember 22, 1985 (1985-12-22)
2310"Year of the Fox"Michael LangeJack V. FogartyDecember 29, 1985 (1985-12-29)
2411"Fox and the Wolf"Paul StanleyAubrey Solomon & Steve GreenbergJanuary 5, 1986 (1986-01-05)
2512"Hearing Is Believing"Paul KrasnyJulie FriedgenJanuary 15, 1986 (1986-01-15)
2613"Hyde-and-Seek"Paul KrasnyPaul Robert CoyleJanuary 22, 1986 (1986-01-22)
2714"The Road to Tobago"Paul KrasnyTim MaschlerJanuary 29, 1986 (1986-01-29)
2815"You Can't Keep a Good Corpse Down"Marc DanielsRichard RaskindFebruary 5, 1986 (1986-02-05)
2916"The Fox Who Saw Too Much"Paul KrasnyRobin BernheimFebruary 12, 1986 (1986-02-12)
3017"Just Another Fox in the Crowd"Mike VejarGerald SanoffFebruary 26, 1986 (1986-02-26)
3118"Fox on the Range"Michael CaffeyTim MaschlerMarch 5, 1986 (1986-03-05)
3219"The Duke Is Dead"Reza BadiyiStory by: Paul Robert Coyle
Teleplay by: Roger Shulman & John Baskin and George Schenck & Frank Cardea
April 5, 1986 (1986-04-05)
3320"Rosie"Marc DanielsStory by: Bryce Maritano
Teleplay by: Maryanne Kasica & Michael Scheff
April 12, 1986 (1986-04-12)
3421"Dead on Arrival"Michael LangePaul Robert CoyleApril 19, 1986 (1986-04-19)
3522"A Fox at the Races"Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.Robin BernheimMay 3, 1986 (1986-05-03)

TV reunion film

TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
"Still Crazy Like a Fox"Paul KrasnyFrank Cardea and George SchenckApril 5, 1987 (1987-04-05)

See also

References

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