Typical 80s cheesy detective series with tons of action, lots of eye candy, but most of all fantastic chemistry between the leads. Their interactions made sometimes lame plots more interesting to watch. Sometimes stories unbelievably made Matt into some sort of superhero who could withstand almost injury. C.J. was a unique female figure in a male-dominated era: professional, sexy, intelligent, role-model type who could handle her risk-taking, charming, ladies-man BFF just fine. If producers had capitalized on their unique relationship some more, and not changed direction so often, it might have garnered more ratings in its day. Worth to watch selective episodes!
15 Reviews
Two Questions
hackraytex14 August 2020
This was one of the shows in the 80's that I really enjoyed watching. I do have two questions that I hope someone can answer.
This was another show that was doing well and they had to "retool" it by making basic changes. They had him putting his money in a trust and became a full time investigator. I think he left his ranch when caused Paul Brinnegar to be dropped. I have not seem too many show that were retooled that did any better. Why was that done?
The other question is does anyone know why Pamela Hemsley quit acting after this show? She was one of the actresses that I enjoyed watching in various parts.
This was another show that was doing well and they had to "retool" it by making basic changes. They had him putting his money in a trust and became a full time investigator. I think he left his ranch when caused Paul Brinnegar to be dropped. I have not seem too many show that were retooled that did any better. Why was that done?
The other question is does anyone know why Pamela Hemsley quit acting after this show? She was one of the actresses that I enjoyed watching in various parts.
Music non-variety
Gaslog18 April 2022
I enjoyed Matt Houston for the most part...but did they have to play the theme music over..and over...and over jeeeez. They could have hired a music composer to create a little variety. And i missed the two cow hands that just disappeared without reason.
Great '80's Cheesefest
Poseidon-318 February 2000
TNN (The Nashville Network) recently began airing reruns of this show at 7:00 EST. I never watched it in it's initial run, but I've quickly learned to appreciate it as a campy hoot filled with goofy situations, some fun stuntwork and most importantly of all....a potpourri of cheesy, "Murder She Wrote"-style guest stars. No lover of has been, quasi-stars can afford to miss an episode of this show. I don't know if the entire run of the series kept it up, but the ones I've watched so far had fun combinations like David Cassidy, Troy Donahue, Monte Markham and Jessica Walter in one show and Hugh O'Brian, Cesare Danova and Tina Louise in another and then Britt Ekland, Carol Lawrence and Christina Ferrare in another!! An added bonus is the occasional glimpse of Lee Horsley in a speedo or other skimpy attire. Check it out!
Kinda like Trump but more like Batman!
mm-393 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Kinda like Trump but more like Batman! Kinda like Donald Trump in that Matt Houston decide let other run his business and uses his resources else where. Both and Bruce Wayne own office towers, and helicopters ; But unlike Donald does run the White House, but solve murder mysteries. Matt Houston is cool, charming mixed with intelligence and wit. Matt can fly, drive, fight etc with all that money Matt can train like Batman, but with out the mask. There is a murder, frame up etc and Matt is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Matt is a copy of Remington Steel but with a Texas style with some smooth moves to solve the mystery. Love it when Matt says let fly one more time around my office tower. Another murder mystery show with a 3 year run.
Nostalic and entertaining 80s crime drama!
OllieSuave-00719 July 2018
I used to catch this show when I was a kid in the 80s and remembered it to be an entertaining crime drama - a story about the wealthy Matt Houston (Lee Horsley), who oversees his family's drilling enterprises while getting into action as a private investigator. He pairs up with C.J. Parsons (Pamela Hensley) in his adventures.
Classic 80s nostalgia with decent acting, past-paced stories, and appealing plots. For the longest time, I couldn't remember the name of the TV show after it went off the air, thinking it might be Hart to Hart or Hunter. But, I was adamant that the lead male character had a mustache. Thanks to a little research on the internet, I've finally found the show's title, plot outline, and photos.
Grade A
Classic 80s nostalgia with decent acting, past-paced stories, and appealing plots. For the longest time, I couldn't remember the name of the TV show after it went off the air, thinking it might be Hart to Hart or Hunter. But, I was adamant that the lead male character had a mustache. Thanks to a little research on the internet, I've finally found the show's title, plot outline, and photos.
Grade A
What Could Have Been...
elvimark019 March 2022
Matt Houston debuted in the Fall of 1982. I found out sometime later that Aaron Spelling had been pressing Gene Barry to revive his classic character of millionaire L. A. Captain of Homicide Amos Burke as early as 1980 (Barry eventually gave in, and a lackluster reboot of Burke's Law aired for two half-seasons in 1994 and 1995). Apparently, Spelling and his old friend, movie producer Larry Gordon (who'd written at least one episode of the original Burke's Law) retooled the concept, and came up with this series about a Texas oil millionaire who becomes an L. A. private detective, starring Lee Horsley (who previously played Archie Goodwin in a short-lived Nero Wolfe series a year and a half earlier) as Houston, with Pamela Hensley as his lawyer/sidekick/girl Friday C. J. Parsons and John Aprea as Lt. Vince Novelli, his surprisingly patient friend on the LAPD.
And for the first season, they seemed to be going for an updated version of Burke's Law, with outrageous murders and the all-star cast of familiar TV and movie faces as only Aaron Spelling could bring. If you ever wanted to see Natalie 'Lovey Howell' Schafer blown to bits by a rigged 'test your strength' bell at a carnival, with the likes of Ron 'Horshack' Palillo and Bo Hopkins as suspects, this is for you! Or maybe you've always wanted to see Troy Donahue blown away by David Cassidy's killer robot, with Jessica Walter, Norman Fell and Monte Markham along for the ride? That's in the first season as well. 'Skipper' Alan Hale done in by a snake hidden in his jacket? Check! And those are a few of the stories in the promising first season, which deftly combined murder mystery and humor.
So what happened to make them abandon this concept for subsequent seasons? I'm guessing two things...one, the ratings weren't good enough for Spelling, and two, he read all the reviews comparing Horsley to Tom Selleck (in both style and looks). So for the second season, Spelling jettisoned the all-star cast idea and turned Houston into more of an L. A. version of Magnum, but totally forgetting that what made Magnum, P. I. so appealing was the combination of action and humor (which they had ALREADY DONE in the first season of Matt Houston!). Horsley and Hemsley had undeniable appeal and great looks to boot and went from playing charming characters to dead serious characters. In keeping with the new serious Matt Houston, that meant that friendly Lt. Novelli was out and gruff Lt. Hoyt (Lincoln Kilpatrick) was in.
Those changes didn't work, so for the third and final season, they gave Houston some help in the form of Uncle Roy, portrayed by none other than Buddy Ebsen, and one has to sense that Ebsen had to have a chuckle about being brought in to help a younger hero, as when he was starring as Barnaby Jones, the producers there brought in a younger actor (Mark Shera) to take some of the load off Ebsen. Result? Bringing in the reinforcements didn't help, though one episode reunited Ebsen with his former Beverly Hillbillies co-star Max Baer, Jr.
So this year marks the 40th Anniversary of Matt Houston, and I can't help but wonder just what would've happen had they not abandoned the original concept and turned it into just another generic action show. Would it have been considered an '80's classic instead of just another curio? Who knows? But the first season at least is worth a look. 5 stars out of 10.
And for the first season, they seemed to be going for an updated version of Burke's Law, with outrageous murders and the all-star cast of familiar TV and movie faces as only Aaron Spelling could bring. If you ever wanted to see Natalie 'Lovey Howell' Schafer blown to bits by a rigged 'test your strength' bell at a carnival, with the likes of Ron 'Horshack' Palillo and Bo Hopkins as suspects, this is for you! Or maybe you've always wanted to see Troy Donahue blown away by David Cassidy's killer robot, with Jessica Walter, Norman Fell and Monte Markham along for the ride? That's in the first season as well. 'Skipper' Alan Hale done in by a snake hidden in his jacket? Check! And those are a few of the stories in the promising first season, which deftly combined murder mystery and humor.
So what happened to make them abandon this concept for subsequent seasons? I'm guessing two things...one, the ratings weren't good enough for Spelling, and two, he read all the reviews comparing Horsley to Tom Selleck (in both style and looks). So for the second season, Spelling jettisoned the all-star cast idea and turned Houston into more of an L. A. version of Magnum, but totally forgetting that what made Magnum, P. I. so appealing was the combination of action and humor (which they had ALREADY DONE in the first season of Matt Houston!). Horsley and Hemsley had undeniable appeal and great looks to boot and went from playing charming characters to dead serious characters. In keeping with the new serious Matt Houston, that meant that friendly Lt. Novelli was out and gruff Lt. Hoyt (Lincoln Kilpatrick) was in.
Those changes didn't work, so for the third and final season, they gave Houston some help in the form of Uncle Roy, portrayed by none other than Buddy Ebsen, and one has to sense that Ebsen had to have a chuckle about being brought in to help a younger hero, as when he was starring as Barnaby Jones, the producers there brought in a younger actor (Mark Shera) to take some of the load off Ebsen. Result? Bringing in the reinforcements didn't help, though one episode reunited Ebsen with his former Beverly Hillbillies co-star Max Baer, Jr.
So this year marks the 40th Anniversary of Matt Houston, and I can't help but wonder just what would've happen had they not abandoned the original concept and turned it into just another generic action show. Would it have been considered an '80's classic instead of just another curio? Who knows? But the first season at least is worth a look. 5 stars out of 10.
Great Show!!!
sederda6 January 2021
Too Bad "Matt Houston" Lost Its Sense of Fun
aramis-112-8048801 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
When TV GUIDE first announced "Matt Houston" it referred to it as a "comedy." Really. And in its first season "Matt Houston" was a lighthearted romp through tired detective stories. A rich Texan (played by Lee Horsley, the poor man's James Garner) divides his time between the ranch and fighting crime as a detective in LA.
Houston was a private eye with a difference. He was funny. His ranch was populated with characters like Paul Brinegar (the cook from "Rawhide"). His swank LA offices were filled with beautiful secretaries. His beautiful legal advisor was his equal in everything (Pamela Hensley, who also provided early episodes with enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek narration).
Oh, and while Houston played detective on wild-goose-chases, his business affairs were handled by bald, comedic, constantly put-upon Murray (George Wyner, who had co-starred with Horsley previously in a short-lived "Nero Wolfe" series).
Most interestingly, Houston had a computer called "Baby" that, while predating the Internet by a decade, could call up almost anything at command.
The pilot episode enforced the show's comedic elements by having two theme songs for Matt: one, a typically loud, exciting QM piece; the other an amusing song that might have been written for the great silent comics (the funny theme was background music and is sometimes played over early closing credits).
"Matt Houston" also originally fell into the 1980's "all-star" theme, a la "The Love Boat" or "Murder She Wrote." The first season is packed with big names. Some, like James Coco and Misty Rowe (from "Hee Haw") in "Recipe for Murder" played up the comedy. Others, like one big name in "The Good Doctor", appeared just long enough to spout a few lines before getting killed off. In one early episode ("Stop the Presses") you didn't know, going in, who was the murderer or who the victim (Bradford Dillman? Stuart Whitman? Murray Hamilton? Heather Locklear? Herb Edelman? Malcolm Jamal-Warner?)
The funny music, Hensley's enjoyable narration, guest stars who ranged from familiar television faces to washed up movie queens and Horsley's lighter-than-Garner performance highlight's the show's original comedy, indeed satirical, emphasis.
But along the way something happened to "Matt Houston." The funny music and Hensley's fun narration disappeared.
Even during the first season storylines became more serious and comedy was relegated to peripheral characters like George Wyner's Murray and the ranch's Brinegar. Then the ranch disappeared. And Wyner also vanished.
By the second season changes were fully implemented. Houston's pal in the police force (John Aprea) and his mother, who ran an Italian restaurant, were replaced by Lincoln Kilpatrick, playing a policeman with a love/hate relationship with Houston. Horsley's and Hensley's performances grew more serious.
By the third season, where television stalwart Buddy Ebsen was hauled in as Houston's never-before-mentioned CIA connected Uncle Roy, the stories were bitter. "Vanished" has Houston chasing a creep who murders children. "Caged" has C. J. (Hensley) cooped up in a detention center by a redneck sheriff who uses his inmates for prostitution.
The big-name guest stars disappear, replaced by up-and-coming actors who never upped or came (though the old spirit might have returned, but didn't, in an episode where Ebsen is reunited with former "Beverly Hillbillies" costar Max Baer, Jr.)
I'm not sure why the "Matt Houston," starting as a lighter-than-"Rockford" detective show packed with guest stars, gradually descended to grimmer-than-"Mannix" routine cop show; but the changes did not serve the show, nor Horsley and Hensley, well. Especially as they the kept the computer "Baby" which, in 1982, was the show's most unbelievable element. "Baby" belonged to the more freewheeling Matt who preferred detecting on the side.
The network that originally announced "Matt Houston" as a comedy let the show limp on through its third season's unsavory morass and then mercifully gave it the axe. Still, "Matt Houston" on its original state, with Houston an C. J. as comrades in a tongue-in-cheek style, fits into the 1980's romantic-comedy/detective hits like "Moonlighting", "Remington Steele" and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." Only, somewhere it lost its sense of humor on the way.
It reminds me of the 1970s show "Switch," with Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner. Coming on the heels of "The Sting" it began as a charming, tricky show with a cute theme song. A grumpy former cop (Albert) and a con artist (Wagner) played con games to catch criminals who were otherwise uncatchable. It lost its sweet sense of humor and its con-game motif quick. Network interference? Writer failure? Who knows? Really. Who?
If you're like me and prefer the lighter side watch the first season of "Matt Houston," which starts out turning detective TV tropes on their head, and dump the rest.
It was on three seasons but only one was watchable. Three stars. Where I'd have given a high rating to the pilot alone. What a waste.
Houston was a private eye with a difference. He was funny. His ranch was populated with characters like Paul Brinegar (the cook from "Rawhide"). His swank LA offices were filled with beautiful secretaries. His beautiful legal advisor was his equal in everything (Pamela Hensley, who also provided early episodes with enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek narration).
Oh, and while Houston played detective on wild-goose-chases, his business affairs were handled by bald, comedic, constantly put-upon Murray (George Wyner, who had co-starred with Horsley previously in a short-lived "Nero Wolfe" series).
Most interestingly, Houston had a computer called "Baby" that, while predating the Internet by a decade, could call up almost anything at command.
The pilot episode enforced the show's comedic elements by having two theme songs for Matt: one, a typically loud, exciting QM piece; the other an amusing song that might have been written for the great silent comics (the funny theme was background music and is sometimes played over early closing credits).
"Matt Houston" also originally fell into the 1980's "all-star" theme, a la "The Love Boat" or "Murder She Wrote." The first season is packed with big names. Some, like James Coco and Misty Rowe (from "Hee Haw") in "Recipe for Murder" played up the comedy. Others, like one big name in "The Good Doctor", appeared just long enough to spout a few lines before getting killed off. In one early episode ("Stop the Presses") you didn't know, going in, who was the murderer or who the victim (Bradford Dillman? Stuart Whitman? Murray Hamilton? Heather Locklear? Herb Edelman? Malcolm Jamal-Warner?)
The funny music, Hensley's enjoyable narration, guest stars who ranged from familiar television faces to washed up movie queens and Horsley's lighter-than-Garner performance highlight's the show's original comedy, indeed satirical, emphasis.
But along the way something happened to "Matt Houston." The funny music and Hensley's fun narration disappeared.
Even during the first season storylines became more serious and comedy was relegated to peripheral characters like George Wyner's Murray and the ranch's Brinegar. Then the ranch disappeared. And Wyner also vanished.
By the second season changes were fully implemented. Houston's pal in the police force (John Aprea) and his mother, who ran an Italian restaurant, were replaced by Lincoln Kilpatrick, playing a policeman with a love/hate relationship with Houston. Horsley's and Hensley's performances grew more serious.
By the third season, where television stalwart Buddy Ebsen was hauled in as Houston's never-before-mentioned CIA connected Uncle Roy, the stories were bitter. "Vanished" has Houston chasing a creep who murders children. "Caged" has C. J. (Hensley) cooped up in a detention center by a redneck sheriff who uses his inmates for prostitution.
The big-name guest stars disappear, replaced by up-and-coming actors who never upped or came (though the old spirit might have returned, but didn't, in an episode where Ebsen is reunited with former "Beverly Hillbillies" costar Max Baer, Jr.)
I'm not sure why the "Matt Houston," starting as a lighter-than-"Rockford" detective show packed with guest stars, gradually descended to grimmer-than-"Mannix" routine cop show; but the changes did not serve the show, nor Horsley and Hensley, well. Especially as they the kept the computer "Baby" which, in 1982, was the show's most unbelievable element. "Baby" belonged to the more freewheeling Matt who preferred detecting on the side.
The network that originally announced "Matt Houston" as a comedy let the show limp on through its third season's unsavory morass and then mercifully gave it the axe. Still, "Matt Houston" on its original state, with Houston an C. J. as comrades in a tongue-in-cheek style, fits into the 1980's romantic-comedy/detective hits like "Moonlighting", "Remington Steele" and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." Only, somewhere it lost its sense of humor on the way.
It reminds me of the 1970s show "Switch," with Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner. Coming on the heels of "The Sting" it began as a charming, tricky show with a cute theme song. A grumpy former cop (Albert) and a con artist (Wagner) played con games to catch criminals who were otherwise uncatchable. It lost its sweet sense of humor and its con-game motif quick. Network interference? Writer failure? Who knows? Really. Who?
If you're like me and prefer the lighter side watch the first season of "Matt Houston," which starts out turning detective TV tropes on their head, and dump the rest.
It was on three seasons but only one was watchable. Three stars. Where I'd have given a high rating to the pilot alone. What a waste.
Rich Playboy P.I.
JasonDanielBaker9 August 2011
A wealthy Texan named Matt Houston (Lee Horsley) who also happens to be from Houston lives in Los Angeles where he has a penthouse office, helicopter and fleet of cars. He keeps an eye on various divisions of his company and rather improbably works as private investigator too with the aid of his paid staff including his girl Friday C.J. Parsons, a Harvard educated lawyer. Houston also worked closely with his friend LAPD Lieutenant Vince Novelli (John Aprea).
Early on in the series Houston investigated the deaths of rich friends in whodunits with an ironic tone. By the second season, the show having jettisoned numerous supporting actors from the first season, took on a more serious edge and Houston began to distance himself from his business interests while investigating darker criminal cases with the grudging co-operation of grouchy police lieutenant Michael Hoyt (Lincoln Kilpatrick).
By the third season Houston and C.J. are living together in a smaller apartment and operating a private investigation business as Houston has turned his financial assets over to his Uncle Roy (Buddy Ebsen). The attempt to align the lifestyle of the main characters with other detectives on TV did not improve the ratings.
Matt Houston was an accidental success on the ABC network that copied other detective shows and stayed on the air defying most expectations because the competing networks (CBS and NBC) had long-running series (Archie Bunker's Place and CHiPS respectively) in the same time-slot with declining viewer-ship that they would end up shelving.
After ABC moved its time-slot opposite Falcon Crest on CBS on Friday Nights at 10 pm Matt Houston rode off into the sunset in Spring 1985 having lost the ratings shootout over the course of its remaining two season.
A lot of people remember it as a show they only watched during commercial breaks on the other networks or when the other shows on the other channels were showing reruns especially during the summer.
Early on in the series Houston investigated the deaths of rich friends in whodunits with an ironic tone. By the second season, the show having jettisoned numerous supporting actors from the first season, took on a more serious edge and Houston began to distance himself from his business interests while investigating darker criminal cases with the grudging co-operation of grouchy police lieutenant Michael Hoyt (Lincoln Kilpatrick).
By the third season Houston and C.J. are living together in a smaller apartment and operating a private investigation business as Houston has turned his financial assets over to his Uncle Roy (Buddy Ebsen). The attempt to align the lifestyle of the main characters with other detectives on TV did not improve the ratings.
Matt Houston was an accidental success on the ABC network that copied other detective shows and stayed on the air defying most expectations because the competing networks (CBS and NBC) had long-running series (Archie Bunker's Place and CHiPS respectively) in the same time-slot with declining viewer-ship that they would end up shelving.
After ABC moved its time-slot opposite Falcon Crest on CBS on Friday Nights at 10 pm Matt Houston rode off into the sunset in Spring 1985 having lost the ratings shootout over the course of its remaining two season.
A lot of people remember it as a show they only watched during commercial breaks on the other networks or when the other shows on the other channels were showing reruns especially during the summer.
Coulda been a lot better...
rickr44229 November 2023
Typical Spelling schtick, helped by a solid lead actor. Lee Horsely was in his twenties during the series production, played older, and was usually a bit above the predictable plot lines. Better in later episodes.
Show started really cartoony. Ridiculously handsome zillionaire Texas oil family heir living in Southern California sidelines as a private eye, eventually taking the p.i. Gig full time.
The usual Aaron Spelling drivel is all there, copious wealth, a really silly hero car, HUGE hair, screechy Dominic Frontiere music, canned sound effects, new Fords everywhere, women as victims, and laughably obvious plots.
I think this may be the best of Spellings mountain of dreck, carried mostly by the likable Horsely. Not 'good, but more bearable than Aarons usual tripe.
Show started really cartoony. Ridiculously handsome zillionaire Texas oil family heir living in Southern California sidelines as a private eye, eventually taking the p.i. Gig full time.
The usual Aaron Spelling drivel is all there, copious wealth, a really silly hero car, HUGE hair, screechy Dominic Frontiere music, canned sound effects, new Fords everywhere, women as victims, and laughably obvious plots.
I think this may be the best of Spellings mountain of dreck, carried mostly by the likable Horsely. Not 'good, but more bearable than Aarons usual tripe.
Good
hljakes21 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I thought mad Houston was so hot and his sidekick from buck Rogers I'd like to or better on this she actually could fight and she wasn't running around and pretty outfits she was like down to earth the only mistake I think they made was the third season Avenue in buddy Apt son but that's just my opinion it's unfortunate I only lasted three seasons
The Greatest Detective Show on TV
pixalstix16 July 2005
This show followed up the great classic 70's detective show's: Barnaby Jones, Cannon, Banecek, McMillan and Wife, Mcloud, Starsky and Hutch, Ironside, Longstreet, and Columbo, and was equal on par in terms of quality. I used to watch this show every Sunday night with my family. CJ was hot, Murray was cool, and the Lts where always willing to help solve the crime. What better premise can you have than A millionaire Texan that has nothing better to do than solve crimes. I even remember the running "baddie" in a couple of episodes who was Houston's arch nemesis played bu Chuck Connors. And when Buddy Ebson joined the cast as uncle Floyd it added some credibility to the show.
BEST SHOW!!!!!
morrison-716 July 1999
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
