''McBride'' is the name of a series of 10 made-for-television

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

s released by the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

between 2005 and 2008 and stars

John Larroquette John Bernard Larroquette (; born November 25, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in the NBC military drama series '' Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (1976–1978), the NBC sitcom '' Night Court'' (1984–1992; for which he rec ...

as a lawyer. It later appeared regularly on the

Hallmark Movie Channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (formerly known as Hallmark Movie Channel, and also known as HMM) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings. The channel was spun off from sister network Hallmark Chan ...

. It is broadcast some weekends on the Hallmark Drama Channel. While on the Hallmark Channel, it was broadcast in rotation with the movie series '' Jane Doe'', '' Murder 101'', and '' Mystery Woman'' under the

umbrella title An umbrella title is a formal or informal name connecting a number of individual items with a common theme. It is most often used in lieu of listing the separate components or providing a convenient "label" for a collection of disciplines. Uses of ...

''Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel''. In the UK, these movies are aired, on a rotation basis, in afternoon drama slot on Channel 5.

Story

Lawyer Mike McBride is a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. He takes cases based on their merit rather than on their monetary value, which often leads to terse notices from bill collectors. A disillusioned member of the

LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

, McBride left the force after 12 years and went back to school to become a lawyer. McBride, sidekick Phil Newberry, and McBride's former girlfriend Detective Roberta Hansen, solve crimes through investigation and research.

Main characters

Mike McBride (

) – McBride, although a lawyer for only eight years, is renowned in Los Angeles for his tough persona and commitment to his clients. Quirky and unconventional, his methods often draw negative attention from his peers, as well as a certain measure of dread from every ADA he must face in the courtroom. Larroquette himself decided that McBride should not have a first name and resisted using even an initial. The name plate on his desk, however, says "M. McBride" and in the first movie, McBride's jury summons is briefly seen, noting that his first name is Mike. Later promos for the show also refer to him as Mike. He is more commonly known as "Mac". McBride has inherited a rundown ranch and a white dog, Jesse, from a client serving a life sentence. Phil Newberry ( Matt Lutz) – Phil is former public defender who is fortunate enough to try a case in which McBride is a juror. Though Phil fails to convince the rest of the jury of his client's innocence, McBride's contrary vote is enough to hang the jury. Upon meeting face to face, Phil realizes he can learn much from this seasoned litigator and goes to work for McBride. Phil Newberry is often the "gadget guy", a post-modern counterpoint to McBride's old-fashioned sleuthing. In the first episode, he is revealed to have a trust fund and is willing to work without pay. Roberta Hansen ( Marta DuBois) – Roberta is a sharp-tongued homicide detective with the LAPD. She and McBride share a somewhat mysterious romantic past, but have put aside their entanglement to work together as friends. Though sometimes at odds, McBride and Roberta respect and trust one another, often coming together to solve crimes everyone else has abandoned. In later episodes, Roberta's office moves from a roomier one in the corner of the police headquarters to one closer to the middle of the station. Though it is never explained in the story, the switch was made for shooting reasons because the corner office was more difficult to light.

Films in the series

#''McBride: Murder Past Midnight'', directed by Kevin Connor, first aired January 14, 2005 #''McBride: The Chameleon Murder'', directed by Kevin Connor, first aired February 4, 2005. This was the only movie sold on DVD by Hallmark Home Video. # ''McBride: It's Murder, Madam'', directed by Kevin Connor, first aired March 4, 2005 # ''McBride: The Doctor is Out ... Really Out'', directed by

, first aired June 12, 2005 # ''McBride: Tune in for Murder'', directed by Stephen Bridgewater, first aired August 14, 2005 # ''McBride: Anybody Here Murder Marty?'', directed by

James Contner James Atwater Contner (born June 12, 1947) is an American film, television director and cinematographer. His work includes episodes of such television series as '' Miami Vice'', ''Angel'', ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Firefly'', ''The X-Files ...

, first aired August 28, 2005 # ''McBride: Fallen Idol'', directed by

, first aired March 11, 2006 # ''McBride: Semper Fi'', directed by

, first aired January 20, 2007 # ''McBride: Dogged'', directed by

, first aired March 17, 2007 # ''McBride: Requiem'', directed by Mark Griffiths, first aired May 31, 2008 (some sources and databases list it as 2006)

References

External links

{{Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel 2000s mystery films American film series American mystery films Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel Hallmark Channel original films Larry Levinson Productions Films directed by Kevin Connor American drama television films 2000s American films