''Shadow Chasers'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

television series created by

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated f ...

and Kenneth Johnson. Fourteen episodes were produced, ten of which were shown on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television network, the remaining four on the Armed Forces Network. It debuted on November 14, 1985, and was produced by

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

Plot

''Shadow Chasers'' features strait-laced British anthropologist Jonathan MacKensie (played by

Trevor Eve Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series ''Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC televi ...

), who works for the fictional Georgetown Institute Paranormal Research Unit (PRU). MacKenzie's department head, Dr. Julianna Moorhouse (

Nina Foch Nina Foch ( ; born Nina Consuelo Maud Fock; April 20, 1924 – December 5, 2008) was a Dutch-born American actress who later became an instructor. Her career spanned six decades, consisting of over 50 feature films and over 100 television appea ...

), withholds a research grant to force him into investigating a supposed "haunting" involving a teenage boy ( Bobby Fite). He is paired with flamboyant tabloid reporter Edgar "Benny" Benedek (

Dennis Dugan Dennis Barton Dugan (born September 5, 1946) is an American director, actor, writer, artist and comedian. He is known for his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, for whom he directed the films ''Happy Gilmore'', '' Big Daddy'', '' The Be ...

) to reduce the length of the investigation, over Moorhouse's objections. Benny and Jonathan did not get along, but managed to solve the case despite their differences. The episodes featured Jonathan and Benny grudgingly learning to respect and admire each other.

Cast

as Edgar 'Benny' Benedek *

as Dr. Jonathan MacKensie *

as Dr. Juliana Moorhouse *

Hermione Baddeley Hermione Youlanda Ruby Clinton-Baddeley (13 November 1906 – 19 August 1986) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She typically played brash, vulgar characters, often referred to as "brassy" or "blowsy".Folkart, Burt, "Noted ...

as Melody Lacey *

Avery Schreiber Avery Lawrence Schreiber (April 9, 1935 – January 7, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. He was a veteran of stage, television, and movies who came to prominence in the 1960s in a comedy duo with Jack Burns. He acted in an array of roles ...

as Jordan Kerner *

Teresa Ganzel Teresa Ganzel is an American actress and comedian. Career Ganzel was a recurring cast member of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' as the Matinee Lady in the "Tea Time Movie" skits. She has often played stereotypical ditzy blonde bimb ...

as Christy

Episodes

Reception

Only nine episodes were shown in the U.S. Four others were only shown overseas on the Armed Forces Network during the original run of the series. The pilot frequently appears on cable, particularly on the Mystery Channel. The show was the lowest-rated of 106 programs during the 1985-1986 TV season, (due in part to being broadcast in the same time slot as NBC's ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

'' and ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States ...

'' and CBS's '' Magnum P.I.'' and later, ''

Simon & Simon ''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...

'') averaging only a 5.8/9 rating/share. This competition had been the focus of a series of humorous commercials for the series, starring luminaries of the time as

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

and

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

. While heavily promoted during the network's mini-series ''

North and South North and South may refer to: Literature * ''North and South'' (Gaskell novel), an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell * ''North and South'' (trilogy), a series of novels by John Jakes (1982–1987) ** ''North and South'' (Jakes novel), first novel ...

'', the commercials proved to be prophetic, in that the series drew small audiences, and was frequently pre-empted in some markets.

References

External links

*
''Shadow Chasers'' Home Page
{{Brian Grazer American Broadcasting Company original programming 1985 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1980s American science fiction television series English-language television shows Occult detective fiction Television shows set in Washington, D.C. Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios