This series hit American TV at the same time as Candace Bergen's "Murphy Brown" series. A lot of viewers probably thought this was a repeat of the "Murphy Brown" episode they already watched.
The characters were D.P. Murphy (George Segal) a maverick insurance investigator who always managed to catch the frauds. But was he appreciated by his employers? Hardly.
Wes Harden (Josh Mostel) was his ally in the company although in the first episode he is more of a taskmaster.
Victor Beaudine eventually became Murphy's nemesis in office politics.
Kimiko (Maggie Han) was his lover and roommate who worked as a model and perhaps also as a flight attendant.
Murphy was a divorced, recovering alcoholic with a daughter that his ex would not let him spend time with.
My favorite episode was really two episodes--a two-parter--about a woman who is sent in to manage the department and her name is De Sade. The running gag is that it is pronounced "Du Saaaade" not "DeSahd" like the name of the inventor of "sadism." Yet she really is a sadist. If that pair of episodes were available I'd buy them (they would fit on one tape, of course). Unfortunately, the whole show is not on VHS or DVD. I bought a tape for $20 that turned out to be the pilot episode. One episode only. I would not recommend this, and it seems to be all that is out there. Further, the tape I got is technically poor in quality, recorded at extended play (EP) speed instead of the higher quality SP. That stinks.
Somebody says you should catch this show in reruns. Where? Where?
