PARIS (1979-1980) – This 13-episode cop show was created by the one and only Steven Bochco. James Earl Jones took his first starring role in a television series as Woody Paris of the Los Angeles Police.
Paris commanded a unit of detectives, one of whom was played by Michael Warren, future Hill Street Blues star for Bochco. More importantly, Jones met and later married his white Paris costar Cecilia Hart. They remained together until her death in 2016.
Woody Paris also taught a criminology course at a city college. His wife was portrayed by Lee Chamberlain.
If you get the chance to watch James Earl Jones’ performance in this hour-long series, please do so. He masterfully plays a sharp detective, skilled leader and devoted husband helped immensely by his unforgettable voice and his gravitas.
THE EPISODES:
PARIS – Woody Paris risks career suicide as he and his unit investigate the murder of the wife of a Los Angeles City Councilman. The late woman’s lover is the chief suspect but Paris comes to believe that the councilman himself may be the killer when he learns of the man’s covered-up incidents of domestic violence. Directed by Jackie Cooper and cowritten by Steven Bochco, whose future Hill Street Blues collaborators Barbara Babcock and Kiel Martin guest star. Continue reading
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