"Midnight Caller"? (1 Viewer)

[WaveCrest]

Many thanks for posting the link to the interview Jon.

 

[Van594]

Oh I so wish this would be released on DVD...what a great show. It had a really nice vibe to it and loved the San Fran setting. Classy show, they really need to release this.

 

[WaveCrest]

Which UK terrestrial channel first showed Midnight Caller in the UK, BBC1 or ITV? ITV repeated the first season a few years back, but I'm sure BBC1 aired it first. Of the episodes I saw I particularly liked the season finale "Blues for Mr. Charlie", in which Harold Gould (fine actor) played a store owner.

 

[WaveCrest]

Been wondering if Time Life might be interested in releasing a complete series set of Midnight Caller, like they did with China Beach. There were around the same number of episodes of Midnight Caller as there were of China Beach. Does China Beach have a 'shot on film, edited on video' look in the Time Life complete series set? Midnight Caller did (at least it did in the first season), and I wonder if the Warner Archive or Time Life released the show, and the music clearance problems could be solved, and the show was originally shot on film, whether they would go back to the original elements.

 

[Frank Soyke]

I'd like to see this too. Gary Cole was was a great diverse actor who could equally pull off drama and comedy. His portrayal of Lumberg in Office Space is a cult favorite. He also nailed Mike Brady to a T. No pun intended there. LOL

 

[davidHartzog]

Great show m.i.a. on dvd, hard to believe with all the other junk turning up. I watched it during its initial run, Cole was very good, good supporting cast, well-written.

 

[Heavyearlyanditis]

I've recently watched some old episodes of this show and was surprised at the amount of popular music included (1988-91 + some classic 60's tunes like "whiter shade of pale"). I bet the music rights are (or would be) holding up any dvd release. It's a bit like WKRP again. If you cut or substitute the tunes, you kind of lose the atmosphere of the time and possibly some dialogue. I still want to see it on dvd, and have voted for its release on tvshowsondvd.com . Maybe if it can get more votes, whoever owns the rights might pay attention. This was filmed in San Francisco around the time of the 1989 earthquake (which they addressed in a season 2 episode). In retrospect, the writing on this show was better than a lot of what is on today. Sure, there were some clunkers, but for the most part, the stories were grounded in reality, and dealt with real issues...such as AIDS, inner city drug trade, and gun control. IMOP, they did a great job of casting and transitioning to a different leading lady in season 3, when Wendy Kilbourne exited the show to start her family, and they introduced Lisa Eilbacher as the soon to be new station manager. Lisa's Nikki Malloy character was well written and a better match for Gary Cole's Jack Killian ( their interactions were my favorite part...much more spark!). It's a shame they didn't have a 4th season, but that's what happens when you move from Tuesdays to Fridays. The handwriting's on the wall.

 

[The Drifter]

I'm amazed there's a thread for the extremely underrated & well-done Midnight Caller (1988-1991) TV show on here. I never saw the show when it was originally on, but streamed the whole series a couple of years ago on Youtube (not sure if it's still available on there). The streams were crappy quality (they were all obviously VHS rips) but they did have all of the commercials edited out, and were better than nothing.

This isn't just a good series, it's a great series. In fact, I've seen hundreds of TV series over the years & and, this is definitely one of my top ten (and maybe even top five) best TV shows I've ever seen. I would also have to say this is by far the best TV show of the '80's (though it's a show that also crosses over into the '90's). If you weren't watching a lot of TV back in the late '80's/early '90's (like me) and/or you didn't have access the the channel the series was featured on, you probably weren't even aware of it's existence. I never had cable in those days, so only got a handful of channels that I was even able to see without snow.

The opening theme song/imagery is fantastic - I like the jazzy score superimposed over the night-time images of neon lights, clubs, people going out, late-night restaurants, etc. Very effective in capturing the late night world - which is so different from what we see during the day.

The show stars Gary Cole (better known as the jerk manager Bill L. in "Office Space" - LOL) as Jack Killian, a detective who quits the force after accidentally killing his partner, and being wracked with guilt because of this. He then gets pulled into hosting a late-night talk show by the owner of the radio station. Very interesting premise. The show tackles a lot of topical social issues, without being preachy...many of which are still relevant today.

 

[The Drifter]

To add to my last post:

As a teen in the late '80's, I worked at a restaurant @ night. MC somewhat reminds me of when the workers at the restaurant listened to the radio late while closing down - primarily because of the rock music. I always thought it would be cool to have a late-night D.J.-ing job, which would let you be awake & interacting with others (who were also awake) - while almost everyone else was asleep.

It also somewhat reminds me of staying up late at night as a kid & flicking the channels on my old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TV set, looking for something to watch.

I agree that MC would be amazing on DVD/Blu-ray. The VHS rips that are available via streaming are, obviously, not that great re: the Picture Quality, etc. - though it's better than not being able to see the show at all.

However, I feel that the likely hood of seeing this series on modern home video is almost impossible, given:

1) The extreme obscurity of the show...and more importantly...
2) The inevitable musical copyright issues that would result if a company wanted to look into releasing the series with all of the original music intact.

In some cases, TV series with a rock/pop soundtrack have the music changed/modified to get around the music rights issues. For example, I know the great Vietnam War Drama Tour of Duty (1987-1991) released on DVD back in the 200X's had the music unfortunately changed in many cases...notably the opening theme song, the Rolling Stones' iconic classic "Paint it Black" - which to me ruined the whole experience.

So, unless a company that's looking to make the show available on home video can get the music copyright issues straightened out & keep all of the original music intact, I don't want to see this on DVD/Blu. I'll stick with the streaming rips (if I can find them again - LOL).

 

[Flashgear]

Midnight Caller was a very compelling show, often great, and one of my (few) favorite '80s TV artifacts. Great cast, top to bottom, and with many memorable guest star performances. Joe Spano (The Execution of John Saringo) and Kay Lenz (After it Happened...) both won Emmys for their guest starring appearances in 1989. Peter Boyle, playing Gary Cole's estranged father, was also nominated in 1989.

The show featured one of the all time great smooth jazz instrumentals for it's theme music..composed by pianist Brad Fiedel and featuring the great Rick Braun on trumpet and woodwinds...beautiful, evocative, and appropriate to the often contemplative and downbeat mood of series...



Ep 1, Conversations with the Assassin... prominent usage of music by Sade, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, etc., and a good example of the problematic music rights entanglements that have prevented any DVD release...


Ep 3, After it Happened..., with Kay Lenz from Youtube...thanks to whoever uploaded these in decent shape to Youtube...

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Nice to see you posting again, Randall!

I had almost completely forgotten about this show, but now that you guys bring it up, I remember watching it sporadically (at least during its first season) and enjoying it pretty well. Thanks for those You Tube links...might have to check out one of those episodes sometime.

 

[Neil Brock]

I didn't really watch a lot of network TV in that era as I worked nights and had to videotape shows if I wanted to see them. I caught the show on occasion and thought it was interesting but I didn't see a lot of episodes. The main shows from that era that I made sure to see were Moonlighting, The Equalizer and The Wonder Years.

 

[The Drifter]

Glad to see other fans of MC are still on here.

When I was watching the show, I felt it was a series best seen late at night - to go along with the primary night-time setting of the show.

Season 1, Episode 6 was one of the best episodes of the series. It dealt with Killian & Devon being asked to got to a local prison & interview a guy who was on death row for the murder of three innocent teens in the late '70's...this interview took place the night before he was scheduled to be executed.

The guy on death row claimed he was innocent, but couldn't prove where he was the night of the crime - and he admitted to Killian that he couldn't remember what had happened that night - but did admit remembering that he was on drugs. He was also identified by several people due to the unusual birth-mark on his face. So, essentially, towards the end of the episode my take on this was that the guy was probably guilty.

Killian treated him with respect & dignity throughout the interview, which he didn't have to do.

Kudos to the producers of the show for having the guts to tackle such an unpopular & controversial issue & for not making it preachy. Well-done.

"Good Night America, Wherever you are..." - Jack Killian.

Here's an extended version of the theme song - excellent smooth, jazzy score here - which really evokes the late-night setting of the series:

I've recently watched some old episodes of this show and was surprised at the amount of popular music included (1988-91 + some classic 60's tunes like "whiter shade of pale"). I bet the music rights are (or would be) holding up any dvd release. It's a bit like WKRP again. If you cut or substitute the tunes, you kind of lose the atmosphere of the time and possibly some dialogue. ....but for the most part, the stories were grounded in reality, and dealt with real issues...such as AIDS, inner city drug trade, and gun control. IMOP, they did a great job of casting and transitioning to a different leading lady in season 3, when Wendy Kilbourne exited the show to start her family, and they introduced Lisa Eilbacher as the soon to be new station manager. Lisa's Nikki Malloy character was well written and a better match for Gary Cole's Jack Killian ( their interactions were my favorite part...much more spark!).

Great post. I actually felt each & every episode of MC was strong; I didn't feel there were any weak or sub-par episodes.

Going along with the above, the obvious sexual tension between Killian & Devon in S01-S02 & Nikki Malloy in S03 was handled in a unique way....in both cases, they decide not to take it any further due to their mutual respect & excellent working relationship/friendship. These relationships on this show were very unique - instead of jumping into bed together (as would happen with two characters like this on almost every other TV series ever made), the show's writers/producers decide to go the opposite route & made the characters able to control their emotions much more - which I think was realistic & refreshing.

 

[Doug Wallen]

A favorite of mine that I would love to see on disc.

 

[Ferdinand Hudson]

Very popular show in Sweden at the time and I have fond memories of it. It popped up on cable after its original broadcast but it's been a long time now since I last saw it. I enjoyed the show, it had good writing, great cast, and the fact that I had an enormous crush on Wendy Kilbourne surely also played a part. I'd snap this up in a heartbeat, provided there were no music replacements.

 

[The Drifter]

Glad that this thread is getting so many responses. When I first saw the series a couple of years ago, I wrote up some episode reviews on another site. I'll post some here as well, especially given that this show is obviously well-thought of & respected. I will be careful with Spoilers (don't know how to post Spoiler tags here):

E3, S1 of MC was brilliant - one of the best episodes of the series. This featured Kay Lenz as Killian's ex who had gotten "the" fatal virus that was all over the news in the mid-late '80's.

Lenz's character contacted Killian in desperation, to help her search for the guy that had given it to her. I found the way Killian treated those he came into contact with (in his search) very poignant & heart-warming. He treated them with respect, even the guy who had knowingly been transmitting the virus to many others.

Killian's monologue at the very end of this episode (on the radio) was particularly brilliant - very moving.

S1, Episode 8, "Trash Radio" - both funny & sad, it was interesting to see Jack needing to come to terms (again) with the unintentional killing of his partner, which is why he retired from the police force & became a talk radio host in the first place. The storyline re: Killian's "competitor" was interesting - he was a trashy late-night radio show host who tried to dig up dirt on Killian in order to discredit him.

As always, great soundtrack here - especially The Eurythmics' iconic '80's tune "Would I lie to You" playing over a key scene - great song placement here.

S1, Episode 9 "No Exit": This dealt with a young teen runaway who was forced into a life of degradation by a pimp who "rescued" her from the streets. Bud Cort (who starred in the early '70's film Harold & Maude) played the sleazy pimp - very different from his previous roles.

In this episode, Killian focused his talk show on the issue of teen runaways, and even had some of them on the show - I'm guessing that at least some of these "actors" were actual street kids in real life.

As has been typical with this series, this brought back memories of the time period - I remember teen runaways being a big issue back in the '80's, even though it wasn't "discussed" too much. Obviously, I know the problem continues to this day.

S1, Episode 10: "Fathers and Sins". Superb episode. This dealt with Devon's somewhat tumultuous relationship with her father, and also showcased Jack Killian's long-lost father (Peter Boyle) (who had abandoned the family years earlier) finally coming back into his life.

Incredible episode, and the sad scene of Devon having a heart-felt conversation with her father was a good counter-point to the almost comedic reveal that Killan's father (Boyle) was a con-man - but who still cared about his estranged son to some extent.

As a middle-aged guy whose parents are getting on in years, this episode emphasized how important family is - and how you should try to have a good relationship with them (if possible), because none of us know how much longer they (or we) will be around.

 

[The Drifter]

Continuing my review of MC S01. This show is a real hidden gem, and it's too bad more people aren't aware of the series....understandable, since the only way to watch this are the VHS rips online.

Some other stand-out episodes included:

Episode 12, "The Fall": Jack tries to assist a young man (that he had helped years before) get off of drugs. Very poignant & well-done episode.

Episode 13, "Ethan's Call": Very moving episode about the family of Jack's partner & their attempts to deal with his death (which Jack accidentally caused). This is an extremely well-done episode about grief & the need to mourn - but eventually move forward - after the loss of a loved one.

Episode 15, "Wait until Midnight": A blind woman (Meg Foster) hears a murder in the apartment next to hers while speaking to Jack when he's on the air - and both she & Jack have to convince the authorities that she didn't just imagine this. Excellent, and one of the best episodes of the series.

I've liked Meg Foster, ever since I was a kid back in the '80's - her eyes are gorgeous; I've always thought they looked like cat's eyes

Episode 16 (the season finale), "Blues for Mr. Charlie": Very disturbing show about a shooting at a convenience store, which ends up being a huge news story; Killian inadvertently gets drawn into this. Gun control is a big issue here, and I find this episode even more relevant now than it was when it came out in the late '80's - it could easily have been torn out of today's news headlines.

I also noticed some interesting details re: this show:

-I was amused at the running joke about "Carmen", the never-seen owner of "Carmen's", the late-night bar that Jack frequents. In many scenes in the bar, Jack (or someone else) asks about her - and, the response is always that she's vacationing in some exotic foreign country - very funny...

-Jack doesn't seem to own a car. He's always seen either walking, taking a cab, sometimes a bus, or getting a ride from someone. IIRC SF does have good public transportation (when they're not on strike). So, it makes sense that he can get around without a vehicle. This would be nice, since I myself hate driving & try to take public transportation whenever I can.

For what it's worth, here is a great site I found with an episode guide for each season. It's especially useful when watching the show online, since the sites available don't always show the episodes in order:

http://midnightcaller.garycole.net/season1.htm

 

[The Drifter]

Continuing with my review(s) of MC, here is the beginning of my S02 reviews. If anything, S2 of this show is even more powerful than S1. The fact that a show of such quality came out on network TV 30 years ago is amazing to me; I've never seen a show before or since that has affected me the way MC has - truly incredible.

Episode 4: An LE officer (a friend of Jack's) is fighting for the right to take his son off life support after a horrible accident two years earlier; extremely moving look at euthanasia & how having someone in a coma affects the loved ones.

Episode 5: Devon has a stalker who escalates his activities, until Jack has to temporarily move in to her apartment to keep her safe. Well-done & disturbing episode.

Episode 7: IMHO the most powerful episode of the series; Jack hears that his old girlfriend Tina Cassidy (Kay Lenz) is dying in a hospice, and as he goes to be with her in her final hours - he reflects on the time he had with her the previous year. This is a follow-up to the excellent S1 episode in which her character is first introduced. This may be the most moving, powerful, and heart-rending episode of TV I've ever seen...and I don't say that lightly.

Episode 09: Jack's friend Deacon (the reporter) has a new girlfriend (the always great Pam Grier) with a serious gambling problem - that leads to devastating consequences. This was a complex episode that also dealt with the forgery of paintings.

Episode 12: Killian looks back at the then-recent famous San Francisco earthquake, which hit in October 1989. I've never lived in that area, but remember hearing about this on the news at the time. Very devastating, and Jack interviewed people who gave testimonials of where they were & what they were doing at the time. Especially interesting was when Deacon came across an ex-football player who had become homeless, and tried to help him get back on his feet.

Here's a link about this famous earthquake - I didn't know that 67 people had died as result of this:

http://www.history.com/topics/1989-san-francisco-earthquake

Episode 13: This was a very moving episode that dealt with a kid who ended up being abandoned at a gas station by his mother and her boyfriend, and had to end up fending for himself on the streets. Killian gets involved, and the overall issue of homeless street kids ends up being a focus of this episode (just like a similar episode in S1). Joe Cocker's iconic '89 rock song When the Night Comes was featured in a key scene on this episode, and is another reminder of why this show will probably never hit home video...

 

[The Drifter]

Since some people seemed to appreciate my MC reviews, I'll continue with them. Note the show is not on DVD/Blu - and may never be - but, I like keeping this thread alive to show the "powers that be" (if they're listening - LOL) that there is still interest in this highly underrated series:

Here are the rest of my S02 reviews:

S02, E14 "Kid Salinas" - this dealt with illegal immigrants in the boxing world. Extremely well-done - and, as with this entire series- this topic/issue is actually as relevant now - if not more relevant - than it was when the episode was first released.

S02, E15-16 "A Snitch in Time" Parts 1-2: These are two of the best episodes in the entire series. These dealt with Jack being accused of a crime he didn't commit due to his being in the wrong place at the wrong time; and also due to an opportunistic criminal who tried to benefit herself by having Jack take the fall. Very scary, and it was obvious that if Jack didn't have friends who supported/helped him & a good idea of how the criminal justice system worked (due to his having been an LE officer), there's a good chance he would have gone to prison for this crime.

These 2 episodes just made me think of all of the times I read a news story about someone who was convicted of something they didn't do - and, who doesn't have the resources (either financial or otherwise) to fight this. Maybe some of these people will have their convictions eventually overturned, but not before losing long years - and their mental & physical health - in the prison system.

S02, E18 "Wrong Side of the Wall" - this episode dealt with an older guy who had gotten out of prison after years of being on the inside - and found himself with no job, no resources, and no friends. Against his better judgement, he takes up with some criminals; somehow Jack gets involved, and tries to help him. Again, superb episode that really sheds light on the plight of the prisoners (especially the non-violent offenders) who get out of prison & have no recourse on the outside. After seeing this episode, it makes you understand why so many of these former prisoners end up back inside after having been released.

I definitely agree that many people in prison deserve to be there & off the streets. However, the above three episodes really makes you think about the CJ system from a perspective that isn't usually presented to us.

S02, E22 "Nighthawk's got the blues" - this is the season finale. Jack is going through a difficult time in this episode, as he thinks back to his time with Tina (who passed in an earlier S02 episode) as her birthday is coming up; he ends up taking out his anger/frustration on his listeners & friends. There are a lot of flashbacks to Tina in this episode - very touching & sad.

Also wanted to mention at how impressed I was at the portrayal of Jack & Tina's relationship - after she came back into his life. Though it was obvious they loved each other, it also obviously wasn't physical at that point (due to her illness) - however, you could see that they both cared about each other, and Jack was very upset when she left. Kay Lenz is an amazing actress; the performance that she gave in the few episodes she was in was incredible, and in the hands of a lesser actress this would have fallen short. However, she was spot-on with her acting here, and was extremely convincing as someone who both cared about Jack - but also didn't want him to see her getting worse.

 

[The Drifter]

Here is Part 1 of my S03 review of MC:

As always, am extremely impressed by these episodes. Here's a review of some of these:

S03, EP01 - "Class of 1980": Women from Devon's college graduating class are dying in suspicious ways, and Jack, Zymek, and Deacon need to get to the bottom of this. Co-starring the drop-dead gorgeous Julianne Philips as Jack's new girlfriend.

S03, EP03 - "Old Friends": This episode focuses on Jack's surrogate father (played by Martin Basalm) having to go into an assisted living facility/nursing home. Very poignant episode, with several flashbacks to Jack's youth in the 1960's.

As with much of this show, this episode is very relatable to me. I have had several elderly relatives go into nursing homes over the years, and it's a very sad situation when someone gets to the point where they can't take care of themselves & need to rely on others for their basic needs.

S03, EP04-05, "Ain't too proud to beg" and "Sale Away" - these are two of the most best episodes of the entire series, and focus on Devon deciding to get married, leave San Francisco, and sell the radio station. She struggles with her decision, and Jack struggles as well; he has to decide whether to stay on @ the station, given that he has other, more lucrative job offers.

Some of my favorite scenes here are the last conversations Jack has with Devon in these episodes; he tells her that he really appreciates what she did for him, i.e. giving him a chance at a fresh start (by hosting the radio show) after his personal tragedy.

Most poignant (for me, at least) is the final monologue/scene during the radio show in EP05 - Jack reflects on how much his friendship with Devon has meant to him over the years & how sad he will be to see her go. It's obvious their friendship was more than just professional; they really cared for & respected each other.

Episodes 6-7: "Life Without Possibility, Parts 1 & 2" - Jack ends up broadcasting the show from inside a prison when a riot is going on; though Jack initially balks at doing this, Nicky Malloy insists. Very intense & disturbing episode that focuses on the rights of prisoners; they are trying to get better treatment for themselves & are rioting in order to try to make this happen. Over all of this we see numerous monologues by a prisoner (Robert Beltran) who is being denied treatment for his cancer; he is the focal point of these episode(s).

As with other MC episodes involving violent criminals (notably the excellent death row episode), the show is not trying to make portray criminals/convicts as misunderstood or as people who should be let back out on the street, but realistically & thoughtfully.

I also recognized several of the guest stars:

Robert Beltran starred in two of my favorite '80's films, the dark comedy "Eating Raoul" (1982), and the campy B sci-fi flick "Night of the Comet" (1984).

And, Terence Knox (who played a prisoner in this episode, with a vendetta against Jack) starred in the superb Vietnam war drama, "Tour of Duty" (1987-1991). Excellent series, with an unfortunate sub-par DVD release back in the 200X's; much of the 1960's/1970's rock/pop music that was so great in the series itself had been replaced in the show with other music - which, to me, effectively ruined the viewing experience re: watching this show. Examples like this are why I really don't mind that much that MC is not on DVD; if it were, I'm sure some of the iconic rock music would be replaced, thereby marring our enjoyment of the series.

Some other comments about the show:

-Note that S03 is as good as the previous two - and maybe even slightly better! I was initially thinking the S03 episodes would be lacking since Devon left early in the season, but I really like Nicky Malloy - the new owner of the radio station. She's a completely different type of person than Devon, but no less interesting. She's very straight-forward & seems to be willing to take a lot more risks than Devon ever did.

-It's interesting how many people there are still up @ 3:00am when Jack gets off work. The Nighthawk radio show runs from midnight to 3:00, and inevitably when Jack walks home & stops off at Carmen's, either Deacon and/or Zymek are there hanging out; or there are at least others around & still awake. I can see why Jack is still up at that hour, but don't any of these other people sleep!? LOL.