Houston Knights

*Houston Knights*
Houston Knights
Created by	Michael Butler; Jay Bernstein
Starring	Michael Beck; Michael Paré
Composers	Dennis McCarthy; George Doering
Country of origin	USA
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	31
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Jay Bernstein Productions; Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 11, 1987 –; June 10, 1988

Houston Knights is an American crime drama set in Houston, Texas. The show ran on CBS from 1987 to 1988 and had 31 episodes. The core of the show was the partnership between two very different cops from two different cultures. Chicago cop Joey LaFiamma, played by Michael Paré, is transferred to Houston after he kills a mobster from a powerful Mafia family and a contract is put out on him. Once there, he is partnered with Levon Lundy, played by Michael Beck, the grandson of a Texas Ranger.

Although as different as night and day, and after a rocky beginning (the two engage in a fist-fight) they form a successful partnership and become friends. This is aided to a certain extent by an event where a hitman from Chicago who holds the contract to shoot La Fiamma arrives in Houston and is ultimately killed by Lundy.

During the series, it is revealed that both La Fiamma and Lundy have their own personal demons; La Fiamma's Chicago police partner had been killed when he went ahead while La Fiamma had waited for backup to arrive. Lundy's wife had been killed by an explosion that was intended to kill him.

Music

The theme music for the series was Texan blues-rock style, opening with a steamy saxophone then featuring slide guitar work and a heavy bass line. Dennis McCarthy & George Doering composed the music for the series. Lee Ritenour is also credited as a major contributor to the music featured in the series.

Features

One of the key features of the show was the car driven by La Fiamma, an ice-blue 289 AC Cobra "replicar", credited as being provided by "North American Fibreglass". The car was yet another way to demonstrate that La Fiamma didn't "fit" in Texas, as most other characters on the show drove pickup trucks (including Lundy).

The wardrobe for La Fiamma consisted of well-cut and stylish Italian label clothing, another contrast to Lundy, who was always attired in stereotypical Texas "cowboy" clothes (which are not, in fact, common attire in urban Texas).

Episodes

The titles of the 31 episodes are listed below, along with their original TV air dates. Although they are listed separately, the first two episodes were originally screened as a movie-length pilot. The first 9 episodes comprised the first season, the remaining 22 episodes formed season two. The first season ranked 34th out of 79 shows with a 15.1/26 rating/share.

1. Mirrors (1) 3/11/1987
2. Mirrors (2) 3/11/1987
3. North of the Border 3/18/1987
4. Houston's Hero 3/25/1987
5. Single in Heaven 4/1/1987
6. Yesterday's Gone 4/8/1987
7. Bad Girl 4/15/1987
8. Scarecrow 4/22/1987
9. Colt 4/29/1987
10. Moving Violation 9/15/1987
11. Heads, I Win - Tails, You Lose 9/22/1987
12. Desperado 10/6/1987
13. Gun Shy 10/13/1987
14. Lady Smoke 10/20/1987
15. God's Will 11/3/1987
16. Diminished Capacity 11/10/1987
17. Home Is Where the Heart Is 11/17/1987
18. Secrets 12/8/1987
19. Somebody to Love 12/22/1987
20. There's One Born Every Minute 1/2/1988
21. Vigilante 1/9/1988
22. The White Hand 1/16/1988
23. Sins of the Father 1/30/1988
24. Crime Spree 2/6/1988
25. Cajun Spice 2/13/1988
26. The Stone 2/20/1988
27. Burnout 2/27/1988
28. Love Hurts 4/26/1988
29. Bad Paper 5/3/1988
30. For Caroline 5/10/1988
31. The Jungle Fighter 6/7/1988

External links