Series synopsis
Midnight Caller is an American drama television series that premiered on NBC on October 25, 1988. It ended on May 10, 1991. It was created by Richard Di Lello. It stars Gary Cole, Wendy Kilbourne, Lisa Eilbacher and Dennis Dun.
An ex-cop hosts a late-night talk radio program while getting involved with his listeners' problems in his off-time.
Premise
An ex-cop hosts a late-night talk radio program while getting involved with his listeners' problems in his off-time.
Premise: Good night America, wherever you are.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Gary Cole as Jack 'Nighthawk' Killian
- Wendy Kilbourne as Devon King
- Lisa Eilbacher as Nicky Molloy
- Dennis Dun as Billy Po
- Mykelti Williamson as Deacon Bridges
- Arthur Taxier as Lt. Carl Zymak
- Kay Lenz
- Edward Albert
Supporting cast
- Julia Montgomery
- Dennis Sakamoto as Manager
- Jeffrey Lynn as Ambrose McGee
- Martin Balsam as Gil Solarski
- Greg Proops as Cab Driver (as Gregory Proops)
- Ed O'Neill as Hank
- Yvette Nipar as Arden
- Dorian Spencer as Leroy
- Will Bledsoe as Tex
- Merv Maruyama as Doctor
- Frank Papia as Rusty Collins
- Elpidia Carrillo as Evangelina Contreras
Guest cast
- Kay Lenz
- Edward Albert
- Julia Montgomery
- Dennis Sakamoto as Manager
- Jeffrey Lynn as Ambrose McGee
- Martin Balsam as Gil Solarski
- Greg Proops as Cab Driver (as Gregory Proops)
- Ed O'Neill as Hank
- Yvette Nipar as Arden
- Dorian Spencer as Leroy
- Will Bledsoe as Tex
- Merv Maruyama as Doctor
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 61 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 17 | October 25, 1988 | May 9, 1989 |
| Season 2 | 21 | September 19, 1989 | May 15, 1990 |
| Season 3 | 23 | September 28, 1990 | May 10, 1991 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Conversations with an Assassin Jack Killian retires from the San Francisco Police Department after accidentally shooting his partner, Rusty, in a crossfire situation. He's drawn back to the world of the living by an offer to be a late night talk radio host. A serial killer begins calling Jack, explaining the assassinations and Jack's inadvertently pulled back into the crime fighting world. |
October 25, 1988 |
| 2 |
Twelve Gauge Jack receives a phone call from a kidnapper who informs Jack that he has taken a suspected murderer into his personal custody so he won't hurt any more women. He continues to use Jack's show as a forum for his demands. A supposed suicide is revealed to be an elaborate murder cover up. |
December 6, 1988 |
| 3 |
After It Happened "After It Happened" is a 1988 episode of the NBC television series Midnight Caller. The controversial episode tells the story of a bisexual man who is deliberately infecting people, including series lead character Jack Killian's ex-girlfriend, with HIV. AIDS and LGBT rights activists disrupted filming, citing concerns over the negative portrayal of bisexual and HIV-positive people and fears that the show would make people with AIDS the targets of violence. Series executives made some changes to the script in response to these concerns, but activists were still displeased. "After It Happened" performed well in the ratings but received a mixed critical response. Actress Kay Lenz received an Emmy Award for her guest-starring role as Killian's ex-girlfriend Tina. NBC aired a follow-up episode in 1989 in which Tina is near death. This second script, "Someone to Love", was written in consultation with some of the groups that protested "After It Happened" and was much more favorably received. |
December 13, 1988 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Tarnished Shield Jack's mentor on the police force is reunited with him under horrific circumstances. His policeman son-in-law commits suicide after calling Jack's show. Jack finds himself involved in a convoluted plot of understanding why, which has him questioning the ethics of some fellow officers. |
September 19, 1989 |
| 2 |
Evil is Live Spelled Backward (1) Jack's show is plagued by a series of on-air murders and locations of dead bodies. Jack's intuition tells him it's a serial killer but he has a hard time convincing Lieutenant Zymak. |
September 26, 1989 |
| 3 |
Evil is Live Spelled Backward (2) When Devon becomes a kidnap victim of the call-in killer, Zymak and Jack work together to discover that the crimes are a twisted vendetta against Jack and KJCM. |
October 3, 1989 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Class of 1980 A very pregnant Devon hosts a fundraiser with Jack as the object of the bachelor auction. Her college classmates attend; however, one by one, they fall victim to a murderer. Jack, Zymak and Deacon all work the angles of this case, with the evidence pointing firmly at Jack's new girlfriend. |
September 28, 1990 |
| 2 |
The Language Barrier Our man Billy Po is featured in this episode of racial tensions that are spawned in Little Italy. Billy is attacked after a date with his girlfriend, which leads Jack into an investigation of the death of a young Chinese immigrant. |
October 5, 1990 |
| 3 |
Old Friends The sudden death of Jack's surrogate father leads Jack and Deacon to investigate the policies of the nursing home in which he was residing. It turns out that once people move in, their stay is usually quite short. |
October 12, 1990 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | NBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 25, 1988 |
| Last aired | May 10, 1991 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Friday |