"Midnight Caller" (1988-1991) - underrated TV drama starring Gary Cole

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Not surprised that there's no thread for the extremely underrated & well-done Midnight Caller TV drama (1988-1991). I never saw the show when it was originally on, but streamed the whole series several years ago on Youtube (some episodes appear to still be available on there). The streams were poor quality (they were all obviously VHS rips) but they did have all of the commercials edited out, and were better than nothing.

The show stars Gary Cole, probably best known as the obnoxious, demanding office manager Bill "What's Happening?!" Lumbergh in the iconic comedy Office Space (1999).

In MC, Cole stars 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 Devon King, the owner of a local San Francisco radio station. Very interesting premise. The show tackles a lot of topical social issues, without talking down to the viewing audience...and all of these issues are still relevant today.

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. If you weren't watching a lot of TV back during that era (like me) and/or you didn't have access 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.

I would love to see this show on Blu, or even regular DVD. AFAIK, it's never been released to home video - not even during the VHS/LD days. This is probably for two reasons:

1)The show is very obscure these days, but more importantly...
2) The series features a lot of well-known pop/rock songs that probably have copyright/licensing issues...hence no physical media release.

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:

1988-91 Midnight Caller Intro - YouTube

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-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.

-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.

S01 EP06 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.

[Show spoiler]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:

Rick Braun - "Midnight Caller Theme" - YouTube

[number2garyfan]

Unless the series has the music mixed in separately with the rest of the sound, this is going to be a problem. There will be no easy way to replace it, and doing so hurts the show. I'm sure that's the reason it hasn't aired in the post-2000 era, except some non-English countries.

I agree, wonderful series. Even when Eilbacher stepped in.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Agree completely. The pop/rock music in MC is extremely important to the series, and replacing even one song would mar/dilute the show to a great extent. I hate to say this - but, I would rather the show never hit physical media at all, than that it's released with even one song replaced/revised. Here is my review of some S01 episodes:

S01, E3: Brilliant - one of the best episodes of the series. This featured the talented & gorgeous Kay Lenz as Killian's ex Tina Cassidy - who had contracted "the" horrible virus that was all over the news in the mid-late '80's.

[Show spoiler]Tina 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 well-done; very moving.

S1, EP08, "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.

[Show spoiler]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, EP09 "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, EP10: "Fathers and Sins". Superb episode. This dealt with Devon's somewhat tumultuous relationship with her father, and also showcased 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.

[OceanBlue]

Someone else who watched the show's original UK airing will know, but I have a very vague memory of seeing a bit of what may have been the very last episode of Midnight Caller (the concluding part of a three-part story),

[Show spoiler]where someone is stalking Jack inside the radio studio.

I think the original UK airing was on the BBC, but I could well be wrong. What I do remember for sure, was that the first season had a late-night repeat run on the main ITV channel. Unfortunately, I didn't see a lot of the episodes, but I do remember seeing two episodes in their entirety and a bit of the one where Jack is broadcasting inside a prison.

The two episodes I saw in full, were "Baby Chase" (the guest star I remember in it was veteran actor William Schallert), and the season finale "Blues for Mr. Charlie" (in which veteran actor Harold Gould guest starred as the owner of a corner-shop who was being targeted by a robber).

As far as I'm aware, there hasn't been a repeat run of the show since that late-night repeat run on the main ITV channel (got to be more than a decade ago).

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

I think the original UK airing was on the BBC, but I could well be wrong.

Original airings were definitely on the Beeb.

It was also aired on Sky One in the mid 90s.

I'd love to see this show again.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Original airings were definitely on the Beeb.

It was also aired on Sky One in the mid 90s.

I'd love to see this show again.

I thought that was the case. Nearly had a doubt (thinking it originally aired on a non-BBC channel).

We could really do with some channels showing underappreciated (and underrated) shows like Midnight Caller (especially a channel showing just Lorimar series).

Like with The Equalizer, would like to see a thorough, reference book written about Midnight Caller.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

OceanBlue, as someone who saw the entire MC series in it's entirety three years ago, I remember all of those great episodes. Yes, the finale of the show is a three part episode - and is the only three-part episode in the series.

I don't remember MC ever getting re-run in the U.S., though it may have and I just didn't realize it. There was an extended period of time in the '90's/early 200X's when I wasn't watching any TV at all & actually didn't even own a TV.

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 real way to watch this these days 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 after the loss of a loved one, but also understanding the importance of eventually needing to move on.

Episode 15, "Wait until Midnight": A blind woman (Meg Foster) overhears what she thinks is a murder in the apartment next to hers while speaking to Jack when he's on the air -

[Show spoiler]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 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 episode 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 after finishing the radio show). 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/street-car, or getting a ride from someone. IIRC S.F. 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.

[OceanBlue]

AnamorphicWidescreen, did they shoot the show on location in San Francisco a lot? Of what I've seen of the show (those episodes in the first season), the majority of the scenes were at night and the others were on studio sets. And I agree that the show is best watched late at night.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

AnamorphicWidescreen, did they shoot the show on location in San Francisco a lot? Of what I've seen of the show (those episodes in the first season), the majority of the scenes were at night and the others were on studio sets. And I agree that the show is best watched late at night.

Yes, it looks like the show was shot on location in S.F., and also on sets. I don't know much about the city (having only been there once, years ago) but the locations seemed authentic:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094510/locations

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Continuing with my review(s) of MC, here is Part 1 of my S02 reviews. If anything, S2 of this show is even more powerful than S1.

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.

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;

[Show spoiler] 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.

One of the most poignant scenes in this episode is after Tina actually passes; Jack walks out of the hospice in the early morning hours, and finds a stray cat. He takes it with him, and then ends up sitting on a bench near the waterfront. There are a group of kids going to school, and one of them asks to pet the cat & then thanks Jack. What I got from this scene is that even though Jack had just witnessed something terrible & sad - i.e. Tina's horrible death - there was still hope in the world, and life does go on.

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 reporter friend Deacon has a new girlfriend (the always great Pam Grier) with a serious gambling problem -

[Show spoiler]with devastating consequences. This was a complex episode that also dealt with the forgery of paintings. I was also impressed at the realistic downer ending.

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.

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

https://www.history.com/topics/natur...sco-earthquake

Episode 13: This was a very moving episode

[Show spoiler]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 rock song When the Night Comes (1989) was featured in a key scene in this episode, and is another reminder of why this show will probably never hit home video.

[CouncilSpectre]

Watched the first episode last night (it's on the Tube).

It still holds up remarkably well, and episode one is beautifully shot. I have little doubt that this would look stunning in HD.

Surprised at just how effortlessly Gary Cole slips into the role. I've always rated Cole as an actor (ironically, I've always looked out for his roles, since first seeing him in this back in the 80s!), but it's almost like he's playing himself here, he's just so natural in the role.

I'll have a look later to see which other episodes are on there and try to catch another one I think. PQ isn't great, but it's good enough to not distract from the viewing experience too much.

Edit: Oh, and of course, it would be remiss not to mention the music. I know it's probably the largest reason why this isn't seeing the light of day on disc (or streaming) any time soon, but damn that's a great soundtrack!

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Watched the first episode last night (it's on the Tube).

It still holds up remarkably well, and episode one is beautifully shot. I have little doubt that this would look stunning in HD.

Surprised at just how effortlessly Gary Cole slips into the role. I've always rated Cole as an actor (ironically, I've always looked out for his roles, since first seeing him in this back in the 80s!), but it's almost like he's playing himself here, he's just so natural in the role.

I'll have a look later to see which other episodes are on there and try to catch another one I think. PQ isn't great, but it's good enough to not distract from the viewing experience too much.

Edit: Oh, and of course, it would be remiss not to mention the music. I know it's probably the largest reason why this isn't seeing the light of day on disc (or streaming) any time soon, but damn that's a great soundtrack!

Another poster said in a post in the Freddy's Nightmares thread (in the DVD Movies sub-forum) that that series was shot on video. But with Midnight Caller, would you say it was originally shot on film and edited on video? That's how it's looked to me when I've seen the two or three first season episodes I've seen on TV.

I've also seen Gary Cole in the short-lived series American Gothic, on Chicago Fire (a recurring guest star role) and on Family Guy (a recurring guest star voice role, the principal of Adam West High).

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Another poster said in a post in the Freddy's Nightmares thread (in the DVD Movies sub-forum) that that series was shot on video. But with Midnight Caller, would you say it was originally shot on film and edited on video? That's how it's looked to me when I've seen the two or three first season episodes I've seen on TV.

I've also seen Gary Cole in the short-lived series American Gothic, on Chicago Fire (a recurring guest star role) and on Family Guy (a recurring guest star voice role, the principal of Adam West High).

MC was shot on 35mm. Probably edited on tape yes.

Cole was exceptional as Sheriff Buck in American Gothic. He was also Bingo Bob on The West Wing of course. Also enjoyed him on Wanted, and Crusade, two more short-lived shows.

[number2garyfan]

My copy of the pilot from the tape runs almost 2 minutes longer than youtube. Clocks in at almost 50 minutes, no commercials. Now we're lucky to get 40 minutes of show in an hour block. Times changed.

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by number2garyfan

My copy of the pilot from the tape runs almost 2 minutes longer than youtube. Clocks in at almost 50 minutes, no commercials. Now we're lucky to get 40 minutes of show in an hour block. Times changed.

That doesn't surprise me actually, there are a couple of scenes in the episode on YT that are clearly clipped and you come in part way through a conversation. Didn't matter too much in terms of being able to enjoy the episode and understand what was going on, but still less than ideal obviously.

[OceanBlue]

AnamorphicWidecreen, I (and this is because I haven't seen a lot of the show) thought Kay Lenz only guest-starred in one episode of the series (referring to your post further up this page). When I've read about the show recently, that first episode from the first season appears to be one of the highlights.

The shorter length of the first season I'm guessing is down to the majority of American TV series on the main networks starting later on in the autumn of 1988. What is intriguing as well, is that there was a gap of several weeks inbetween the original airing in the States of the pilot and the second episode which aired.

And even though the character name Deacon Bridges is familiar, I'd forgotten that Mykelti Williamson starred on the show (I think he starred in the short-lived series Boomtown, but I've definitely seen him on Chicago P.D. (he was a recurring guest star in the fourth and fifth seasons).

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Yes, Cole is a great & underrated actor. He definitely does seem to be playing himself in MC. Other movies/TV shows I remember him being in: An especially funny episode of Frasier, a small but important role in the true-story espionage thriller Breach (2007), and a recurring role in the recent legal drama The Good Fight. I also enjoyed Caravan, the short-lived sci-fi series (which was a spin-off of Babylon 5).

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

AnamorphicWidecreen, I (and this is because I haven't seen a lot of the show) thought Kay Lenz only guest-starred in one episode of the series (referring to your post further up this page). When I've read about the show recently, that first episode from the first season appears to be one of the highlights.

Kay Lenz was actually in 3 episodes of MC. She is introduced in a S01 episode, and is also in two S02 episodes -

[Show spoiler]though in the second S02 episode, she is only seen in flash-backs.

To any KL fans (and I'm sure there are a lot of us out there ) I would highly recommend the excellent Clint Eastwood-directed film Breezy (1973), set in CA. Lenz stars as a young, free-spirited hippie who has an affair with an older guy (William Holden). Very well-done film, and one of my favorite '70's movies.

Here are the rest of my S02 reviews - these are SPOILER heavy, hence the tags:

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.

[Show spoiler]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 family/friends.

[Show spoiler]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.

[Show spoiler]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 here, and was extremely convincing as someone who both cared about Jack - but also didn't want him to see her getting worse.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by number2garyfan

My copy of the pilot from the tape runs almost 2 minutes longer than youtube. Clocks in at almost 50 minutes, no commercials. Now we're lucky to get 40 minutes of show in an hour block. Times changed.

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

That doesn't surprise me actually, there are a couple of scenes in the episode on YT that are clearly clipped and you come in part way through a conversation. Didn't matter too much in terms of being able to enjoy the episode and understand what was going on, but still less than ideal obviously.

I'd be interested to know which scenes in the pilot were cut. Watched it on YouTube this week. Had never seen it before, like the majority of Midnight Caller. Over here, channel Forces TV started repeating it on Tuesday last week. However, they started with the second episode "Twelve Gauge" (which, based on the IMDb trivia page, is on some episode guides listed as episode ten of the first season), because the pilot was not available from the distributor. Apparently it has only been shown once (the explanation didn't state whether that was just in the States).

[OceanBlue]

Thought the pilot episode was one of the best TV pilots I've seen. Couldn't fault the music score and use of songs throughout (was that Sade during the opening few minutes?). I knew about something which involves Gary Cole's character, but I didn't see that twist coming towards the beginning

[Show spoiler](the actress playing the killer reminded me of Carol Kane from When a Stranger Calls and it's sequel).

Have a question I had about something during the episode, what did Devon mean when she said

[Show spoiler]Jack had used her (after the scene where the female killer scared Devon in her office)?

The episode had a dark, lonely feel to it through the majority of the time. And an important thing to add, is that this could have been a classic case of style over substance. But it wasn't, as all the various ingredients helped to create substance (the mood, atmosphere, writing, acting and cinematography).

I was surprised at the end of the end credits to see the Lorimar Television logo. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, as I thought that the various Lorimar shows during this season in the States, were still using the Lorimar-Telepictures fireworks logo (initially it was a long version, then they shortened it, before changing to the Lorimar Television marble logo, then the Lorimar Television - A Time Warner Company marble logo).

One more thing about the music score. Some of it reminded me of George S. Clinton's score for the cable series Red Shoe Diaries.