McBride (TV series)

McBride
Genre	Mystery/Thriller
Created by	Dean Hargrove Matt Lutz Marta DuBois David Atkinson Maeve Quinlan Drick Blocker
Written by	Jeff Peters
Starring	John Larroquette
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	10
Production
Producer(s)	Amy Goldberg Dean Hargrove Larry Levinson Robert Halmi Jr.
Running time	120 min.
Broadcast
Original channel	Hallmark Channel
Original airing	January 14, 2005 (2005-01-14)

McBride is a series of two-hour movies for the Hallmark Channel that premiered on January 14, 2005, and stars John Larroquette as a lawyer.^[1] Along with the movie series Mystery Woman, Murder 101 and Jane Doe, it is broadcast in rotation under the umbrella title Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel.

Story

McBride is a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. He takes cases based on their merit rather than on their monetary value, which often leads to terse notices from bill collectors. A disillusioned member of the LAPD, McBride left the force after twelve years and went back to school to become a lawyer. With the aid of his ever-present sidekick, Phil Newberry, and his former girlfriend, Detective Roberta Hansen, McBride and his team solve crimes the old-fashioned way.

Main characters

M. McBride (John Larroquette) - McBride, although a lawyer for only eight years, is renowned in Los Angeles for his tough persona and commitment to his clients. Quirky and unconventional, his methods often draw less than positive attention from his peers, and a certain measure of dread from every ADA he must face in the courtroom. Larroquette himself decided that McBride should not have a first name, and resisted using even an initial. The name plate on his desk, however, says "M. McBride" and in the first movie, McBride's jury summons is briefly seen, noting that his first name is Mike. Later promos for the show also refer to him as Mike. He is more commonly known as "Mac." McBride has inherited a rundown ranch and a white dog, Jesse, from a client serving a life sentence.

Phil Newberry (Matt Lutz) - Phil is former public defender who is fortunate enough to try a case in which McBride is a juror. Though Phil fails to convince the rest of the jury of his client's innocence, McBride's contrary vote is enough to hang the jury. Upon meeting face to face, Phil realizes he can learn much from this seasoned litigator, and goes to work for McBride. Phil Newberry is often the "gadget guy," a post-modern counterpoint to McBride's old-fashioned sleuthing. In the first episode we learn that he has a trust fund and is willing to work without pay.

Roberta Hansen (Marta DuBois) - Roberta is a sharp-tongued homicide detective with the LAPD. She and McBride share a somewhat mysterious romantic past, but have put aside their entanglement to work together as friends. Though sometimes at odds, McBride and Roberta respect and trust one another, often coming together to solve crimes everyone else has abandoned. In later episodes, Roberta's office moves from a roomier one in the corner of the police headquarters to one closer to the middle of the station. Though it is never explained in the story, the switch was made for shooting reasons because the corner office was more difficult to light.

Films in the series

• 1) Murder Past Midnight, directed by Kevin Connor
• 2) The Chameleon Murder, directed by Kevin Connor
• 3) It's Murder, Madam, directed by Kevin Connor
• 4) The Doctor is Out ... Really Out, directed by John Larroquette
• 5) Tune in for Murder, directed by Stephen Bridgewater
• 6) Anybody Here Murder Marty?, directed by James Contner
• 7) Fallen Idol, directed by John Larroquette
• 8) Dogged, directed by John Larroquette
• 9) Semper Fi, directed by John Larroquette
• 10) Requiem, directed by Mark Griffiths

References

1. ^ Blumenstock, Kathy (January 2, 2005). "Wannabe Sleuths Try to Get Clued In". The Washington Post: pp. Y-7. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34872-2004Dec29.html. Retrieved 8 December 2009. 

External links

• McBride:The Chameleon Murder at the Internet Movie Database