Nachdem "SWAT" eingestellt wurde, wechselte Mark Shera zu "Barnaby Jones", worin er von 1976 bis zum Ende der Serie 1980 die Rolle des Jedediah Romano „J.R.“ Jones spielte, einen Sunnyboy und Neffen von Barnaby Jones.
Der Privatdetektiv Barnaby Jones geht nach vielen Berufsjahren in Pension und gibt sein Detektivbüro an seinen Sohn Hal weiter. Dieser wird jedoch kurz darauf während einer Ermittlung ermordet. Jones kehrt aus dem Ruhestand zurück und schließt sich mit seiner Schwiegertochter zusammen, um den Mörder zu überführen. Als dies gelingt, beschließen beide zukünftig zusammenzuarbeiten und das Detektivbüro fortan gemeinsam zu betreiben.
Da sich Jones bereits zu Serienbeginn im Rentenalter befand, gab es in der Serie nur wenige Actionsequencen mit ihm. Üblicherweise wurden Kampfszenen und Verfolgungen von anderen übernommen; neben seiner Schwiegertochter rückte im Laufe der Serie „J.R.“ Jones in den Fokus, ein weitläufiger Verwandter und Absolvent der Law School.
Die Produzenten konnten für die Serie, insbesondere in der ersten Staffel, zahlreiche bekannte Gaststars verpflichten, darunter Stefanie Powers, William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Meg Foster und Nick Nolte. In späteren Staffeln traten unter anderem Don Johnson, Sean Penn, James Woods und Tommy Lee Jones auf.
Hier mal etwas mehr zur Serie, in englisch - weil es bedauerlicherweise in Deutschland nie gelaufen ist!(Unglaublich, in den USA eine absolute Kultserie - im deutschen TV nie gelaufen) [3]
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series which ran on CBS from 1973 to 1980. It starred Buddy Ebsen as a retired private investigator who worked with his widowed daughter-in-law Betty (Lee Meriwether), at first to solve the murder of his son and her husband. The two decided that they worked together so well, that they continued to keep the detective agency open. Jones was unusual, because counter to the stereotypical detective, he was a non-drinker, ordering and drinking milk in restaurants and bars. [1]
Until the cancellation of the series Cannon, the characters of both series moved back and forth between the two shows.
In 1976, the character of J. R., the son of Barnaby's cousin (Mark Shera), joined the cast. He had come to try to solve the murder of his father, but stayed around to help Barnaby and Betty while also attending law school.
During the first year of the series, a common theme would be where Jones would make an astute observation or collect a sample, such as mud on a car's tire. The criminal, in some cases, called his accomplice and had a conversation along the lines of "there's a Mr. Jones and he's asking a lot of questions," after which the criminal was assured that he (Jones) would be "taken care of" (killed). In view of the advanced age of Jones, he could not win a fistfight but used other means, such as slamming a door on the hand of a criminal carrying a gun, after which the episode concluded.
Among the guest stars who appeared over the years were Conlan Carter and Gary Lockwood, who appeared together in the third episode of the series entitled "Sunday: Doomsday" on February 25, 1973. Other guests, just in the first year alone, included the following:
Bettye Ackerman, Richard Anderson, Claude Akins, Carl Betz, Meredith Baxter Birney, Whit Bissell, Bill Bixby, Eric Braeden, Lloyd Bochner, Jack Cassidy, Geraldine Brooks, Richard Bull, Dabney Coleman, Christopher Connelly, Jackie Coogan, Glenn Corbett, Cathy Lee Crosby, Ann Doran, Don Dubbins, Nina Foch, Meg Foster, Anne Francis, Florida Friebus, Lynda Day George, Jack Ging, Dabbs Greer, Clu Gulager, Richard Hatch, Peter Haskell, Susan Howard, Vince Howard, Margot Kidder, Joanne Linville, Ida Lupino, Roddy McDowell, George Maharis, Scott Marlowe, Frank Maxwell, Peggy McCay, Mark Miller, Belinda Montgomery, Ed Nelson, Leslie Nielsen, Gary Owens, Robert Pine, Stefanie Powers, Andrew Prine, Ford Rainey, Wayne Rogers, Albert Salmi, Pippa Scott, William Shatner, Reta Shaw, Robert F. Simon, Laraine Stephens, Barry Sullivan, Karl Swenson, Vince Van Patten, Jessica Walter, and Fritz Weaver.
In later seasons, guest stars included Wayne Maunder, formerly on CBS's Lancer western series.
Toward the latter part of the series, as Ebsen aged and expressed an interest in slowing down a bit, Meriwether and Shera's characters became more prominent, allowing Ebsen to reduce his role; during the last two seasons, the episodes were divided evenly among the three actors, with Ebsen, Meriwether and Shera each being the focus of a third of the season's episodes.
During the mid 1990s, Meriwether and Shera expressed interest in a Barnaby Jones reunion TV movie, but could not talk Ebsen into joining the project. However, in 1993, Ebsen reprised the role of Barnaby Jones in the big-screen remake of his most famous TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies. It would be his final theatrical appearance.
In the Adult Swim show Frisky Dingo, the main character Xander Crews goes by the pseudonym Barnaby Jones in episodes 7-11 of season 1.
Das Theme der Serie als Video:
Theme von Season 4:Bilder von Mark Shera aus Barnaby Jones:
Robert Urich Biographie - An Extraordinary Life - ab 30.08.2019
