Top of the Hill is an American political drama television series aired by CBS from September 21 to November 30, 1989 as part of its 1989 fall lineup.
| Top of the Hill | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Political drama |
| Written by | Stephen J. Cannell Morgan Gendel Art Monterastelli |
| Directed by | Bill Corcoran Peter Ellis Alan Metzger Mario Van Peebles Brad Silberling |
| Starring | William Katt Jordan Baker Tony Edwards Dick O'Neill Robbie Weaver |
| Composer | Mike Post |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (3 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Stephen J. Cannell |
| Producers | Henry Colman Mark Lisson Jo Swerling, Jr. |
| Running time | 60 minutes (approx) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 21 – November 30, 1989 |
Synopsis
Top of the Hill starred William Katt as U.S. Representative Thomas Bell, Jr., son of a long-time Congressman who had been forced to resign his seat due to health issues but who remained on "The Hill" to help his son in an advisory role, which sometimes led to conflicts. Bell, Jr., had, despite his father's position, never followed politics closely or ardently prior to being chosen as his father's successor, which was sometimes a liability but also gave him the ability to look at issues, even long-running ones, through a fresh set of eyes. Young Bell also had a hard time fitting into the political party structure as he desired to do what his conscience told him would be the best thing for the country and the voters in his district. In the less than three months that the program ran, the Congressman became involved in some fairly contentious issues, including adoptee rights, labor union corruption, pollution, and military procurement.
Top of the Hill failed to find a large enough audience to last more than a season; the show had to compete with the Top 10 hit Cheers and the Top 20 hit Dear John, both on NBC in the same time slot.
Cast
- William Katt as Thomas Bell, Jr.
- Jordan Baker as Susan Pengilly
- Tony Edwards as Link Winslow
- Dick O'Neill as Thomas "Pat" Bell, Sr.
- Robbie Weaver as Mickey Stewart
Episodes
| Nº | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Top of the Hill" | September 21, 1989 |
| 2 | "You Were Always on My Mind" | September 28, 1989 |
| 3 | "The Noble Roman" | October 5, 1989 |
| 4 | "At Risk" | October 12, 1989 |
| 5 | "Taking the Heat" | October 26, 1989 |
| 6 | "Not in My Backyard" | November 2, 1989 |
| 7 | "Running Shoes" | November 9, 1989 |
| 8 | "Above Suspicion" | November 16, 1989 |
| 9 | "Accurate But Not True" | November 30, 1989 |
| 10 | "Letter from a Dead Man" | December 7, 1989 |
| 11 | "A House Divided" | N/A |
| 12 | "Always Faithful" | N/A |
| 13 | "Without a Trace" | N/A |
References
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
