Benson
Season 7
22 listed hours · 1979–1986 · ABC
From the desk
How this season is filed
Robert Guillaume takes Soap's butler into a governor's mansion and wins on deadpan competence. A spin-off that promotes a Black supporting player to long-running lead without punching-bag dignity. Guillaume controlling every scene, then climbing the statehouse ladder while political chaos stays the joke around him.
TV Flash files Season 7 of Benson (1979–1986) on ABC as the last listed season of 7 — 22 listed hours, 1985-10-04–1986-04-19 from “Benson the Hero” (S07E01) to “And the Winner Is...” (S07E22). Titles, dates, and synopses on file — no invented recaps.
Desk essentials in this season
- S07E22 And the Winner Is...
And the Winner Is... is the 1986 closer. Seven seasons of deadpan competence, then an envelope-title bow: the butler who became the series, the statehouse still his stage.
- S07E01
Benson the Hero
After thwarting an armed robbery, Benson is sued by the perpetrator.
- S07E02
Love and Politics
Benson dangerously mixes business with pleasure when he rekindles a relationship with a female state senator.
- S07E03
Uncle Jack
Benson reunites Governor Gatling with his long-lost brother.
- S07E04
The Stranger
A mysterious stranger lurks around the mansion on Halloween.
- S07E05
We Spy
In East Germany on business, Benson and Kraus are detained and accused of spying.
- S07E06
$1,000,000 an Hour
Benson and Clayton must spend an enormous budget surplus before the waning fiscal year expires.
- S07E07
Flight of the Dodo (Part 1)
Clayton's attempt to pilot a helicopter puts him, Benson and the governor in peril.
- S07E08
Flight of the Dodo (Part 2)
Benson, Clayton and the governor must endure a helicopter crash landing in the desert.
- S07E09
Two Boys and Their Dog
Clayton draws Benson into his plans to start a dog-breeding business.
- S07E10
Last Man on Earth
Kraus dreams that a comet strike has left Benson and herself as the planet's sole survivors.
- S07E11
Secret Love
Clayton's candidacy for state budget director is threatened by his relationship with a Soviet defector.
- S07E12
Summer of Discontent
Benson and the governor seek advice from a conservationist in relation to environmental legislation.
- S07E13
Parade Rest
A contractor working on one of the mansion's bathrooms goes missing.
- S07E14
Reel Murder (Part 1)
Actor George Kennedy's plans to film a movie in the mansion lead to a murder mystery.
- S07E15
Reel Murder (Part 2)
The staff try to solve the murder mystery before time runs out.
- S07E16
The Hat and the Ring
Benson contemplates a marriage proposal to his state senator girlfriend.
- S07E17
The Bucks Stop Here
Clayton meets the obstacle to inheriting the family fortune, his father's young and beautiful fiancée.
- S07E18
Pardon Me
Benson campaigns for a pardon for an incarcerated man who was wrongfully convicted.
- S07E19
Hi, Society
Kraus unknowingly leaks information to an influential columnist.
- S07E20
Three on a Mismatch
The governor responds to an ad in the personals section of a magazine.
- S07E21
Friends and Enemies
Benson's gubernatorial bid pits him against Governor Gatling.
- S07E22
And the Winner Is...
With the votes cast, Benson and Governor Gatling await the results of the gubernatorial election.
More from the 1970s.