Benson, a spin-off of the comedy soap opera Soap premiered on ABC on September 13, 1979. It followed the witty and sharp-tongued Benson DuBois (played by Robert Guillaume) over the course of seven seasons and 158 episodes, as he rose from household butler to state budget director and eventually ran for governor. The series was recognized for its balance of comedy and conscience, as well as its outstanding cast — Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1985, and though he is no longer with us, a number of other cast members are.
