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* CallBack: In the climax of "Benson's New Home," Benson asks everybody how they would like their eggs cooked, and gets several different answers (soft boiled, poached, over easy, sunny side up, coddled). At the end of the scene, however, he says, "I hope everybody's hungry. We're going to have scrambled eggs!" This was likely a reference to a joke from ''Series/{{Soap}}''. Whenever Benson cooked eggs for anyone in the Tate household, he always made scrambled eggs, no matter what kind of eggs he was actually asked for.
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''Benson'' was a half-hour {{sitcom}} that aired on Creator/{{ABC}} from 1979–86. It was a SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', and like that series was created by Susan Harris.
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''Benson'' was a half-hour {{sitcom}} that aired on Creator/{{ABC}} [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] from 1979–86. It was a SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', and like that series was created by Susan Harris.
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* ValuesDissonance: In the episode “Don’t Quote Me”, Eugene punishes his daughter Katie by spanking her, which is nowadays illegal in numerous countries.
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under the well-meaning but scatterbrained Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble), cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other main characters included Gatling's preteen daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his pompous chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under the well-meaning but scatterbrained Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble), cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other main characters included Gatling's preteen daughter, daughter Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his pompous chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Changed line(s) 9,10 (click to see context) from:
Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's preteen daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his pompous chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under the well-meaning but scatterbrained Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- (Creator/JamesNoble), cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other main characters included Gatling's preteen daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his pompous chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and official photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who'd coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's preteen daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his pompous chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and official photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet passes (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream).]] Of course, since ''Benson'' technically exists in the same [[SharedUniverse universe]] as ''Series/{{Soap}},'' this makes perfect sense.
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet passes (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream).]] Of course, since ''Benson'' technically exists in the same [[SharedUniverse same universe]] as ''Series/{{Soap}},'' this makes perfect sense.
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet passes (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.]] Of course, since ''Benson'' technically exists in the same [[SharedUniverse universe]] as ''Series/{{Soap}},'' this makes perfect sense.
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet passes (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.dream).]] Of course, since ''Benson'' technically exists in the same [[SharedUniverse universe]] as ''Series/{{Soap}},'' this makes perfect sense.
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet lasses (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.]]
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* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet lasses passes (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.]]]] Of course, since ''Benson'' technically exists in the same [[SharedUniverse universe]] as ''Series/{{Soap}},'' this makes perfect sense.
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[[caption-width-right:300:From left to right: Benson, Kraus, Denise, Katie, Pete, Gov. Gatling, Clayton.]]
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* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: ''Soap'' ends with Jessica [[BolivianArmyEnding about to be shot by a firing squad in Central America]]. In the next season, she shows up on ''Benson'' as a ghost which only Benson can see. But then she finds out she's not really dead, she's just in a coma in a Central American hospital.
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* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: ''Soap'' ends with Jessica [[BolivianArmyEnding about to be shot by a firing squad in Central America]]. In the next season, she shows up on ''Benson'' as a ghost which who only Benson can see. But then she finds out she's not really dead, she's just in a coma in a Central American hospital.
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
As the show went on, Benson climbed up the political ladder, thanks to Gov. Gatling's trust in him, going from working in the mansion staff to state Budget Director, and then to Lt. Governor, before finally running for Governor himself in the final season.
As the show went on, Benson climbed up the political ladder, thanks to Gov. Gatling's trust in him, going from working in the mansion staff to state Budget Director, and then to Lt. Governor, before finally running for Governor himself in the final season.
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Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate constant conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who who'd coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and official photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
As the show went on, Benson climbed up the political ladder, thanks to Gov. Gatling's trust in him, going from working in the mansion staff to state Budget Director, and then toLt. Lieutenant Governor, before finally running for Governor himself in the final season.
As the show went on, Benson climbed up the political ladder, thanks to Gov. Gatling's trust in him, going from working in the mansion staff to state Budget Director, and then to
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** Kraus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, "Hot Damn!"
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** Kraus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, hear you!" "Hot Damn!"Damn!" "Put it in a sock!"
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** Klaus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, "Hot Damn!"
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** Klaus: Kraus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, "Hot Damn!"
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** Benson: "I ain't cleaning this."
** Klaus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, "Hot Damn!"
** Klaus: "I HEAR YOU!" Also, "Hot Damn!"
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adding information
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* MistakenForDying:
** Benson takes Kraus to the doctor in one episode. While she's in the other room, Benson talks with the doctor about one of his horses which doesn't have long to live. Kraus overhears the conversation and thinks they're talking about her. She goes through a lot of angst and sadness, trying to get her affairs in order and giving some of her possessions to her friends, before learning the truth.
** A later episode has Benson visit a female doctor who he ends up having romantic feelings for. She later calls him to have a serious talk with him. Everyone thinks he's about to receives news of a fatal illness. It turns out the doctor was trying to break it to Benson that they can't date because she's married.
** Benson takes Kraus to the doctor in one episode. While she's in the other room, Benson talks with the doctor about one of his horses which doesn't have long to live. Kraus overhears the conversation and thinks they're talking about her. She goes through a lot of angst and sadness, trying to get her affairs in order and giving some of her possessions to her friends, before learning the truth.
** A later episode has Benson visit a female doctor who he ends up having romantic feelings for. She later calls him to have a serious talk with him. Everyone thinks he's about to receives news of a fatal illness. It turns out the doctor was trying to break it to Benson that they can't date because she's married.
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* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The state ''Benson'' was set in was never revealed (other than it was a Southern state), nor was the name of the city the mansion was located in.
** The capital city is always referred to as... Capital City. That might be its proper name, which would theoretically put it in the same state as [[TheSimpsons the Trope Namer]]. In fact, a "Springfield" is mentioned in one season 3 episode.
** The capital city is always referred to as... Capital City. That might be its proper name, which would theoretically put it in the same state as [[TheSimpsons the Trope Namer]]. In fact, a "Springfield" is mentioned in one season 3 episode.
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* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: WhereTheHellIsSpringfield:
** The state ''Benson'' was set in was never revealed (other than it was a Southern state), nor was the name of the city the mansion was located in.
** The capital city is always referred to as... Capital City. That might be its proper name, which would theoretically put it in the same state as[[TheSimpsons [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the Trope Namer]]. In fact, a "Springfield" is mentioned in one season 3 episode.
** The state ''Benson'' was set in was never revealed (other than it was a Southern state), nor was the name of the city the mansion was located in.
** The capital city is always referred to as... Capital City. That might be its proper name, which would theoretically put it in the same state as
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Not to be confused with [[Characters/RegularShowMainCharacters the character]] from WesternAnimation/RegularShow.
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''Benson'' was a half-hour SitCom that aired on Creator/{{ABC}} from 1979–86.
A SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', the series starred Creator/RobertGuillaume as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
A SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', the series starred Creator/RobertGuillaume as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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''Benson'' was a half-hour SitCom {{sitcom}} that aired on Creator/{{ABC}} from 1979–86.
A1979–86. It was a SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', the and like that series starred was created by Susan Harris.
Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
A
Creator/RobertGuillaume starred as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey (Creator/DidiConn).
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Reverse Crosswicking
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* AlienEpisode: "Close Encounters on the Third Hole," wherein the Governor thinks a bright light he saw while golfing was aliens abducting Benson.
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* TheBigBoard: One episode has the staff in an underground bunker participating in a game that simulates a nuckear attack.
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* BluffTheEavesdropper: On an early episode, listening devices are discovered in the mansion. To combat this, Benson has the staff act out a scripted scene for the eavesdropper.
* BogglesTheMind: One episode has Benson playing Trivial Pursuit with [[GrimReaper Death]] over a busload of kids. Every question that Death gets is related to death, to which Benson objects, claiming that he's cheating.
* BogglesTheMind: One episode has Benson playing Trivial Pursuit with [[GrimReaper Death]] over a busload of kids. Every question that Death gets is related to death, to which Benson objects, claiming that he's cheating.
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* CensorshipBySpelling: When Benson is MistakenForDying, Clayton tries to use this method to keep this information from Katie. It doesn't work.
-->'''Clayton:''' Ah, Miss Kraus. Have you heard from the... D-O-C-T-O-R?\\
'''Katie:''' Clayton, that was S-T-U-P-I-D.
-->'''Clayton:''' Ah, Miss Kraus. Have you heard from the... D-O-C-T-O-R?\\
'''Katie:''' Clayton, that was S-T-U-P-I-D.
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* CockroachesWillRuleTheEarth: Discussed in an episode with a nuclear war simulation.
-->'''Governor:''' Do you think it's possible to survive a nuclear war?\\
'''Benson:''' Sure, if you're a rat or a cockroach.\\
'''Clayton:''' Well, I intend to survive.\\
'''Benson:''' Like I said, rats and cockroaches.
* CometOfDoom: The episode "Last Man On Earth" has Halley's comet passing, causing everyone except Benson and Kraus to turn into dust.
-->'''Governor:''' Do you think it's possible to survive a nuclear war?\\
'''Benson:''' Sure, if you're a rat or a cockroach.\\
'''Clayton:''' Well, I intend to survive.\\
'''Benson:''' Like I said, rats and cockroaches.
* CometOfDoom: The episode "Last Man On Earth" has Halley's comet passing, causing everyone except Benson and Kraus to turn into dust.
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* ConfessToALesserCrime: One episode has a businessman from out of state (whose father is an old friend of the Governor's) try to negotiate a deal with the state. He goes out on a date with Denise and tries to have his way with her. Since he has good lawyers (he's done this before and always gotten off), the staff decides to pretend Denise was murdered and try casting suspicion on the businessman. (The production is so over the top, words will not do it justice.) [[spoiler:It works and he confesses to attempting to rape Denise, but when he fails to repent, his father fires him.]]
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* DiplomaticImpunity: One episode features a wealthy Arabian prince using the "diplomatic immunity" argument to get away with everything, including wrecking Benson's car. In retaliation, Benson makes Clayton pose as a diplomat and wreck a work of art that belonged to the prince, using his argument against him.
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* EasilyOverheardConversation: Whenever Benson says something negative about Kraus, no matter how quietly he says it, or how far away Kraus is, she will yell out, "I heard that!"
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* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Clayton's full name is Clayton Runnymede Endicott III. He 's very sensitive about his middle name, because [[MaliciousMisnaming a school bully used to call him "Runnynose".]]
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* FakingTheDead:
** A businessman tries to have his way with Denise in exchange for a deal with the state. After the date, the gang pretends she's been murdered to get him to confess. Benson plays a British detective (dressed as Sherlock Holmes), Pete plays Denise's biker brother, Katie plays a starry-eyed witness, and Miss Kraus plays a psychic. Oddly, it works.
** In "Death In a Funny Position", [[spoiler:a millionaire's murder sets up a plot, and just when the cast have found a suspect, he dies. After much panicking ensues, the millionaire turns up alive and well, having faked his death to kill the other guy.]]
* FingerLickingPoison: In "Death In a Funny Position", a person with a habit of sucking on the earpiece of his reading glasses was killed when someone put poison on the glasses.
** A businessman tries to have his way with Denise in exchange for a deal with the state. After the date, the gang pretends she's been murdered to get him to confess. Benson plays a British detective (dressed as Sherlock Holmes), Pete plays Denise's biker brother, Katie plays a starry-eyed witness, and Miss Kraus plays a psychic. Oddly, it works.
** In "Death In a Funny Position", [[spoiler:a millionaire's murder sets up a plot, and just when the cast have found a suspect, he dies. After much panicking ensues, the millionaire turns up alive and well, having faked his death to kill the other guy.]]
* FingerLickingPoison: In "Death In a Funny Position", a person with a habit of sucking on the earpiece of his reading glasses was killed when someone put poison on the glasses.
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* FollowThatCar: The governor gives the order to a taxi, and as you might expect, it takes off without him. Then he quickly flags down another taxi and tells the driver to "Follow that car!" point to the first taxi. He manages to get in this one first. (To make the joke even funnier, when both taxis follow the original car to its destination, he pays both drivers.)
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* GovernmentProcedural: The show revolves around a state governor's staff, and most of the action happens in the governor's mansion.
* TheGrimReaper: Benson once played Trivial Pursuit with him over the lives of a busload of children caught in a storm.
* TheGrimReaper: Benson once played Trivial Pursuit with him over the lives of a busload of children caught in a storm.
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* HoldingBothSidesOfTheConversation: While in court, Benson calls himself to the stand while also defending himself. [[SubvertedTrope The judge puts a stop to it pretty quickly.]]
* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet lasses (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.]]
* HowUnscientific: Despite being a realistic show, they did take a few breaks from reality, such as the the time the mansion staff acquires a robot, the one where Benson and the Governor have a Close Encounter with a U.F.O., the one where Benson ends up challenging Death to a game of Trivial Pursuit to save the lives of a busload of children, or the one where Benson and Kraus are the only ones left alive after a comet lasses (although that last one [[AllJustADream was a dream.]]
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* IJustWantToBeYou: After Clayton experiences a string of failures while Benson enjoys success, he snaps and believes himself to actuclly ''be'' Benson. Benson gets him to snap out of it by telling him about the good things about his life and the bad things about his own.
* ImprovisedWeapon: Benson returns from a ribbon-cutting ceremony when he thwarts a robbery by hitting the robber with the giant scissors. The robber sues and at the subsequent trial, the robber's lawyer accuses him of premeditated assault because he already had the weapon on him.
* ImprovisedWeapon: Benson returns from a ribbon-cutting ceremony when he thwarts a robbery by hitting the robber with the giant scissors. The robber sues and at the subsequent trial, the robber's lawyer accuses him of premeditated assault because he already had the weapon on him.
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* Irony: The Governor's mansion hosts a conference of leaders of Pacific island nations. The conference hits a snag when two of the leaders, formerly engaged, start quarreling. The fight turns out to be over the fact that both claim to have shown up for their wedding but the other did not. Then Benson remembers that the two nations are on opposite sides of the International Date Line and the two weren't at the church on the same day. When the error is noticed, Benson comments that although one was there a day early and the other was there a day late, they both got to the church on time.
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* LowClearance: In one of Governor Gatling's stories, a logging truck from the family lumber mill once got stuck under a railroad trestle. Nobody could figure out how to get the truck unstuck until one lumber mill employee suggested letting the air out of the tires. It worked.
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* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Benson is covering for the president of a fictional country (who happens to be in the hospital recovering from a poisoning attempt that morning.) A government official who thinks he's addressing the actual President tells Benson what he thinks is the saying for "Thank you very much." Benson, not knowing a lick of the real thing, makes it up on the spot that the way the guy just phrased it, "It was an insult to my mother."
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* NeverLearnedToRead: In one episode, Benson learns that his nephew doesn't know how to read, having spent all his time playing basketball instead. The young man thinks it's no big deal, but Benson stresses that he might not get a professional contract and even if he did, he can't play ball forever.
* NoEnding: The final episode revolves around Benson, Gatling, and a third candidate running for election. It stops just before the results are announced.
* NoEnding: The final episode revolves around Benson, Gatling, and a third candidate running for election. It stops just before the results are announced.
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* PointThatSomewhereElse: When Benson confronts an armed gunman, he wrongly believes the gun is a fake, and just annoyedly grabs the gun out of the guy's hand, disarming him. Benson then quickly realizes that it's a real gun, and is terrified at what almost happened.
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* TheRadioDiesFirst: After Benson, Clayton, the Governor and a friend are caught in a helicopter crash, this is the first thing they find:
-->'''Clayton:''' Bad news.\\
'''Benson:''' The radio's dead.\\
'''Clayton:''' The radio's dead.\\
'''Governor:''' How did you know that?\\
'''Benson:''' [[LampshadeHanging Don't you ever watch movies? The radio never works.]]
* RealAfterAll: After spending a whole episode dealing with possibly false reports of a UFO, Benson and the Governor are flashed by a series of strange lights in the middle of a field.
-->'''Clayton:''' Bad news.\\
'''Benson:''' The radio's dead.\\
'''Clayton:''' The radio's dead.\\
'''Governor:''' How did you know that?\\
'''Benson:''' [[LampshadeHanging Don't you ever watch movies? The radio never works.]]
* RealAfterAll: After spending a whole episode dealing with possibly false reports of a UFO, Benson and the Governor are flashed by a series of strange lights in the middle of a field.
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* ShortDistancePhoneCall: Benson is at home in one episode when he gets a call from the Governor. Benson gives him permission to come over for a visit. What he doesn't know is that the Governor is actually calling from his limo in the driveway. The Governor shows up at his door within a minute and Benson asks him "What did you do? Beam over?"
* SickEpisode: One early episode starts off with Benson being the only one of the staff who isn't sick, except that the Army has called to tell him he might have been exposed to a biological weapon during his service. In the end, [[spoiler:it turns out he wasn't exposed to the weapon, but he did contract the cold that the others caught.]]
* SickEpisode: One early episode starts off with Benson being the only one of the staff who isn't sick, except that the Army has called to tell him he might have been exposed to a biological weapon during his service. In the end, [[spoiler:it turns out he wasn't exposed to the weapon, but he did contract the cold that the others caught.]]
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* SoMuchForStealth: In one episode, Benson discovers a crime in progress. He happens to have a camera with him, so he takes a photo through a window. Unfortunately, the flash is on.
-->'''Benson:''' So much for the element of surprise.
* SpySpeak: An early episode had a revolutionary attempt to contact another at a party using this method. However, he talks to Benson by mistake and Benson is not in on the code.
-->'''Revolutionary:''' The road has many turns.\\
'''Benson:''' Hmm?\\
'''Revolutionary:''' The road has many turns.\\
'''Benson:''' Well, drive carefully.
* SuspectExistenceFailure: In "Death In a Funny Position", a millionaire invites the Governor and his staff for a cruise on his yacht. The millionaire is killed while on the cruise, leading to an investigation that gives everyone a suspect. Then that suspect dies, and the myster escalates. [[spoiler:It turned out the millionaire faked his death so he could kill the suspect.]]
-->'''Benson:''' So much for the element of surprise.
* SpySpeak: An early episode had a revolutionary attempt to contact another at a party using this method. However, he talks to Benson by mistake and Benson is not in on the code.
-->'''Revolutionary:''' The road has many turns.\\
'''Benson:''' Hmm?\\
'''Revolutionary:''' The road has many turns.\\
'''Benson:''' Well, drive carefully.
* SuspectExistenceFailure: In "Death In a Funny Position", a millionaire invites the Governor and his staff for a cruise on his yacht. The millionaire is killed while on the cruise, leading to an investigation that gives everyone a suspect. Then that suspect dies, and the myster escalates. [[spoiler:It turned out the millionaire faked his death so he could kill the suspect.]]
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* TakeAThirdOption: One episode has the guys talking about their biggest romantic encounter. Clayton talks about the time he was in the Foreign Legion and romanced a Middle Eastern noblewoman. When it came time for the next step, she gave him a choice of two tents to enter. One had her and their wedding party while the other was full of snakes. He was not told which was which. When asked what he did, he says he took the next flight out of the country rather than choose a tent.
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* TreasureHuntEpisode: Benson and Kraus find the diary of a former governor which reveals he hid a sizable cache of gold somewhere in the mansion. While the others are searching for it randomly, Governor Gatling finds a riddle telling of the gold's resting place. Benson figures it out and finds the gold's hiding place, [[spoiler:only to discover the former governor's wife saw him hiding the gold and took it with her lover.]]
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* VolleyingInsults: Benson and Clayton had a duel using insults as their main weapon. Clayton wins two rounds, Benson wins ''thirteen.''
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* TheCastShowOff: At least one episode per season gave Robert Guillaume a chance to show his singing chops.
** The first {{Christmas episode}} gave us [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnBBgLEPJL8 this clip]] of Guillaume singing "O Holy Night."
** The second Christmas episode had him sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" with the extra bonus of lighting the tree with his music.
** Season 5's "Too Pooped To Pip" let him do a duet with Gladys Knight.
** Season 6's "Solid Gold" had him sing "Tonight It's My Party," written for the show by Guillaume's son.
** Inga Swenson, a noted Broadway actress, also sings in a couple of episodes: "Stille Nacht" in the above-mentioned Christmas episode and "In the Still of the Night" during a telethon.
** The Season 6 two-parter, "Made in Hong Kong," shows Rene Auberjonois speaking fluent Chinese and displaying an impressive amount of local knowledge about Hong Kong.
** The first {{Christmas episode}} gave us [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnBBgLEPJL8 this clip]] of Guillaume singing "O Holy Night."
** The second Christmas episode had him sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" with the extra bonus of lighting the tree with his music.
** Season 5's "Too Pooped To Pip" let him do a duet with Gladys Knight.
** Season 6's "Solid Gold" had him sing "Tonight It's My Party," written for the show by Guillaume's son.
** Inga Swenson, a noted Broadway actress, also sings in a couple of episodes: "Stille Nacht" in the above-mentioned Christmas episode and "In the Still of the Night" during a telethon.
** The Season 6 two-parter, "Made in Hong Kong," shows Rene Auberjonois speaking fluent Chinese and displaying an impressive amount of local knowledge about Hong Kong.
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* WhatMightHaveBeen: A show runner revealed that if the show hadn't been cancelled, the eighth season would've featured Gene winning re-election and Benson becoming a Senator.
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** In the episode where Benson has a near death experience and his deceased mother has to convince him to go back to Earth and not just rush off to join her in Heaven, she shows him a possible future where the cast's lives just fall apart without him there.
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* YesMan: A defied trope in Season 3. Governor Gatling chose Benson as his nominee for state budget director mainly due to his honesty, saying "There are safer choices, but I don't want someone who will play it safe, I want someone who will play it straight." He also declined Senator Chapman's choice Harris for this reason.
-->'''Chapman''': Are you implying that Representative Harris is my yes-man?\\
'''Gatling''': I'm not implying anything, Senator, I'm saying it loud and clear.
-->'''Chapman''': Are you implying that Representative Harris is my yes-man?\\
'''Gatling''': I'm not implying anything, Senator, I'm saying it loud and clear.
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* FluffyTamer: Kraus, in the first episode Benson ask Katie why Kraus has never been fired despite her extremely gruff personality. Katie replies that she is the only one who can handle the dogs (seen in the opening credits, a couple of very large doberman pinschers) prompting a sarcastic remark from Benson.
-->'''Kraus:''' [[CatchPhrase I can hear you!]]
-->'''Kraus:''' [[CatchPhrase I can hear you!]]
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* CleanFoodPoisonedFork: A murder mystery episode has a variation; after the initial murder ([[spoiler:which turned out to be faked]]), one suspect gets a drink at the bar and dies shortly afterward. A subsequent investigation discovers his drink wasn't poisoned, but it's later realized that [[spoiler:the killer exploited his habit of putting the earpieces of his glasses in his mouth and poisoned them]].
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A SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', the series starred {{Creator/Robert Guillaume}} as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling ({{Creator/James Noble}}) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Inga Swenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie ({{Creator/Missy Gold}}); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey ({{Creator/Ethan Phillips}}); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey ({{Creator/Didi Conn}}).
to:
A SpinOff of ''Series/{{Soap}}'', the series starred {{Creator/Robert Guillaume}} Creator/RobertGuillaume as Benson [=DuBois=], who took over as head of household affairs at [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield the Governor's Mansion]] under Gov. Eugene Gatling ({{Creator/James Noble}}) (Creator/JamesNoble) -- cousin to Jessica and Mary of ''Soap''. This put him in immediate conflict with Gretchen Kraus (Inga Swenson), (Creator/IngaSwenson), the head cook who coveted the position for herself. Other characters included Gatling's daughter, Katie ({{Creator/Missy Gold}}); (Creator/MissyGold); his chief of staff, Clayton Endicott III (Creator/ReneAuberjonois); his press secretary and photographer, Pete Downey ({{Creator/Ethan Phillips}}); (Creator/EthanPhillips); and his ditzy personal secretary, Denise Stevens Downey ({{Creator/Didi Conn}}).
(Creator/DidiConn).
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* MysteryEpisode: Twice, both with two-part episodes:
** "Death in a Funny Position" has the Governor and his staff staying on board a millionaire's yacht when the millionaire is murdered. Shortly afterward, another guest is also murdered leading to an escalating investigation. [[spoiler:The millionaire turns out to have faked his death to commit the other murder.]]
** "Reel Murder" has Creator/GeorgeKennedy shooting a movie at the governor's mansion when the director is killed. Unfortunately, the mansion is snowbound as well, so the characters are trapped with the killer. [[spoiler:The killer was a photographer covering the shoot who accidentally ended up on camera. He's in trouble with the mob who are said to be funding the movie.]]
** "Death in a Funny Position" has the Governor and his staff staying on board a millionaire's yacht when the millionaire is murdered. Shortly afterward, another guest is also murdered leading to an escalating investigation. [[spoiler:The millionaire turns out to have faked his death to commit the other murder.]]
** "Reel Murder" has Creator/GeorgeKennedy shooting a movie at the governor's mansion when the director is killed. Unfortunately, the mansion is snowbound as well, so the characters are trapped with the killer. [[spoiler:The killer was a photographer covering the shoot who accidentally ended up on camera. He's in trouble with the mob who are said to be funding the movie.]]
