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Burke's Law

TV·1963–1966·3 seasons, 81 episodes·ABC·Drama·1h·Created by Ivan Goff, Frank D. Gilroy, Ernest Kinoy

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Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Who Killed Annie Foran?S01E28 · 6.0When Annie Foran's body is discovered in the back seat of a car parked at a fashionable night spot, suspicion falls on baseball star Eddie Dineen. As evidence mounts against the man, Burke wonders if Eddie is really guilty. Perhaps he should pay more attention to the slimy gossip columnist and his assistant, the wealthy socialite who has more than a passing interest in Eddie, the ball club manager, or the shifty hotel clerk. One thing is for sure, the nervous owner of the car in which the body was found is not the killer.
  2. 02Who Killed Don Pablo?S01E31 · 4.0Don Pablo Ortega's skewered corpse replaces the wax figure in a museum during a Spanish festival. The historic plaza is in danger of being demolished for ""progress"" and suspects (pro and con in the matter) include the guide at the museum, a fiery female matador, the head of the rival clan, Don Pablo's old-world mother (who reveals many secrets to Les but hides many others) and Don Pablo's aggressive business partner. With the help of a flirtatious librarian and an elderly monk, Burke uncovers centuries-old secrets (not to mention a secret passage) that lead him to the killer.

Cast

Episodes by season

Season0132Episodes1963–64Aired 5.0Season avg
  1. S01E01Burke's Law S01E01Who Killed Holly Howard?September 20, 1963A top fashion model is found at a construction site, apparently shot to death. When it is discovered that she was drowned before she was sh
  2. S01E02Burke's Law S01E02Who Killed Mr. X?September 27, 1963When a body is discovered dumped alongside the merry-go-round at an amusement park, clues (including a phone number on an old matchbook cove
  3. S01E03Burke's Law S01E03Who Killed Cable Roberts?October 4, 1963When big-game hunter Cable Roberts is found shot by one of his own rifles and ""mounted"" in his trophy room, the suspects include both Robe
  4. S01E04Burke's Law S01E04Who Killed Harris Crown?October 11, 1963Promoter Harris Crown is killed when the car he is driving goes off a cliff. Burke soon discovers that all the brake fluid had been drained
  5. S01E05Burke's Law S01E05Who Killed Julian Buck?October 18, 1963Hemingwayesque novelist Julian Buck is found dead and Burke checks out the guests at his funeral: his publisher, a former boxer, an ex-love
  6. S01E06Burke's Law S01E06Who Killed Alex Debbs?October 25, 1963At the opening of The Debonair Key Club, a Playboy-like nightclub/restaurant, Debonair Magazine founder Alex Debbs is found stabbed. The su
  7. S01E07Burke's Law S01E07Who Killed Sweet Betsy?November 1, 1963Betsy Richards drinks a lethal martini and Burke investigates the Richards mansion, Betsy's three identical sisters (who may look alike, but
  8. S01E08Burke's Law S01E08Who Killed Billy Jo?November 8, 1963Pop recording star Billy Jo Tate is slain in front of all his guests at a party celebrating his latest hit. A ""good-ol' boy"", Billy Jo is
  9. S01E09Burke's Law S01E09Who Killed Wade Walker?November 15, 1963When millionaire Wade Walker's plane explodes mid-air, Burke confronts Walker's business partner, secretary (whom Tim has an eye for), and t
  10. S01E10Burke's Law S01E10Who Killed the Kind Doctor?November 29, 1963Psychiatrist Eric Techman calls Burke to report that he fears one of his patients is a homicidal maniac who plans to kill him. Before he ca
  11. S01E11Burke's Law S01E11Who Killed Purity Mather?December 6, 1963A self-proclaimed witch sends Burke a record predicting her murder, along with a list of suspects. When her body is discovered after a fire
  12. S01E12Who Killed Cynthia Royal?December 13, 1963A missing Siamese cat named Deborah is Burke's prime clue to the killing of Cynthia Royal. The murder victim had just arrived in town from
  13. S01E13Who Killed Eleanora Davis?December 20, 1963When an unidentified brunette is discovered in a fake electric chair at a run-down amusement park/sideshow run by ""Professor"" Kingston, Bu
  14. S01E14Who Killed Beau Sparrow?December 27, 1963Burke is attending a pool party at tycoon Victor Haggerty's mansion when dashing Beau Sparrow is thrown into the pool by a faulty diving app
  15. S01E15Who Killed Jason Shaw?January 3, 1964When a shady businessman is found dead, fully clothed, in a hotel shower, surrounded by burned thousand dollar bills, Burke is confronted wi
  16. S01E16Who Killed Snookie Martinelli?January 10, 1964At a jet-set party, it appears to Tim and Les that the victim of a fatal shooting is - - - - Burke! Was Burke really the victim and who was
  17. S01E17Who Killed What's His Name?January 17, 1964When the president of a bank is shot during a robbery, the only description Burke can get of the killer is that he was ""just ordinary"". B
  18. S01E18Who Killed Madison Cooper?January 24, 1964Hotshot lawyer Madison Cooper calls Burke as he dies in a seedy part of town of stab wounds inflicted elsewhere. He had just put a large am
  19. S01E19Who Killed April?January 31, 1964Tim's mother is in town for a visit and provides several vital clues that solve the murder of April Adams. Tracking the victim to a carhop-
  20. S01E20Who Killed Carrie Cornell?February 14, 1964A group of ""junior cadets"" discover the body of a bikini-clad girl wrapped in chains, lying in the surf. The victim, a singer and sometim
  21. S01E21Burke's Law S01E21Who Killed His Royal Highness?February 21, 1964The Grand Duke, Maximilian Karol Alexandrei Kadarian, collapses at a banquet. The Grand Duke was famous locally as phony royalty, who owned
  22. S01E22Who Killed Marty Kelso?February 28, 1964After a party celebrating his marriage to an Italian movie starlet, producer Marty Kelso falls down a flight of stairs and gets a letter ope
  23. S01E23Who Killed Avery Lord?March 6, 1964Burke follows a mournful song, an odd-looking key and an elusive young girl in white, after industrial designer Avery Lord is stabbed to dea
  24. S01E24Who Killed Andy Zygmunt?March 13, 1964When pop artist Andy Zygmunt is discovered impaled on one of his works, Burke finds that several of Zygmunt's paintings contain materials us
  25. S01E25Who Killed the Paper Dragon?March 20, 1964During Chinese New Year celebrations, a car crashes into a street full of revelers. After the Chinese woman behind the wheel flees the scen
  26. S01E26Who Killed Molly?March 27, 1964A rose-covered cottage is the scene for the death of a seemingly ordinary housewife. Burke and Tim (who is contemplating settling down with
  27. S01E27Who Killed WHO IV?April 3, 1964One of the riders at a fashionable fox hunt must have bludgeoned wealthy W. H. O. IV (pronounced ""Who Four"") to death with a horseshoe. T
  28. S01E28Who Killed Annie Foran?April 10, 1964 6.0When Annie Foran's body is discovered in the back seat of a car parked at a fashionable night spot, suspicion falls on baseball star Eddie D
  29. S01E29Who Killed My Girl?April 17, 1964When an old flame of Burke's is gunned down, he uncovers the darker side of her relationship with several men. The former chauffeur for the
  30. S01E30Who Killed the Eleventh Best Dressed Woman in the World?April 24, 1964A notorious homewrecker is discovered dead in a mud bath at a fashionable spa. Burke soon learns that every other guest at the spa, includi
  31. S01E31Who Killed Don Pablo?May 1, 1964 4.0Don Pablo Ortega's skewered corpse replaces the wax figure in a museum during a Spanish festival. The historic plaza is in danger of being
  32. S01E32Who Killed 1/2 of Glory Lee?May 8, 1964The co-owner of a fashion house is killed in an elevator collapse that may not have been an accident. Les is convinced that it is the work

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season0232Episodes1964–65AiredSeason avg
  1. S02E01Who Killed the Surf Broad?September 16, 1964An up-and-coming actress dies while surfing, apparently from an obscure medieval poison. But how was it administered? When Burke is faced
  2. S02E02Who Killed Vaudeville?September 23, 1964The burlesque comedy team of Witt, Watt and Who (now an accountant, a desk clerk and a bartender with a dark secret), a professor of the str
  3. S02E03Who Killed Cassandra Cass?September 30, 1964After Cassandra Cass is shot in her bed (by a mysterious hooded figure) while her butler draws her bath, it is revealed that she has been bl
  4. S02E04Who Killed the Horne of Plenty?October 7, 1964A sniper kills the head of a model agency during a fashionable lawn party. The suspects include the victim's business partner, his disc joc
  5. S02E05Who Killed Everybody?October 14, 1964A showgirl jumps out of a cake at a stag party, only to discover all the guests dead. Each of the four wealthy men had a wife who had good
  6. S02E06Who Killed Mr. Cartwheel?October 21, 1964Burke goes cowboy at a tourist-style Old West town, after the hanging of Emerson Cartwheel at a coin auction. The clue is a valuable rare c
  7. S02E07Who Killed Cornelius Gilbert?October 28, 1964A hotel tycoon is electrocuted while climbing out of his swimming pool. A scrap of plaid cloth from a coat lining and a St. Christopher's m
  8. S02E08Who Killed Lenore Wingfield?November 4, 1964Wealthy Lenore is blown away by a shotgun blast while sailing on a barge in her pool, dressed as Cleopatra, and is discovered by one of the
  9. S02E09Who Killed the Richest Man in the World?November 11, 1964A sniper fires through the window of the suite of the richest man in the world, who is planning on selling an oil lease to one of several bi
  10. S02E10Who Killed the Tall One in the Middle?November 25, 1964The lead singer in a sister trio act is poisoned. Both the surviving sisters hated the victim, but others had motive as well: the nightclu
  11. S02E11Who Killed Merlin the Great?December 2, 1964Merlin the Great's famous escape-from-a-coffin trick backfires when it is discovered that he has been shot while ""buried"" in a hotel pool
  12. S02E12Who Killed 711?December 9, 1964This victim was scheduled to go before a grand jury but was slain in a hotel elevator before he could testify. The solution to the crime mu
  13. S02E13Who Killed Supersleuth?December 16, 1964The five greatest detectives in the world become murder suspects when Police Chief Gaynor is murdered in a locked room right under the noses
  14. S02E14Who Killed the Swinger on a Hook?December 23, 1964Someone seems to be systematically killing a group of individuals on a list. One name on the list - Amos Burke. What is the connection betw
  15. S02E15Who Killed Davidian Jonas?December 30, 1964A shipping tycoon's corpse is discovered draped over his yacht's anchor when it is hoisted out of the water. The tycoon's intended merger w
  16. S02E16Who Killed The Strangler?January 6, 1965A famous wrestler is slain during a charity match and the killer is one of five people seated in the ""Gold Row"": the victim's sister (who
  17. S02E17Who Killed Mother Goose?January 13, 1965The beloved author of a series of children's books is strangled with her typewriter ribbon. Burke determines that the victim meant to leave
  18. S02E18Who Killed the Toy Soldier?January 20, 1965Granny Grabber, the not-so-nice head of a toy firm, is blown sky high by a bomb placed in his giant toy soldier cigar lighter. The killer h
  19. S02E19Who Killed Rosie Sunset?January 27, 1965Why would anyone kill sweet old Rosie Sunset, who sold maps to the movie stars homes? An heiress who was seen giving Rosie a ride, Rosie's
  20. S02E20Who Killed Wimbledon Hastings?February 3, 1965An ace shot by a tennis star blows up in his face at a charity event, after one of his tennis balls has been loaded with explosives. Burke
  21. S02E21Who Killed the Fat Cat?February 10, 1965A big business wheeler-dealer, formerly part of a carny consortium, meets his end after injesting cyanide - but he didn't eat or drink anyth
  22. S02E22Who Killed the Man on the White Horse?February 17, 1965Cowboy movie star Clayton Steele is grand marshall at the rodeo, but in the final parade, he rides into the arena, already dead, his neck br
  23. S02E23Who Killed the 13th Clown?February 24, 1965At Raff's International Circus, 13 clowns pile into a tiny car, but only 12 come out alive. The thirteenth has been skewered. It turns out
  24. S02E24Who Killed Mr. Colby in Ladies' Lingerie?March 3, 1965With Burke out of town, Tim, Les and Sgt. Ames have to discover who is responsible for the murder of a blackmailer found propped among the m
  25. S02E25Who Killed the Rest?March 17, 1965Burke's vacation south of the border is anything but restful when he is jailed for the murder of a gossip columnist and a popular local fish
  26. S02E26Who Killed Cop Robin?March 24, 1965Burke's mentor is slain in a dark alley. His killer may be a suspect from one of his former cases who got off, but who was actually guilty.
  27. S02E27Who Killed Nobody Somehow?March 31, 1965Author Graham Tree is poisoned at a party celebrating the publication of his new book. Tree miraculously survives and now it is Burke's job
  28. S02E28Who Killed Hamlet?April 7, 1965Burke attends the opening night of ""Hamlet"" and later discovers that someone has arranged for the star, Roland Trivers, NOT ""to be"". Th
  29. S02E29Who Killed the Rabbit's Husband?April 14, 1965When a wealthy physician is shot, his wife disappears. It seems she has a habit of running away when things get tough. Is she the murderer
  30. S02E30Who Killed the Jackpot?April 21, 1965When a wealthy banker is found murdered in a seedy hotel, it becomes a race to see who will catch the killer first - Burke or glamorous priv
  31. S02E31Who Killed the Grand Piano?April 28, 1965Pianist Artur Bachner's concert ends with a bang when his piano explodes, killing him. Anyone could have tampered with it during the backst
  32. S02E32Who Killed the Card?May 5, 1965The head of a greeting card firm was killed, but not by the arrow protruding from his body. It was slow, methodical arsenic poisoning. His

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

Season0317Episodes1965–66AiredSeason avg
  1. S03E01Balance of TerrorSeptember 15, 1965
  2. S03E02Operation Long ShadowSeptember 22, 1965
  3. S03E03Steam HeatSeptember 29, 1965
  4. S03E04Password to DeathOctober 6, 1965
  5. S03E05The Man with the PowerOctober 13, 1965
  6. S03E06Nightmare in the SunOctober 20, 1965
  7. S03E07The Prisoners of Mr. SinOctober 27, 1965
  8. S03E08Peace, It's a GasserNovember 3, 1965
  9. S03E09The WeaponNovember 10, 1965
  10. S03E10Deadlier Than the MaleNovember 17, 1965
  11. S03E11Whatever Happend to Adriana, and Why Won't She Stay Dead?December 1, 1965
  12. S03E12The Man's MenDecember 8, 1965
  13. S03E13Or No TomorrowDecember 15, 1965
  14. S03E14A Little Gift for CairoDecember 22, 1965
  15. S03E15A Very Important Russian is MissingDecember 29, 1965
  16. S03E16Terror in a Tiny Town (1)January 5, 1966
  17. S03E17Terror in a Tiny Town (2)January 12, 1966

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

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