Sonny Spoon

StarringCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo. of seasons2No. of episodes15ProductionRunning time48 minutesOriginal releaseNetworkNBCReleaseFebruary 12 (1988-02-12) –
December 16, 1988 (1988-12-16)

Sonny Spoon is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC television network from February 12 to December 16, 1988. The series was created by Michael Daly, Dinah Prince, Stephen J. Cannell, and Randall Wallace, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions (the fall 1988 episodes were in association with NBC Productions).

Overview

Sonny Spoon stars Mario Van Peebles as Sonny, a hip, black private investigator who uses his street smarts and "cool" persona to solve crimes. He often assists, and is assisted by, Carolyn Gilder (Terry Donahoe), an attractive assistant district attorney. Additionally, Sonny was a master of disguises, and might spend part of any given episode dressed as a clergyman, an Arab tourist, or an old lady. He used his many connections on the streets and relationships with friends and informants (who were apparently attracted to him mostly by his vibrant personality, as he had little cash to share with them) to further his ends, and also the insights of his father, Mel, a bar owner (played by Melvin Van Peebles, Mario's real-life father).

Cast

• Mario Van Peebles as Sonny Spoon
• Melvin Van Peebles as Mel Spoon
• Terry Donahoe as Carolyn Gilder
• Jordana Capra as Monique
• Bob Wieland as Johnny Skates
• Larry Friel as Det. Bartlett

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1988)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Rating/share (households)
1	1	"Sam's Private Eye"	February 12, 1988 (1988-02-12)	12.0/21[1]
2	2	"Wizard of Odds"	February 19, 1988 (1988-02-19)	11.3/19[2]
3	3	"Crimes Below the Waist"	February 26, 1988 (1988-02-26)	11.2/20[3]
4	4	"Who's Got Tonsillitis?"	March 4, 1988 (1988-03-04)	12.3/22[4]
5	5	"Semper Fi"	March 11, 1988 (1988-03-11)	11.7/21[5]
6	6	"Tough Habit"	March 18, 1988 (1988-03-18)	12.1/22[6]
7	7	"Too Good to Be True, Too Smart to Get Caught"	April 12, 1988 (1988-04-12)	11.6/20[7]

Season 2 (1988)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Viewers (millions)	Rating/share (households)
8	1	"Never Go to Your High School Reunion"	Unknown	Unknown	October 7, 1988 (1988-10-07)	15.7[8]	11.3/21[8]
9	2	"Cheap & Chilli"	Unknown	Unknown	October 14, 1988 (1988-10-14)	13.1[9]	8.8/16[9]
10	3	"Blind Justice"	Unknown	Unknown	October 28, 1988 (1988-10-28)	11.7[10]	8.3/15[10]
11	4	"Papa Rozzi"	Unknown	Unknown	November 4, 1988 (1988-11-04)	11.8[11]	8.1/14[11]
12	5	"Ratman Can"	Unknown	Unknown	December 2, 1988 (1988-12-02)	12.8[12]	9.0/15[12]
13	6	"Deuces Wild"	Unknown	Unknown	December 9, 1988 (1988-12-09)	12.9[13]	8.5/14[13]
14	7	"Diamonds Aren't Forever"	Bruce Kessler	Jonathan Glassner	December 16, 1988 (1988-12-16)	14.7[14]	9.2/16[14]
15	8	"The Final Exam"	TBD	TBD	UNAIRED?	N/A	N/A

Production

Sonny Spoon began its run as a mid-season replacement in February 1988, and was renewed for a second season. It did not sustain its early momentum and was canceled in December 1988.

Broadcast history

Season	Time slot (ET)
1987–88	Friday at 10:00 pm
1988–89	Friday at 8:00 pm (Episodes 1-4) Friday at 9:00 pm (Episodes 5-7)

References

Sources

• Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows

External links

• Sonny Spoon at IMDb