Blacke's Magic
Blacke's Magic is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC, from January 5 to May 7, 1986. Reruns later aired during the fall of 1988, to fill scheduling gaps caused by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.
Plot
Hal Linden stars as magician Alexander Blacke who, with some help from his con-man father Leonard, solves mysteries that get in the way of his performances. The series aired for a total of thirteen episodes and featured crimes that tested logic against seemingly magical crimes. The stories were not so much whodunits as "how-he-do-its," for Alex Blacke often had to turn detective to solve the mysteries.Cast
Main
- Hal Linden as Alexander Blacke
- Harry Morgan as Leonard Blacke
Recurring
- Paula Beyers as Gina
- Claudia Christian as Laurie Blacke
- Stephen Elliott as Senator Garity
- Justin Gocke as Jamie Byrnes
- Pippin Ingalls as Jill Byrnes
- Mark Shera as Lt. Ted Byrnes
Ratings
The show ended the season in 38th place with an average 15.5/23 rating/share, being the highest rated series of the season not to be renewed. While it performed somewhat better than the series that preceded it in this time slot, it shared the same two failures that were the downfall of both series: it failed to carry over a majority of the audience from its lead-in while also failing to capture any viewers from ABC's Dynasty. Though 'Magic' did perform just as well as the series that followed it.| No. | Title | Air Date | Time | Rank | Rating | Viewers |
| Pilot | Breathing Room | January 5, 1986 | Sunday at 9:00 P.M. | #14 of 64 | 21.8 | 18.7 |
| 1 | Ten Tons of Trouble | January 8, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #20 of 51 | 19.1 | 16.4 |
| 2 | Knave of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts | January 15, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #32 of 71 | 17.2 | 14.8 |
| 3 | Revenge of the Esperanza | January 22, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #46 of 67 | 14.7 | 12.6 |
| 4 | Death Goes to the Movies | January 29, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #39 of 68 | 16.1 | 13.8 |
| 5 | Vanishing Act | February 12, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #39 of 68 | 16.1 | 13.8 |
| 6 | Prisoner of Paradise | February 19, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #38 of 55 | 15.8 | 13.6 |
| 7 | Address Unknown | February 26, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #37 of 63 | 14.3 | 12.3 |
| 8 | Forced Landing | March 5, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #34 of 69 | 15.2 | 13.0 |
| 9 | Last Flight from Moscow | March 12, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #31 of 69 | 15.7 | 13.4 |
| 10 | A Friendly Game of Showdown | March 19, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #38 of 65 | 13.7 | 11.8 |
| 11 | It's a Jungle Out There | April 2, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #31 of 67 | 15.7 | 13.4 |
| 12 | Wax Poetic | May 7, 1986 | Wednesday at 9:00 P.M. | #31 of 65 | 13.4 | 11.5 |
Source: A.C. Nielsen Company via Los Angeles Times
Awards
- Primetime Emmy Awards 1986 - Nominated - Outstanding Cinematography for a Series - Terry K. Meade - For episode "Prisoner of Paradise".
- Edgar Allan Poe Awards 1987 - Nominated - Best Television Episode - Lee Sheldon - For episode "Wax Poetic".