Diagnosis Murder is a
series that has
encompassed drama,
humor,
mystery, with well known and loved
actors. First airing in January of 1992, in weekly one-hour
episodes, it continued to run with incredible success until May of 2001. What started out as a TV movie series ended up turning into a truly
entertaining, enjoyable and strong
Seasonal TV series.
The Basics
Each episode of this thrilling series was centered around a puzzling death with plenty of suspects, motives and alibis. Lt. Steve Sloan, who works as a homicide detective for the LAPD joins forces with his father Mark Sloan, a well respected surgeon and his other hospital friends to piece together the stories and details of the recent case. Together these characters plan, plot, investigate and go undercover to find the bad guy - while at the same time trying to save lives. This series is a guaranteed all-inclusive source of entertainment.
The Crew
Chris Abbott - Executive Producer
Dick Van Dyke - Executive Producer
Fred Silverman - Executive Producer
Dean Hargrove - Executive Producer
Joyce Burditt - Creator
The Cast
Dr. Mark Sloan - Played by Dick Van Dyke
Dr. Mark Sloan is a well respected surgeon at Community General Hospital that has practiced medicine for over 40 years. He is the Chief of Internal Medicine, and now teaches interns, which included both Dr. Jack Stewart, and later Dr. Jesse Travis. On the side, he helps to investigate murder cases and is a consultant for the Police Department, where his son Steve Sloan works. Mark is the first in the family to wander off the path of Police Officers, but the trail was soon picked up by his son Steve (who is also his real-life son). His daughter Carol appears for a few episodes, but only after not being in touch for over 6 years. Mark's younger brother Stacey (his real life brother named Jerry) shows up once and a while, and is known for his dangerous but funny sleepwalking. Sadly, Mark is a widower of 10 years after his wife Katherine died of cancer and has never remarried.
Mark keeps the work atmosphere light-hearted and enjoyable by his signature habit of roller-skating or scootering around the hospital, but don't be surprised if you see him dancing in the hallways - he can tap-dance and soft-shoe! (Hint: He will probably be dancing to Glen Miller since he loves jazz and his many instruments, but Glen is his favorite). Mark has a soft-spot in his heart, aside from people in general, for the children in the hospital, and often keeps the smiling and happy with his magic tricks and "sleight of hand" shows. Oh, and one more thing, he's the silent partner of BBQ Bob's.
Lt. Steve Sloan - Played by Barry Van Dyke
Lt. Steve Sloan has been a detective with the Robbery/Homicide Division of the LAPD for over four years. For a while, he was attending Night School for a law degree, but after a while, the concept faded and stopped being mentioned. His luck with the ladies has not been too good - he's single, but with good reason however. The girls that he ends up with are either involved in the cases he's investigating, or even worse, end up getting killed. Since his apartment was ruined in the last earthquake, he lives under his father's beach house in a separate apartment. Also, like any older brother, he is very protective of his younger sister Carol.
On the more social side of things, he loves trains and often plays chess with his dad. He also was a high school football player, and broke his nose playing football in a little league. He loves to play and watch basketball, ride dirt bikes, and has a small catamaran on the beach. Steve is also part owner of BBQ Bob's with his father and Jesse Travis.
Dr. Amanda Bentley - Played by Victoria Rockwell
Dr. Amanda Bentley is the current assistant County Medical Examiner and a resident Pathologist at Community General. She is the one that gets all the information on the victims from Mark and Steve's cases - she does the autopsies that finds out what killed them. She loves to ice-skate as well as do ballet and has a different haircut daily! Amanda does come from a family of money, but you would never know it, especially after finding out she is a foster child. She was at one point the wife of Lt. Commander Colin Livingston who was a naval pilot and the father of her son Colin Jesse (C.J.), but they have since been divorced. She has also taken in a foster son of her own, Dion, who is now Colin's older brother.
Dr. Jesse Travis - Played by Charlie Schlatter
Dr. Jesse Travis loves his job as a Resident at Community General Hospital, and this love of medicine could come from the fact that he almost died of a mutated smallpox virus. He too, gets involved with Mark and Amanda on investigations. He will occasionally work with Steve on his cases, you will never hear Jesse admit that he is jealous of the relationship that Mark and Steve have. He believes that his father is divorced and then remarried into a new family in Toronto, but the truth is that his father is a CIA agent, and his mother is a podiatrist. Jesse spends a lot of time at the Sloan beach house, socializing or surfing. Yes, Amanda did take her son's middle name after Jesse, he helped her deliver Colin. Oh, and he's in on the BBQ Bob's deal as well being part owner.
Dr. Jack Stewart - Played by Scott Baio
Dr. Jack Stewart gained his title as "Doctor" with the help of Mark Sloan since Jack "grew up on the wrong side of the tracks", figuratively speaking. This kind of background however, did come in handy when helping Mark and Steve investigate since he had the ability to pick locks and run cons - he was always there to help the group, even just when they needed a strong shoulder. At the same time, his desire to fight crime stemmed from his godfather was the head of a crime gang. He drives a very nice car and always wants to be "cool" as well as in on the action when Steve's ready to make a move. Jack was also named One of the Top Bachelor's of the Year, but soon left Community General to open his own practice in Colorado - what can he say...he liked to ski!
Norman Briggs - Played by Michael Tucci
Norman is truly one of a kind. He is the Administrator at Community General Hospital and brought it back from almost closing. Even though he has not been too thrilled about some of the stuff Mark has done, he has become a good friend of his nonetheless. He known to get extremely over-excited about things and has yet to master the concept of relaxing and taking it easy. Norm has the best of intentions but his habit of overreacting always brings him to more stress in the end.
Sources:
- www.diagnosismurder.co.uk
- www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-187/
- Personal Knowledge