Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Benson

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Classic '80s sitcom about political housekeeping.

TV Syndicated , TV Land Comedy 1979
Benson Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

ernieclementine
ernieclementine Adult
December 12, 2019
age 8+

one of TV's best sitcoms

Benson is generally an excellent and funny show. Unlike the parent show Soap it spun off from, almost all of the episodes are family friendly. The two exceptions are the episode where they end up in a bordello and the episode where Benson inherits a dirty magazine company. While season 1 was good, seasons 2-5 are top notch with the addition of recently deceased Rene Auberjonois as Clayton Endicott III. He takes over the role Taylor played in season 1, but more interesting. Benson, Kraus, and dim witted but gentle Governor Gatling are fantastic characters. Seasons 6 and 7 are not as good when the governor becomes meaner after Benson becomes lieutenant governor.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

A spin-off of the controversial '70s hit sitcom Soap, BENSON centers on Benson Dubois, a dignified but sharp and outspoken African-American butler who rises from the ranks of domestic service to enter the world of domestic politics. Benson (played by renowned stage actor Robert Guillaume) is hired to oversee the household affairs for widowed Governor Eugene Gatling (James Noble) and his daughter Katie (Missy Gold). Life in the governor's mansion is anything but boring as Benson finds himself trying to keep the household together alongside the governor's eccentric political and domestic staff, including secretary Caroline Williams (Marcy Hill), press assistant Peter Downey (Ethan Phillips), housekeeper Gretchen Kraus (Inga Swenson), and the governor's pompous chief of staff, Clayton Edicott III (Rene Auberjonois). Denise Stevens Downey (Didi Conn) joined the group in later seasons, after Caroline married and left her position. Benson subtly makes fun of a politically dominant white upper class that isn't always in touch with its constituents' varying needs, and it is within this context that Benson's intellect and strong sense of ethics gets him promoted to state budget director, lieutenant governor, and, eventually, a gubernatorial candidate.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Overall, Benson is smart and honorable, and he can be viewed as a positive role model. But no matter how successful he becomes, it's hard to forget that the show's original premise is embedded in Hollywood's early stereotypical portrayals of African-Americans as domestic servants. These competing cultural representations create a tension that's easily (but perhaps unfortunately) overlooked due to Benson's distinguished and intellectual behavior and the show's high entertainment value.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different roles that African-Americans and other racial and ethnic groups have played throughout TV history. Does it seem like certain roles are typically played by people of the same racial and/or ethnic heritage? Are these representations the result of existing social stereotypes, or are there other reasons? Families can also talk about the home life of major political leaders. How different is it from a "regular" person's? What does it take to keep a governor or president's household running?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate