Benson - Season 1 (1979)

Benson falls in love with, and later proposes to, a senator who isn't too keen on the idea of being married.

The governor must decide between attending a political hearing, or attending his daughter's school play. He had promised Katie he would be there to see her on the stage.

Benson has to layoff some of the staff and among the ones he has on the block is the kindly pastry chef.

The governor and his staff go on a retreat to a cabin in the mountains. They get trapped in the cabin by a snow storm and emotions run rough.

While a Baron visits the state and has meetings with the governor, he meets Jessica Tate. The two start an affair, and the Baron is later found dead in his hotel room.

Problems arise for the governor when a Senator friend of his is connected to a scandal and the information is released to the media.

Marcy starts dating an army friend of Benson's, not knowing that he is married.

Now that the governor, his family and staff are settled in the mansion, strange things begin to happen that cannot be explained. Stores surface about a 19th century governor who was murdered in office, and his ghost is haunting the mansion.

Taylor runs for public office.

A dinner party at the governor's home is at risk of chaos when the domestic staff goes on strike.

The governor tries to convince a business owner to move his operation into the state so that more jobs are available. When Benson meets the business man and his wife, he is uncomfortable because he used to date the wife when she was single.

The lieutenant governor takes over the governor's office for a few days when Governor Gatling is sick. Ed Sherman tries to get a bill passed into law, knowing that the governor opposes the bill.

Benson finds out that the governor's mansion is bugged. Someone is trying to find information that will harm the governor.

Kraus has a crush on the butcher.

An eleven-year-old prodigy in chess visits the governor's mansion. The young Russian is tired of being show-cased everywhere, so he asks Katie to hide him from his caregivers. When he is missed, the Soviets threaten war.

Kraus asks Benson to help her get some items from the basement. The door locks behind them and they are trapped in the basement together.

The Governor's father visits, and is not hesitant to share his opinions on everything.

An environmentalist visits the governor's mansion in protest of the waste that is being allowed in the state. He refuses to leave until he his heard.

The Governor and Benson visit a bar and listen to the conversations among the other patrons. They learn what others think of the politics in the state.

Benson learns that while he was in the Army he may have been a test subject as part of a top-secret experiment in germ warfare without his knowledge.

Marcy is hesitant to take a vacation because there is a lot of work to do at the mansion and she is needed. When she does take a vacation, she worries someone else will do her job better.