Ghost of a Chance (Homicide: Life on the Street)
Encyclopedia
"Ghost of a Chance" is the second episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street
. It originally aired on NBC
in the United States on February 3, 1993. The teleplay was written Noel Behn
based on a story by executive director Tom Fontana
, and the episode was directed by Martin Campbell
. In it Bayliss
begins his investigation into the murder of 11-year-old Adena Watson, Munch
and Bolander
investigate the unusual death of an elderly man, and Howard
insists she is receiving advice about her murder case from a ghost.
The episode marked the first major developments in the Watson case, a major season one story arc based on the real-life slaying of Latonya Kim Wallace. The Wallace case was featured in David Simon
's non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
, from which the series was adapted. Baltimore Detective Tom Pellegrini, who handled the Wallace case, appears on-screen as a detective in "Ghost of a Chance". The episode introduced several important supporting characters, including prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
(Željko Ivanek
), Colonel Burt Granger (Gerald F. Gough), Captain George Barnfather
(Clayton LeBouef
) and Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
).
The episode introduces the concept of a "red ball", a high profile case that draws close media and political attention. The term would be used frequently in future episodes. It was also the first episode to feature a murder in a wealthy rural setting. At the time, most American television police shows focused on crimes in poorer neighborhoods, so "Ghost of a Chance" was noted for demonstrating that murders can take place in various socioeconomic circumstances.
The episode, seen by 9.5 million households in its original broadcast, was considered a disappointment due to the drop in viewership from the post-Super Bowl
series debut
, which had more than 18 million viewers. It received generally positive reviews, and was later featured in a Court TV
marathon of the top 15 Homicide episodes. Gwen Verdon
was nominated for an Emmy Award
for her guest performance as Jessie Doohen, the woman accused of killing her husband of 60 years. The episode, along with the rest of the first and second seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street was released on DVD in the United States on May 27, 2003.
(Kyle Secor
) is the primary detective on the murder investigation of an 11-year-old girl named Adena Watson. A rookie detective on his first homicide case, Bayliss has difficulty informing the family, while the veteran Pembleton
(Andre Braugher
) remains detached from his emotional response. Much of the homicide department is dedicated to the case, and Bayliss works without the benefit of his own desk. When Bayliss acts weak and indecisive during a department meeting, Gee
(Yaphet Kotto
) angrily orders him to show more confidence. But when a news report by journalist Griselda Battel (Taylor Young) discusses Bayliss' lack of prior experience, Gee resists pressure from his superiors to replace Bayliss, insisting, "That rookie will surprise us all".
Munch
(Richard Belzer
) and Bolander
(Ned Beatty
) arrive at the scene of a dead man named Thomas Doohen (John Habberton), only to find that the man had only fainted and was still alive. When he wakes up, the man immediately starts arguing with his elderly wife Jessie (Gwen Verdon
), who is unhappy with their 60-year marriage and wishes the man were dead. Later that same day, they respond to the same house to find the same elderly man dead from a heart attack. Medical examiner Blythe (Wendy Hughes
) classifies the death as a murder because the widow dragged him into the basement and "prayed he'd stay dead", but Bolander, himself having recently left an unhappy marriage, defends the widow. Despite the disagreement, Bolander becomes smitten with Blythe, and seeks romantic advice from Munch.
Prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
(Željko Ivanek
) tells Howard
(Melissa Leo
) that if she cannot find more evidence against Ralph Fenwick (Michael Sheldon), who is a suspect in a brutal murder, Danvers will have to plead to manslaughter. The next day, Howard tells her partner Felton
(Daniel Baldwin
) she was visited by the ghost of Fenwick's murder victim and told where the murder weapon was, but Howard cannot find it. Felton does not believe her, and Howard grows angry when he tells Lewis
(Clark Johnson
) and Crosetti
(Jon Polito
) about the ghost experience. The next day, however, Howard and Felton arrest Fenwick after finding the murder weapon based on advice Felton got from a tarot card reader
.
The department continues investigating leads into the Adena Watson case, including an interrogation of a man who lived within walking distance of the scene and was previously charged with murdering a 14-year-old girl. All of the leads turn into dead ends. While investigating the Adena Watson scene, police find coagulated blood and hair on a piece of metal. Battel witnesses the find, but agrees to hold the information until police authorize it, as long as she gets the story first. She also tells Bayliss about a carry-out store owner who claims to know who the murderer is. The episode ends with an emotional Bayliss attending Watson's funeral.
based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana
, and was directed by Martin Campbell
. It marked the first major developments the story arc of the Adena Watson murder case, which was introduced in the final scene of series premiere "Gone for Goode
" and dominates much of the Homicide: Life on the Street first season. The Watson case was based on the real-life 1988 Baltimore slaying of Latonya Kim Wallace, which is chronicled in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
, the 1991 David Simon
non-fiction book about a Baltimore Police Department
, which was adapted into the Homicide series. "Ghost of a Chance" introduced the concept of a "red ball", which is a police jargon phrase used in the episode to describe the Adena Watson murder. A red ball is a high profile case that draws such close media and political attention, that it diverts time and attention away from other cases in the homicide department. The phrase, which came directly from Simon's book, would be used frequently in future Homicide: Life on the Street episodes.
"Ghost of a Chance" introduced several important characters that would be regularly featured throughout the series. Among them were prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers, played by Željko Ivanek, and police department bosses Colonel Burt Granger and Captain George Barnfather
, played by Gerald F. Gough and Clayton LeBouef
, respectively. Ivanek was cast by his long-time friend Fontana, who thought Danvers was written in a dull and simple way, but felt confident Ivanek could "make it a real character". The episode also introduced Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
), who would become the center of a significant season one subplot in the next episode, "Son of a Gun
", when he would be shot in the head during a failed arrest. Detective Tom Pellegrini, who handled the real-life Latonya Kim Wallace case and served as the basis for the Tim Bayliss character, appeared on-screen as the police officer who first discovered Adena Watson's body. Pellegrini, who was still haunted by his failure to solve the Wallace case, specifically asked to be in that scene. During filming, he stayed close to the actress who played Watson, which Secor interpreted as an attempt to make amends to the real Wallace child. Although Pellegrini personally advised Secor on his performance, the actor later said he learned more about how to play Bayliss by watching Pellegrini during that scene than anything else the detective could have told him.
In its portrayal of the possible murder of Thomas Doohen, "Ghost of a Chance" is the first Homicide episode to demonstrate a murder in a wealthy rural setting, rather than an urban or predominantly poorer location; the episode was noted for demonstrating better than most American television police shows that murders can take place in various socioeconomic circumstances. This is particularly illustrated by Munch's comment to Bolander, "Ah, green lawns, fresh air, nice houses, this is the place for a murder." The episode also maintains a common Homicide trait of combining tragedy, like the devastated response by Adena Watson's family to her murder, with scenes of dark comedy, like Jessie Doohen's claim that she endured a miserable 60-year marriage because, "We made a promise we wouldn't get a divorce until all the children were dead."
"Ghost of a Chance" marked a development of Beau Felton's character by identifying not only his trademark bullying nature, but a kinder and sweeter side of his personality. After mocking Howard publicly for her belief in ghosts, he puts in extra effort to find the killer by embracing Howard's beliefs, much to her appreciation. Howard's superstitious beliefs reappear in future episodes, particularly the fourth season
episode "Heartbeat", which featured a black cat inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
's short story, "The Black Cat
". A scene in which a busload of rookie police officers straight out of the academy are brought in to investigate the Adena Watson crime scene was inspired by strategies used by real police departments; the New York Police Department employed exactly the same tactic while searching for the remains of a missing girl in upstate New York
in 1987.
of Abraham Lincoln
, the 16th president of the United States. Crosetti said he believes the killing was arranged by the highest ranks of the Confederate States of America
. Crosetti's fascination with the Lincoln assassination was based on Tom Fontana's real-life obsession with it. Throughout the episode, Lewis mournfully discussed the then-recent closing of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
. Fearing it will go to waste, Lewis wants to flood the stadium and turn it into an aquatic theme park.
The song "Hazy Shade of Blue", by songwriter Tor Hyams
, plays while the police raid several neighborhood homes in search of clues and leads in the Adena Watson murder case. The hymn "The Sweet By and By
", written by S. Fillmore Bennett and Joseph P. Webster, plays during Watson's funeral in the final scene of the movie. Crosetti and Lewis sing the theme song to the children's show Casper the Friendly Ghost
while making fun of Howard about dreaming of ghosts.
in the United States on February 3, 1993, marking the show's debut in the Wednesday 9 p.m. time slot. In its original broadcast, the episode was watched by 9.5 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research
. The episode received a 10.6 rating/15 share. The rating was considered a disappointment by NBC and the press, coming off of 18.8 million viewers in the series debut "Gone for Goode
", which aired immediately after Super Bowl XXVII
on January 31 and received generally positive reviews. "Ghost of a Chance" ranked third in its time slot for the night, The time slot winner was ABC
's comedy Home Improvement, which was seen by 19.92 million viewers, the highest ever rating for the series. and ranked 60th in prime time shows for the week. "Ghost of a Chance" lost viewers from the first half hour to the second, and the episode dropped 19% in viewership among the 18-49 age group compared to "Gone for Goode". ABC's Coach
earned 17.13 million viewers, while CBS
's In the Heat of the Night
earned 10.88 viewers. "Ghost of a Chance" also underperformed compared its predecessors in the NBC timeslot, the comedies Seinfeld
and Mad About You
, which averaged a combined 9.87 million viewers.
The episode received generally positive reviews. Danny Duncan of the National Catholic Reporter
particularly praised the performances of Belzer, Beatty and Kotto, as well as the police relationship between Pembleton and Bayliss, which he said serves as the source of dramatic tension driving the series narrative forward in the early episodes of the first season. Eric Kohanik of The Hamilton Spectator
said the episode continues to demonstrate why Homicide is "the best new series of the midseason", and praised it for not resorting to "silly car chases (and) blazing guns". Chris Kaltenbach of The Baltimore Sun
complimented the episode, particularly the performances of Beatty and Verdon. Ed Siegel of The Boston Globe
said he enjoyed both the humor of the episode, such as the Gwen Verdon subplot, as well as dramatic touches, like Bayliss cleaning up the spilled corn flakes of Adena Watson's despairing mother.
Not all reviews were positive. Liam Lacey said the episode was "not quite as taut" as the debut episode, particularly criticizing the ghost subplot. Lacey said, "There already appear a few cracks in the show's engaging facade, including a drift toward the Northern Exposure
-style indulgent quirkiness." Time
magazine reviewer Richard Zoglin said the second episode "already seems to be marking time with goofy character diversions", including Crosetti's Lincoln conspiracies and Bolander's requests for a date from Blythe. In 1999, "Ghost of a Chance" was among a Court TV marathon of the top 15 Homicide episodes, as voted on by 20,000 visitors to the channel's website.
for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series her guest performance in "Ghost of a Chance". It was her second Emmy nomination in the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Award season alone; she was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series that year for her performance in the series Dream On
.
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on February 3, 1993. The teleplay was written Noel Behn
Noel Behn
Noel Behn was an American novelist, screenwriter and theatrical producer. His first novel, The Kremlin Letter, drawn from his work in the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps, was made into a film by John Huston in 1970. Behn's non-fiction The Big Stick-Up at Brink's was adapted into a 1978 movie...
based on a story by executive director Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
, and the episode was directed by Martin Campbell
Martin Campbell
-Life and career:Campbell was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He directed two James Bond films, 1995's GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan, and 2006's Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, and was the first Bond director since John Glen to direct more than one film, as well as the oldest director in...
. In it Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
begins his investigation into the murder of 11-year-old Adena Watson, Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
and Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama / police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. He is portrayed by Ned Beatty and appears in the first three seasons and Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
investigate the unusual death of an elderly man, and Howard
Kay Howard
Kay Howard is a fictional homicide detective from Homicide: Life on the Street. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the main cast. This was in keeping with the book and the actual Homicide unit in...
insists she is receiving advice about her murder case from a ghost.
The episode marked the first major developments in the Watson case, a major season one story arc based on the real-life slaying of Latonya Kim Wallace. The Wallace case was featured in David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
's non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
, from which the series was adapted. Baltimore Detective Tom Pellegrini, who handled the Wallace case, appears on-screen as a detective in "Ghost of a Chance". The episode introduced several important supporting characters, including prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers is a fictional character played by Željko Ivanek in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.-Character profile:A recurring character, Danvers is usually shown only in his professional capacity as an Assistant State's Attorney , although the series did delve into his personal...
(Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
), Colonel Burt Granger (Gerald F. Gough), Captain George Barnfather
George Barnfather
George Barnfather is a fictional Deputy Commissioner in the Baltimore Police Department on Homicide: Life on the Street, played by Clayton LeBouef.Barnfather first appeared in the series as a Captain whose command was over the Homicide Section...
(Clayton LeBouef
Clayton LeBouef
Clayton LeBouef is an African American actor, best known for his recurring role as Colonel George Barnfather in Homicide: Life on the Street...
) and Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
Lee Tergesen
Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...
).
The episode introduces the concept of a "red ball", a high profile case that draws close media and political attention. The term would be used frequently in future episodes. It was also the first episode to feature a murder in a wealthy rural setting. At the time, most American television police shows focused on crimes in poorer neighborhoods, so "Ghost of a Chance" was noted for demonstrating that murders can take place in various socioeconomic circumstances.
The episode, seen by 9.5 million households in its original broadcast, was considered a disappointment due to the drop in viewership from the post-Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
series debut
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul...
, which had more than 18 million viewers. It received generally positive reviews, and was later featured in a Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
marathon of the top 15 Homicide episodes. Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for her guest performance as Jessie Doohen, the woman accused of killing her husband of 60 years. The episode, along with the rest of the first and second seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street was released on DVD in the United States on May 27, 2003.
Plot summary
BaylissTim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
(Kyle Secor
Kyle Secor
Kyle Ivan Secor is an American television and movie actor, best known for his role as Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street.-Early years:...
) is the primary detective on the murder investigation of an 11-year-old girl named Adena Watson. A rookie detective on his first homicide case, Bayliss has difficulty informing the family, while the veteran Pembleton
Frank Pembleton
Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton is a fictional homicide detective on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Andre Braugher. He is a primary character of the show through the first six seasons...
(Andre Braugher
Andre Braugher
Andre Braugher is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Thomas Searles in the film Glory, as the fiery detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1998 and again in the 2000 made-for-TV film Homicide: Life on the Street, and as Owen Thoreau Jr...
) remains detached from his emotional response. Much of the homicide department is dedicated to the case, and Bayliss works without the benefit of his own desk. When Bayliss acts weak and indecisive during a department meeting, Gee
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
(Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
) angrily orders him to show more confidence. But when a news report by journalist Griselda Battel (Taylor Young) discusses Bayliss' lack of prior experience, Gee resists pressure from his superiors to replace Bayliss, insisting, "That rookie will surprise us all".
Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
(Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
) and Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama / police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. He is portrayed by Ned Beatty and appears in the first three seasons and Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
(Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
) arrive at the scene of a dead man named Thomas Doohen (John Habberton), only to find that the man had only fainted and was still alive. When he wakes up, the man immediately starts arguing with his elderly wife Jessie (Gwen Verdon
Gwen Verdon
Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
), who is unhappy with their 60-year marriage and wishes the man were dead. Later that same day, they respond to the same house to find the same elderly man dead from a heart attack. Medical examiner Blythe (Wendy Hughes
Wendy Hughes
-Career:Hughes began her career on television in the early 1970s with appearances in Homicide, Number 96, Matlock Police and in 1976, ABC Mini-Series, Power Without Glory...
) classifies the death as a murder because the widow dragged him into the basement and "prayed he'd stay dead", but Bolander, himself having recently left an unhappy marriage, defends the widow. Despite the disagreement, Bolander becomes smitten with Blythe, and seeks romantic advice from Munch.
Prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers is a fictional character played by Željko Ivanek in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.-Character profile:A recurring character, Danvers is usually shown only in his professional capacity as an Assistant State's Attorney , although the series did delve into his personal...
(Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
) tells Howard
Kay Howard
Kay Howard is a fictional homicide detective from Homicide: Life on the Street. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the main cast. This was in keeping with the book and the actual Homicide unit in...
(Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
) that if she cannot find more evidence against Ralph Fenwick (Michael Sheldon), who is a suspect in a brutal murder, Danvers will have to plead to manslaughter. The next day, Howard tells her partner Felton
Beau Felton
Det. Beauregard D. 'Beau' Felton is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Daniel Baldwin for seasons 1-3. He was loosely based on Det...
(Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Daniel Baldwin is known for his role as Detective Beau Felton in the popular NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street...
) she was visited by the ghost of Fenwick's murder victim and told where the murder weapon was, but Howard cannot find it. Felton does not believe her, and Howard grows angry when he tells Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
(Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
) and Crosetti
Steve Crosetti
Det. Steve Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det...
(Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
) about the ghost experience. The next day, however, Howard and Felton arrest Fenwick after finding the murder weapon based on advice Felton got from a tarot card reader
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
.
The department continues investigating leads into the Adena Watson case, including an interrogation of a man who lived within walking distance of the scene and was previously charged with murdering a 14-year-old girl. All of the leads turn into dead ends. While investigating the Adena Watson scene, police find coagulated blood and hair on a piece of metal. Battel witnesses the find, but agrees to hold the information until police authorize it, as long as she gets the story first. She also tells Bayliss about a carry-out store owner who claims to know who the murderer is. The episode ends with an emotional Bayliss attending Watson's funeral.
Production
"Ghost of a Chance" was written by Noel BehnNoel Behn
Noel Behn was an American novelist, screenwriter and theatrical producer. His first novel, The Kremlin Letter, drawn from his work in the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps, was made into a film by John Huston in 1970. Behn's non-fiction The Big Stick-Up at Brink's was adapted into a 1978 movie...
based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
, and was directed by Martin Campbell
Martin Campbell
-Life and career:Campbell was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He directed two James Bond films, 1995's GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan, and 2006's Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, and was the first Bond director since John Glen to direct more than one film, as well as the oldest director in...
. It marked the first major developments the story arc of the Adena Watson murder case, which was introduced in the final scene of series premiere "Gone for Goode
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul...
" and dominates much of the Homicide: Life on the Street first season. The Watson case was based on the real-life 1988 Baltimore slaying of Latonya Kim Wallace, which is chronicled in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
, the 1991 David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
non-fiction book about a Baltimore Police Department
Baltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
, which was adapted into the Homicide series. "Ghost of a Chance" introduced the concept of a "red ball", which is a police jargon phrase used in the episode to describe the Adena Watson murder. A red ball is a high profile case that draws such close media and political attention, that it diverts time and attention away from other cases in the homicide department. The phrase, which came directly from Simon's book, would be used frequently in future Homicide: Life on the Street episodes.
"Ghost of a Chance" introduced several important characters that would be regularly featured throughout the series. Among them were prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers, played by Željko Ivanek, and police department bosses Colonel Burt Granger and Captain George Barnfather
George Barnfather
George Barnfather is a fictional Deputy Commissioner in the Baltimore Police Department on Homicide: Life on the Street, played by Clayton LeBouef.Barnfather first appeared in the series as a Captain whose command was over the Homicide Section...
, played by Gerald F. Gough and Clayton LeBouef
Clayton LeBouef
Clayton LeBouef is an African American actor, best known for his recurring role as Colonel George Barnfather in Homicide: Life on the Street...
, respectively. Ivanek was cast by his long-time friend Fontana, who thought Danvers was written in a dull and simple way, but felt confident Ivanek could "make it a real character". The episode also introduced Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
Lee Tergesen
Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...
), who would become the center of a significant season one subplot in the next episode, "Son of a Gun
Son of a Gun (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Son of a Gun" is the third episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 10, 1993. The teleplay was written by James Yoshimura based on a story by executive director Tom Fontana,...
", when he would be shot in the head during a failed arrest. Detective Tom Pellegrini, who handled the real-life Latonya Kim Wallace case and served as the basis for the Tim Bayliss character, appeared on-screen as the police officer who first discovered Adena Watson's body. Pellegrini, who was still haunted by his failure to solve the Wallace case, specifically asked to be in that scene. During filming, he stayed close to the actress who played Watson, which Secor interpreted as an attempt to make amends to the real Wallace child. Although Pellegrini personally advised Secor on his performance, the actor later said he learned more about how to play Bayliss by watching Pellegrini during that scene than anything else the detective could have told him.
In its portrayal of the possible murder of Thomas Doohen, "Ghost of a Chance" is the first Homicide episode to demonstrate a murder in a wealthy rural setting, rather than an urban or predominantly poorer location; the episode was noted for demonstrating better than most American television police shows that murders can take place in various socioeconomic circumstances. This is particularly illustrated by Munch's comment to Bolander, "Ah, green lawns, fresh air, nice houses, this is the place for a murder." The episode also maintains a common Homicide trait of combining tragedy, like the devastated response by Adena Watson's family to her murder, with scenes of dark comedy, like Jessie Doohen's claim that she endured a miserable 60-year marriage because, "We made a promise we wouldn't get a divorce until all the children were dead."
"Ghost of a Chance" marked a development of Beau Felton's character by identifying not only his trademark bullying nature, but a kinder and sweeter side of his personality. After mocking Howard publicly for her belief in ghosts, he puts in extra effort to find the killer by embracing Howard's beliefs, much to her appreciation. Howard's superstitious beliefs reappear in future episodes, particularly the fourth season
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 4)
The fourth season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1995-10-20 to 1996-05-17 and contained 22 episodes....
episode "Heartbeat", which featured a black cat inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
's short story, "The Black Cat
The Black Cat (short story)
"The Black Cat" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in the August 19, 1843, edition of The Saturday Evening Post. It is a study of the psychology of guilt, often paired in analysis with Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"...
". A scene in which a busload of rookie police officers straight out of the academy are brought in to investigate the Adena Watson crime scene was inspired by strategies used by real police departments; the New York Police Department employed exactly the same tactic while searching for the remains of a missing girl in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1987.
Cultural references
"Ghost of a Chance" continues a common motif repeated throughout the first season of Crosetti discussing various conspiracy theories about the assassinationAbraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, the 16th president of the United States. Crosetti said he believes the killing was arranged by the highest ranks of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. Crosetti's fascination with the Lincoln assassination was based on Tom Fontana's real-life obsession with it. Throughout the episode, Lewis mournfully discussed the then-recent closing of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
. Fearing it will go to waste, Lewis wants to flood the stadium and turn it into an aquatic theme park.
The song "Hazy Shade of Blue", by songwriter Tor Hyams
Tor hyams
-History:Hyam's roster of artists include Joan Osborne, Vivian Campbell, Billy Gibbons, Lou Rawls, Rachel York, Lisa Loeb, Perry Farrell and Deborah Harry...
, plays while the police raid several neighborhood homes in search of clues and leads in the Adena Watson murder case. The hymn "The Sweet By and By
In the Sweet By and By
"The Sweet By-and-By" is a Christian hymn with lyrics by S. Fillmore Bennett and music by Joseph P. Webster. It is recognizable by its chorus:Mr. Webster, like many musicians, was of an exceedingly nervous and sensitive nature, and subject to periods of depression, in which he looked upon the dark...
", written by S. Fillmore Bennett and Joseph P. Webster, plays during Watson's funeral in the final scene of the movie. Crosetti and Lewis sing the theme song to the children's show Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
while making fun of Howard about dreaming of ghosts.
Reception
"Ghost of a Chance" originally aired on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on February 3, 1993, marking the show's debut in the Wednesday 9 p.m. time slot. In its original broadcast, the episode was watched by 9.5 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The episode received a 10.6 rating/15 share. The rating was considered a disappointment by NBC and the press, coming off of 18.8 million viewers in the series debut "Gone for Goode
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul...
", which aired immediately after Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
on January 31 and received generally positive reviews. "Ghost of a Chance" ranked third in its time slot for the night, The time slot winner was ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's comedy Home Improvement, which was seen by 19.92 million viewers, the highest ever rating for the series. and ranked 60th in prime time shows for the week. "Ghost of a Chance" lost viewers from the first half hour to the second, and the episode dropped 19% in viewership among the 18-49 age group compared to "Gone for Goode". ABC's Coach
Coach (TV series)
Coach is an American television sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997. The series starred Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional Division I-A college football team, the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles...
earned 17.13 million viewers, while CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
earned 10.88 viewers. "Ghost of a Chance" also underperformed compared its predecessors in the NBC timeslot, the comedies Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
and Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
, which averaged a combined 9.87 million viewers.
The episode received generally positive reviews. Danny Duncan of the National Catholic Reporter
National Catholic Reporter
The National Catholic Reporter is the second largest Catholic newspaper in the United States; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents. Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church...
particularly praised the performances of Belzer, Beatty and Kotto, as well as the police relationship between Pembleton and Bayliss, which he said serves as the source of dramatic tension driving the series narrative forward in the early episodes of the first season. Eric Kohanik of The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton Spectator, founded in 1846, is a newspaper published every day but Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The paper has a daily circulation of 105,000 and a daily readership of nearly 260,000.-History:...
said the episode continues to demonstrate why Homicide is "the best new series of the midseason", and praised it for not resorting to "silly car chases (and) blazing guns". Chris Kaltenbach of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
complimented the episode, particularly the performances of Beatty and Verdon. Ed Siegel of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said he enjoyed both the humor of the episode, such as the Gwen Verdon subplot, as well as dramatic touches, like Bayliss cleaning up the spilled corn flakes of Adena Watson's despairing mother.
Not all reviews were positive. Liam Lacey said the episode was "not quite as taut" as the debut episode, particularly criticizing the ghost subplot. Lacey said, "There already appear a few cracks in the show's engaging facade, including a drift toward the Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a...
-style indulgent quirkiness." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine reviewer Richard Zoglin said the second episode "already seems to be marking time with goofy character diversions", including Crosetti's Lincoln conspiracies and Bolander's requests for a date from Blythe. In 1999, "Ghost of a Chance" was among a Court TV marathon of the top 15 Homicide episodes, as voted on by 20,000 visitors to the channel's website.
Emmy nomination
Gwen Verdon was nominated for an Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series her guest performance in "Ghost of a Chance". It was her second Emmy nomination in the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Award season alone; she was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series that year for her performance in the series Dream On
Dream On (TV series)
Dream On is an American adult-themed situation comedy about single New Yorker, Martin Tupper. The show used a gimmick where old black and white clips were used to punctuate the main character's feelings or thoughts...
.
DVD release
"Ghost of a Chance" and the rest of the first and second season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home VideoA&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.
External links
- "Ghost of a Chance" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...