TV Bosses Trivia Quiz

Answer: Milburn Drysdale

"The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962-1971) was one of the top rated shows of the time, with Jed Clampett and his clan having struck oil, 'Texas tea', and moving to "Beverly...Hills, that is". The Clampett's next door neighbor was wealthy banker Milburn Drysdale who was President of Commerce Bank and did everything in his power to ensure that he kept the Clampett's account at his bank; his secretary, Jane Hathaway, well-played by Nancy Kulp, added to the comedy, as did the hillbilly ways of Granny, Jed, Jethro and Ellie May.

Answer: William Petersen

While all the choices had continuing roles on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000-2015), it was William Petersen who played the demanding but fair boss of the investigative team. Petersen was later replaced by Laurence Fishburne and then Ted Danson, but Grissom will always be the 'boss' to me.

He had a Ph.D in forensic entomology and he and his colleagues worked in the Las Vegas, Nevada crime lab; there was Nick, Catherine, Greg and Warrick (for a while). The original "CSI" was one of the earliest TV dramas to depict crime solving through forensic techniques.

Answer: John O'Hurley

Jacopo Peterman or J. Peterman as he was called, was the bizarre owner of the J. Peterman catalog sales company and Elaine's boss. Did you know that J. Peterman was a real company (just 'google' it) founded in Kentucky by John Peterman? It is a retail company which sells clothing and accessories by catalog and through the internet; they "travel the world to find uncommonly good stuff". Sound familiar? John O'Hurley, on the other hand, was born in 1954 in Maine, has a very distinctive voice, hosted "Family Feud" from 2006-2010, has appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" and has written a best selling novel.

Answer: Arthur Carlson

Arthur Carlson, 'The Big Guy', was well-played by Gordon Jump as a middle-aged, good-natured but rather inept general manager of the low rated WKRP radio station in Cincinnati. The only reason he got the job was because his mother owned the station; what he didn't know is that his mother ("Mama Carlson") used the station as a tax write-off and she kept him on because she expected him to fail! Their format was basically elevator music for the elderly until Andy Travis was hired and suggested a change to rock n' roll.

The humor often comes from the odd lot of characters who work at the station. BTW, did you know that Gordon Jump was also the 'lonely Maytag man'?

Answer: Dukes Of Hazzard

If you guessed the show about 'them good, old boys', Bo and Luke Duke, from "The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985), then you would be correct. Now Jefferson Davis Hogg, better know as "Boss" Hogg is the unprincipled commissioner and wealthiest resident of Hazzard County.

A great deal of the 'drama' of the show centers around Boss Hogg's greed and his willingness to pursue any scheme which might make him ever richer. The stereotypical southern 'gentleman', he wears white suits with a white cowboy hat (of course!) and smokes cigars, but is always thwarted by the Duke boys. Boss Hogg is played by Sorrell Booke.

Answer: Professor Farnsworth

Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, born April 9, 2841, is the founder of the Planet Express cargo delivery service on "Futurama" (1999-2013). The Professor is somewhere between 160 and 210 years old, which is old even by the standards of the 31st Century.

He is senile and crazy, both a lunatic and a genius. Farnsworth is voiced by Billy West who also does the voices of Philip J. Fry (the protagonist from 1999), Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan. We also learn that Professor Farnsworth is a descendant (yes) of Fry, due to Fry's time-traveling; it seems Fry was his own grandfather (don't ask!), and the Professor is Fry's nephew thirty times over.

Answer: Harry Morgan

It was the second episode of season 4 when we first met Colonel Sherman Tecumseh Potter, now Commanding Officer of the 4077th M.A.S.H. unit, a mobile Army surgical hospital situated near the front during the Korean War. He took over for Colonel Henry Blake, McLean Stevenson who left, and was killed off at the end of the third season. Harry Morgan had been on the series in an earlier episode where he played a visiting General. Col. Potter was stricter than Blake had been but was also understanding that 'war is hell'. Harry Morgan has quite a TV resume with sitcoms in the 1950s, "Dragnet" in the 1960s and "M*A*S*H" from 1972-1983 (longer than the Korean War).

Answer: Louie De Palma

"Taxi" (1978-1983) was the story of the wacky employees of the Sunshine Cab Company based in New York City. Louie De Palma was the loathsome, greedy, mean-spirited dispatcher who assigned the jobs to the other cabbies, all of whom had dreams of going on to something bigger and better. Wonderfully played by Danny DeVito, he somehow managed to fit some humanity into this hateful character. One day Louis is caught spying on Elaine in the bathroom and he is fired based on Elaine's complaint.

He begs her to reconsider saying he understands how it feels to be humiliated - every time he has to shop for clothes in the boys' department.

Answer: Angela Bower

Angela Bower (played by Judith Light) is a divorced, high-powered advertising executive who lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with her son Jonathan. While she is great at her job, she lacks domestic skills, so she needs a housekeeper. Enter Tony Micelli (Tony Danza, formerly of "Taxi"), a retired baseball player in need of a job and a good home for his daughter, Samantha. With support from her kookie mother Mona Robinson (Katherine Helmond), Angela and Tony raise their children together facing the 'normal' trials and tribulations of life.

As an aside, "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992) began airing on the same night as "The Cosby Show".

Answer: Leon Vance

After Director Shepard's untimely death, Leon James Vance (portrayed by Rocky Carroll) was promoted to the position of Director. He is the head of N.C.I.S. and Gibbs' boss. He has had his share of altercations with Gibbs, as well as physical injuries and the tragic murder of his wife, but, like Gibbs, he is a survivor.

As a matter of fact, Rocky Carroll has played the role of Leon Vance on 3 different TV series, i.e., "N.C.I.S." (2003), "N.C.I.S.: Los Angeles" (2009) and "N.C.I.S.: New Orleans" (2014).

In case you were wondering, N.C.I.S is an acronym for "Naval Criminal Investigative Service", one of whose tasks is to investigate the suspicious deaths of military personnel.