Matt Houston Saves the Day
By Eric Grigs | June 13, 2026
In the 1970s and ’80s, you couldn’t change the channel on your Zenith TV without your rabbit ears pulling in a private eye show from the airwaves. At the same time, mustaches were in. Combining those two things resulted in a certain kind of magic.
We know about the box office bankability of Burt Reynold’s face whiskers and how Tom Selleck gets all the credit for sending mustachioed investigators into the stratosphere. So naturally, every TV executive wanted to cash in on the bushy lipped charm factory by making a copy of this manly winning formula. Some people say that Magnum, P.I. was actually a copy of The Rockford Files. I see the connection, but is it really the same without the mustache secret sauce?
Which brings us to Lee Horsley’s Matt Houston. Those same folks likely also say that Matt Houston is a cheap Magnum, P.I. knockoff. A copy of a copy? While they may be right that it was ABC’s way of satisfying viewers’ interests in macho private investigators, it misses the point of how goddamn entertaining this three-season show was on its own merits.
Let’s start with the lead, heartthrob and all-around charmer Lee Horsely as the title character Matlock “Matt” Houston. For my money, Horsely has the perfect stage name swagger for playing a young, rich oilman from Texas, who flies to the scene of the crimes in his personal helicopter to solve the mystery-of-the-week. He willingly puts himself in harm’s way to sleuth crimes in his spare time as a hobby. So when he gets into trouble, he’s only got himself to blame. And most times, he seems just as surprised as we are at the wild predicaments he finds himelf in. Whether it’s being attacked by a pet tiger or facing a showdown in an abandoned amusement park, his bug-eyed, surprise takes are legendary and a big part of the fun. They’re a necessary counterpoint to this cowboy’s good looks. Particularly in the early episodes, Matt serves up some Grade A goofy beef (Exhibit A: Watch as he hilariously escapes some evil captors while strapped to a runaway gurney, somehow dodging perilous road traffic). His character mellows the comedy a bit in later seasons when TV detective tastes turned decidedly less campy over time, but only slightly. You can take the rancher out of Texas but you can never take the Texas-rancher-turned-crimefighter out of an Aaron Spelling production.
Throughout it all, Houston is aided by right hand woman C.J. Parsons, played by Pamela Hensley. She’s another staple from the era (Buck Rogers, Marcus Welby, M.D.), but unfortunately retired from acting immediately following her starring turn on this show. The team used a giant, state-of-the-art Apple III computer nicknamed “Baby” to give the duo all the intel they needed to track down leads from its massive database of suspects. He also obtains a few assists from local police lieutenants, played by John Aprea in the first season and Lincoln Kilpatrick in later episodes.
The series ran from 1982 - 1985 and as of now doesn’t seem to be streaming anywhere unfortunately. Several years ago, CBS and VEI released the complete series on DVD, which are still in print. The first season quality looks the best, as if it was given a careful restoration, but the following two feel like rush jobs of syndicated prints unfortunately. No matter the quality issues, it’s still a great watch and worth taking the time to track down.
Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, the caper show immediately feels very familiar and provides an hour of pure escapism. Like all Spelling shows, it retains a flair for the dramatic and tongue-in-cheek vibe. It’s basically Charlie’s Angels plots with one hot hunk instead of three gorgeous ladies.
Spelling also continues the winning formula from The Love Boat and Fantasy Island where a cavalcade of guest stars parade through every episode. The murderers row includes Cesar Romero, Heather Locklear, Jessica Walter, David Cassidy, Vic Tayback, Norman Fell, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sonny Bono, and more—they’re all here! Even better, to bump up lagging ratings in the third season, Buddy Ebsen joins the cast as Uncle Roy, a former CIA operative to help Matt solve the murders and high society crimes.
Most of the episodes are stand-alone mysteries, so you can jump in anywhere. Below are a few recommendations for some of the best.
Season One
Any first season episode feels like a classic, but “Joey’s Here” (Episode 10) has murdering robots! Classic TV icons collide in “The Yacht Club Murders” (Episode 14) when the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, Alan Hale, Jr., runs into the “second Darren” from Bewitched, Dick Sargent. Not to be outdone, “The Visitors” (Episode 17) makes the jump to sci-fi with a mystery about UFO sightings and aliens!
However, my money’s on “Killing Isn’t Everything” (Epsiode 5), which is a perfect Super Bowl pre-game watch. Matt has to hit the field to find a blackmailer and killer, in a sports-themed adventure staring John Beck, Phyllis Davis, and Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus. In a classic scene, there is a long locker room brawl between Horsley and Butkis disguised in a Bear mascot costume. (Watch here.) Final score: Houstons 1, Bears 0.
Season Two
Season two delivers on all of the Aaron Spelling greatest hits plots and character types: models (“The Centerfold Murders,” Episode 4), psychics (“The Outsider,” Episode 11), serial killers (“Death Match,” Episode 18), and stalkers (“Secret Admirer,” Episode 20).
Season Three
Season three brings us “Caged” (Episode 5) where C.J. suffers from amnesia following a car accident, winds up in prison, and uncovers a prostitution ring. Quite the journey! “Death Stalk” (Episode 9) follows an international assassin who holds a grudge against Matt and comes to finish the job. Houston does his best Dirty Harry impression in this episode.
In “Final Vows” (Episode 22), one of Matt’s old flames unexpectedly shows up. Will he suddenly marry her in the series finale?
Fire up the chopper and let’s solve some crimes.
Eric Grigs is a pop culture writer and co-host of the Pop Trash Podcast.