Houston Knights is an American crime drama set in Houston, Texas. The show ran on CBS from 1987 to 1988 and had 31 episodes. The core of the show was the partnership between two very different cops from two different cultures. Chicago cop Joey LaFiamma, played by Michael Paré, is transferred to Houston after he kills a mobster from a powerful Mafia family and a contract is put out on him. Once there, he is partnered with Levon Lundy, played by Michael Beck, the grandson of a Texas Ranger.
Although as different as night and day, and after a rocky beginning they form a successful partnership and become friends. This is aided to a certain extent by an event where a hitman from Chicago who holds the contract to shoot La Fiamma arrives in Houston and is ultimately killed by Lundy.
During the series, it is revealed that both La Fiamma and Lundy have their own personal demons; La Fiamma's Chicago police partner had been killed when he went ahead while La Fiamma had waited for backup to arrive. Lundy's wife had been killed by an explosion that was intended to kill him.
Best Episodes of Houston Knights
Heads, I Win - Tails, You Lose
S2 Ep2
8.0
22nd Sep 1987
The show has two separate storylines. One deals with date rape, the other with a prison breakout. In the date rape, a man at a fitness center feels women are coming on to him because of how they dress when they exercise. This storyline gives us the impression that Joe is a women's rights activist. In the prison breakout, the Knights get involved with a retired Texas Ranger who feels the justice system has failed. He hinders their investigation. It is discovered that a recent armor truck heist was not for the money but for the prison breakout. Levon uses an 18-wheeler to stop the truck.
Gun Shy
S2 Ep4
7.0
13th Oct 1987
Three night club owners are killed within six weeks of each other. All killed with the same gun. The sixth killing comes on the same day as the anniversary of Lt. Beaumont accidently killing a 14 year-old-boy. The Knights discover a garbage collector is behind the killings. Beaumont is setup as a silent partner of a new club. When the collector pushes her take his offer, she says she has a better deal. Unfortunately she uses the phrase ""Case closed, cerrado,"" that she also used at a news conference earlier in the week and is recognized as a cop. She is grabbed and forced into the alley. There she wrestles free, but is lured into a similar dark alley as when she killed the teenage boy. She kills the collector as he comes up behind Joe at the end of the alley.
Worst Episodes of Houston Knights
Mirrors (1)
S1 Ep1
1.0
11th Mar 1987
There are two underlying stories here. The first is the murder of a Houston business man. The other is the pasts of LaFiamma and Lundy. It is the conflict between a Northerner detective suddenly transferred to a foreign land called Texas. Lundy is a laid-back cowboy. LaFiamma is pushy. How they investigate crimes are totally opposite. At the end of this episode they are both transferred to the Major Crime Unit, under an officer who formerly was Lundy's partner.
Single in Heaven
S1 Ep5
7.0
1st Apr 1987
A serial killer is on the loose, and one of the victims is a friend of Levon's. Danni, a novice journalist overheads Joe & Levon talking and prints what she heard Joe say. The killer connects with Joe, invading his home, his work, and even proving he can get in and out of Danni's apartment without her knowledge. The showdown comes at Levon's ranch where the killer intends to kill Levon and Joe and take over Joe's personality.
Houston Knights Episode Guide
Mirrors (1)
S1 Ep1
1.0
11th Mar 1987
There are two underlying stories here. The first is the murder of a Houston business man. The other is the pasts of LaFiamma and Lundy. It is the conflict between a Northerner detective suddenly transferred to a foreign land called Texas. Lundy is a laid-back cowboy. LaFiamma is pushy. How they investigate crimes are totally opposite. At the end of this episode they are both transferred to the Major Crime Unit, under an officer who formerly was Lundy's partner.
North of the Border
S1 Ep3
18th Mar 1987
The story is about an wealthy American going into a Mexican border town and getting away with murder. Efrain Figueroa is introduced here as Sgt Estaban Gutierrez as a recurring character. Estaban is a Matamoros, Mexico cop. He travels to Houston in the hopes of finding the killer, only to find the man is an important lawyer with connections.
Houston's Hero
S1 Ep4
25th Mar 1987
A hero turns out to be the killer everyone is seeking. See Recap for more details.
Single in Heaven
S1 Ep5
7.0
1st Apr 1987
A serial killer is on the loose, and one of the victims is a friend of Levon's. Danni, a novice journalist overheads Joe & Levon talking and prints what she heard Joe say. The killer connects with Joe, invading his home, his work, and even proving he can get in and out of Danni's apartment without her knowledge. The showdown comes at Levon's ranch where the killer intends to kill Levon and Joe and take over Joe's personality.
Yesterday's Gone
S1 Ep6
8th Apr 1987
A high school friend of Levon's is shot at in a hotel lobby. The boys are assigned the case. Joe sees a Chicago 'mob tailor' and talks with him. Levon learns that his friend, Bobby, has been laundering money for the mob. The Feds tape a meeting between Joe and 'the tailor' figuring Joe is the hit man sent to kill Bobby. In the end, Bobby is killed because the Feds won't allow Joe to enter the house. The boys push past the Feds and get in and kill the hit men. The Feds leave in disgust when they discover they were wrong! Joe realizes his family connections could get him into a lot of trouble.
Bad Girl
S1 Ep7
7.0
15th Apr 1987
At a rich boy's party, things suddenly turn deadly when someone dies of laced cocaine. One of the party girls makes a play for LaFiamma. As Joe is turned on more and more by this girl, he begins to get romantically involved with her. Lundy tries to tell his partner that the woman is just playing with him for kicks, but Joe won't listen. Joe soon learns however that the lady deals in drugs and is very dangerous to be around. Her father's wealth and connections has kept her from being prosecuted until some video tapes turn up indicating just what her role really is. Used with permission of JoeyPare, Houston Knights Roundup
Scarecrow
S1 Ep8
22nd Apr 1987
A motorcycle cop is murdered during a traffic stop. A young black man named Scarecrow says he witnessed it. The Knights find him and put him in a safe house, but the young man flees, so they put him in a jail cell and he ends up dead. A young social worker clashes with the boys over how the case was handled, and during the ensuing investigation it is discovered that she is the one who actually saw the killing not Scarecrow. In the end, she identifies the killer.
Colt
S1 Ep9
29th Apr 1987
The gun Levon carries belonged to his grandfather, who was a Texas Ranger. In this episode, Lundy walks into a jewelry store to check on something he is having fixed, and ends up in the middle of a robbery in progress. Now it is used to break open jewelry displays. Then it falls into the hands of a wild young couple who go on a shooting spree. Levon gets so *OBSESSED* with getting his gun back that he gets suspended. That does not stop him from tracking down the Colt. With the help of his partner, they find the young couple. When the case is closed, Joe returns the Colt to his partner, who throws it into a lake, as he can no longer use it for law and order.
