Checkmate

Season 1

TV-PG

Don Corey and Jed Sills operate Checkmate, Inc., a very high-priced detective agency in San Francisco. Helping them protect the lives of their clients is British criminologist (once an Oxford professor) Carl Hyatt.

Where to Watch Season 1

35 Episodes

Death Runs Wild
E1
Death Runs WildStory tells of a demented woman out to kill private eye Anthony George. The instrument of death, as it turned out, was, a wild stallion she stocked on her ranch. Her motive was revenge. On a previous case, the private eye had brought her lover to justice and the gas chamber.
Interrupted Honeymoon
E2
Interrupted HoneymoonA newlywed bride faces disaster when her new husband suddenly disappears, unknowingly at the hands of an escaped criminal trying to escape a death sentence.
The Cyanide Touch
E3
The Cyanide TouchTwo car thieves run down an innocent man and kill him. That man's best friend wants to find the thug behind the two thieves, extract a confession and then execute him by cyanide.
Lady on the Brink
E4
Lady on the BrinkCheckmate comes to the aid of a woman with a traumatic past when it becomes evident that someone is trying to make it appear she's mentally unstable. discrediting her eye-witness testimony at a murder trial.
Face in the Window
E5
Face in the WindowA well respected archaeologist is about to murder a mysterious man, supposedly dead for many years. The doctor's fiancée hires the Checkmate team to stop the murder.
Runaway
E6
RunawayA girl shows up at Corey's apartment, claiming that she is running from someone who is trying to kill her. However, the detectives all find that nothing she has said checks out, including her numerous aliases, and that she's actually an heiress running from a controlling grandmother. But it does appear that the part about someone trying to kill her may be the truth.
Target: Tycoon
E7
Target: TycoonWhitney Thorne is an oil magnate who is being targeted by an ex-partner. His daughter hires the Checkmate agency to help prevent his murder, but Thorne wants a showdown with his nemesis.
The Deadly Shadow
E8
The Deadly ShadowA young widow is attacked and the only photograph of her dead husband, a Marine private is stolen. Checkmate investigates to thwart a conspiracy against her and the private the military claims never existed.
The Dark Divide
E9
The Dark DivideBarbara Rush plays a dual role in The dark divide. Why should Margaret Russell's life be threatened? Her aunt keeps getting phone calls from a woman named Nikki Garnett, threatening Margaret. What motive could the woman have?
Moment of Truth
E10
Moment of TruthJed is on vacation in Mexico and meets up with a beautiful woman. But when he arrives at the beach they planned to meet at, Jed finds her stabbed and bleeding in the sand. Of course, just as he pulls the knife from her chest, the police arrive, arrest him and charge the innocent man with attempted murder.
The Mask of Vengeance
E11
The Mask of VengeanceCheckmate is hired to protect an Ambassador's daughter receiving death threats from the Asian community after killing a Chinese child with her car. She has a history of speeding and is not being charged because of diplomatic immunity.
The Murder Game
E12
The Murder GameAttorney Emory Olivant invites Corey, Sills and Dr. Hyatt to a party. Once all the guests have arrived, Olivant announces that they are going to play a gameâ€”a murder game in which he will be the killer.
The Princess in the Tower
E13
The Princess in the TowerCheckmate's housekeeper is thrown from a window. But before she dies, she calls Jed and tells him she heard one of her clients speak of an upcoming murder. Now Jed and Checkmate must find the one to be murdered and figure out who the killers are.
The Terror from the East
E14
The Terror from the EastA missionary arrives from the east and contacts Checkmate to warn them about a plot to kill Tom Lin, a Chinese patriot currently in hiding in San Francisco; he has apparently been shot in the arm while trying to find Lin and warn him of the danger he is in. It soon turns out, however, that the missionary is actually an assassin sent to kill the daughter of Win Lee, a former Chinese warlord also residing in San Francisco.
The Human Touch
E15
The Human TouchAlonzo Pace Graham, freed from prison after 15 years, seeks revenge on Dr. Carl Hyatt. Graham devises an elaborate plot intended not only to kill Hyatt but ruin his reputation as well. Hyatt is implicated in a murder - a murder that never occurred.
Hour of Execution
E16
Hour of ExecutionWhen a judge and friend of Dr. Hyatt receives telephone calls and letters threatening his life if a man he sent to death row is e executed, Checkmate investigates the guilty man and the judge's character.
Don't Believe a Word She Says
E17
Don't Believe a Word She SaysCheckmate has more than one mystery to solve when they are hired by an unknown client to protect an unknown victim from an unknown killer at Felicia Royden's remote estate. Jed and Dr. Hyatt, posing as servants for the family, are puzzled by Mrs. Royden's strange little girl, Carol, who apparently makes up wild stories for no reason, but they soon begin to think Carol may hold the key to the mystery.
Laugh Till I Die
E18
Laugh Till I DieTelevision comedian and crusader Dan Whitman is advocating stricter penalties for drunk drivers, especially for a woman charged with two DUI fatalities. The woman's husband is an ex-mobster with powerful connections who wants Whitman dead. Whitman hires Checkmate for protection.
Between Two Guns
E19
Between Two GunsThe checkmate team is being held hostage by a gang led by rogue gangster Joe Farrell, who is running from the mob. He demands that Don act as courier for his estranged wife and a fortune in stolen cash, or Jed and Dr. Hyatt will die. When Don discovers that one of Farrell's men plans to double-cross Farrell, Don tries to take advantage of the situation by pitting the two men against each other.
A Matter of Conscience
E20
A Matter of ConscienceA prisoner, played by Gary Merrill, is paroled after serving 20 years for a robbery and a gunshot victim. The son of the victim vows to make him pay once he comes back into the community. Others are also out to silence Merrill.
Melody for Murder
E21
Melody for MurderRock 'N' Roll star Buddy Robbins (played by 1950s pop star Jimmie Rodgers) has been receiving chilling death threats, and his agent hires Checkmate to investigate. Jed goes undercover as an aide to Buddy. After someone fires a shot at Buddy, Jed discovers that the person who made the threats and the person who fired the shot are not the same person.
Phantom Lover
E22
Phantom LoverA woman claims her husband killed a male friend of hers and that she will be next, but her moody behavior, and her past as a psychiatric patient, make Don wonder if her story is legitimate. Don and Dr. Hyatt try a gambit to see who needs protection from whom.
The Gift
E23
The GiftLola Tuscany, a temperamental lady soprano, is having premonitions of her death. After her concert she is almost poisoned and Checkmate Inc. is hired to keep her safe. Don Corey is skeptical, believing it is a publicity stunt, until he is nearly killed when a bomb explodes in the car he and Lola are driving in.
One for the Book
E24
One for the BookAudrey Meadows stars as a writer of a scandalous, best-selling novel based on an unsolved twenty-year old murder in her small town. She is writing a sequel that reveals the killer and hires Checkmate for protection when attempts are made to silence her.
The Paper Killer
E25
The Paper KillerSteve Margate is a highly successful comic strip artist who plans to kill off his title character, O'Hara. Someone is trying to make Margate appear legally incompetent by appearing before him donned as O'Hara and apparently trying to kill him when he is alone, and Checkmate suspects it is someone who stands to take over the strip and all its financial benefits with Margate out of the way.
Jungle Castle
E26
Jungle CastleAfter two attempts on his life, big game hunter Lee Tabor brings Dr. Hyatt and Carl to his home in the Malayan jungle. He asks for their help in finding out which of his three house guests is trying to kill him.
The Deadly Silence
E27
The Deadly SilenceA deaf mute schoolteacher runs to Don's apartment for protection from thugs after she lip-read a conversation they were having at a restaurant. She could make out only jumbled portions of it, but it was enough to make her a target for murder. Don stays at her side while Checkmate looks for her would-be assassins.
Goodbye Griff
E28
Goodbye Griff""Ex-convict Griff Nolan is jealous because his wife Libby earns more as a magazine editor than he does as a mechanic. More domestic strife develops when Griff becomes jealous of Libby's boss Lewis Bates --- and buys a gun."" -- TV Guide
Voyage Into Fear
E30
Voyage Into FearJoan Fontaine plays a woman who claims her husband is trying to kill her. Corey accompanied her on a cruise ship to protect her but her odd behavior raises doubts. Also onboard watching her closely is a private detective who claims to be hired by her husband,
Tight As a Drum
E31
Tight As a DrumWhile on the verge of giving a speech Dr. Hyatt is called away by a request to investigate a murder at the Deervale Military Academy. With Sills going undercover one thing leads to another and the investigation leads to smuggling.
Death by Design
E32
Death by DesignSuccessful fashion designer Georgia Golden calls on Checkmate after attempts are made to ruin her business, and end her life. The suspects at first are her younger sister, whom Georgia raised and who's tired of listening to her, and a business rival who used to be Georgia's lover. The Checkmate team, however, may be barking up the wrong tree.
The Thrill Seeker
E33
The Thrill SeekerSusan Oliver plays a independent thrill seeking woman, who is accused by her husband's mother that she was responsible for his death from a parachute jump. The mother in law vows she will die, as a result.
Hot Wind in a Cold Town
E34
Hot Wind in a Cold TownA Washed up Hollywood Movie Stuntman's life is being threatened by someone working on a movie he is in, Don from Checkmate steps in to try to figure out who is the one responsible for the threats & he also tries to stop him from actually murdering the stuntman who's life is hanging in the balance.
A Slight Touch of Venom
E35
A Slight Touch of VenomStatus-seeking retired contractor Ernie Venable gets Dr. Hyatt's seal of approval for a new security system, but that doesn't stop someone from throwing a poisonous snake on his property in an effort to scare him, or kill him. The Checkmate team must contend with Ernie's coarse manners while they try to keep from getting pneumonia from staying in his frigid home to find who's responsible and protect him from the snake.
State of Shock
E36
State of ShockA series of carefully planned "accidents" aimed at a wealthy heiress who is the wife of hospital's director is investigated by Checkmate. Don ends up as a patient after suffering an accident on the property.