I was a big fan of Benson. James Noble was excellent as Governor Gatling; actually, the entire cast was great. RIP.
Robert Guillaume was one of the greatest straight-men in sitcom history, especially getting to play off an excellent supporting cast (Rene Auberjonois and Inga Swenson, especially). I’m glad they were able to spin off his character from “Soap”, one of the few instances of a spinoff being more successful than the parent show.
James Noble didn’t play the Governor as a complete buffoon, and could swing from comedy to heavier scenes without missing a beat. I noted recently on “General Hospital”, they paid tribute to Noble’s character by naming the fictitious Governor of New York as “Governor Gatling.”
I was sorry we never got to find out in the series finale cliffhanger who won the Governor’s race for 1986. Benson as Governor would’ve presented a whole new set of comic possibilities.