George Hamilton is a literal Hollywood monument. You know the look: that impossible, deep mahogany tan, the perfectly tailored suit, and a smile that suggests he just finished a three-martini lunch with Cary Grant. He's the guy who somehow turned "being a movie star" into a full-time profession, even when he wasn't actually in a movie. But when you look at the George Hamilton TV series history, it’s a weird, jagged landscape of short-lived sitcoms, soap opera stints, and reality TV experiments that never quite captured his big-screen magnetism.
Why? Honestly, it’s probably because George is too big for the box. He’s a caricature of a leading man, a meta-joke about fame that he’s been in on since the sixties.
The 19th Century Cowboy and the 90s Sitcom Slump
Most people forget that George Hamilton’s television journey didn't start with him being a punchline about SPF 0 tanning oil. Back in the mid-sixties, he was trying to be a serious dramatic lead. Look at The Survivors. This was 1969. It was supposed to be huge. Based on a Harold Robbins novel, it featured Lana Turner and George Hamilton in a glitzy, high-stakes drama about a wealthy family. It flopped. Hard. It lasted about fifteen episodes.
Fast forward a few decades. The 1990s were weird for aging matinee idols. Everyone was getting a sitcom. George got The George & Alana Show (1995), a talk show with his ex-wife Alana Stewart. It was sort of charming in a chaotic, "why are we doing this" kind of way. Then came the actual George Hamilton TV series people usually search for: Jenny.
If you don't remember Jenny, don't feel bad. It was a 1997 NBC vehicle for Jenny McCarthy at the height of her MTV fame. George played her deceased B-movie star father, Guy Hathaway, who appeared in video messages. It was meta. It was self-aware. It was also canceled after ten episodes.
He kept trying. He really did. Family’s First? Didn't stick. The Family (2003)? That was a reality show where he hosted a competition for a family to win a million dollars. It felt like George was just wandering through the various genres of the era, waiting for something to fit his specific brand of suave ridiculousness.
The Dynasty Era and the Art of the Guest Spot
If we're being real, George Hamilton's best TV work wasn't in his own headlining shows. It was when he leaned into the "George Hamilton" persona on other people's sets.
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Take Dynasty. In 1985, he showed up as Joel Dalton. He wasn't just a character; he was a smooth-talking director who ended up kidnapping Krystle Carrington and replacing her with a lookalike. It was peak 80s camp. George understood the assignment perfectly. He knew that on a show like Dynasty, you don't underplay. You lean into the silk robes and the menacingly polite dialogue.
Then there’s his stint on Columbo.
In the episode "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" (1991), he plays a slick TV host who commits a "perfect" murder. It’s arguably one of the better late-run Columbo episodes because Hamilton is the perfect foil for Peter Falk’s rumpled detective. One is all grease and grit; the other is all polish and tan. It worked because it allowed George to be a villainous version of himself.
Why Spies Failed and the Reality Pivot
In 1987, CBS tried to make George a leading man again with Spies. He played Ian Stone, an elite agent. It tried to be James Bond meets Moonlighting. It had the gadgets, the girls, and the puns. But it lacked the bite. It was canceled so fast it barely registered on the Nielsen ratings.
The problem with a George Hamilton TV series in the traditional sense is that the audience doesn't necessarily want to see him play a character. They want to see George.
This is why he eventually found a weird kind of second life in reality television. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2009 was a revelation. Here was this man, arguably the vainest human on the planet (by his own admission), stuck in a jungle. He was hilarious. He was kind. He was a total gentleman. He ended up quitting the show because he didn't want to take a spot from people who "actually needed" the career boost. That’s class. You can't script that in a sitcom.
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The Secret Sauce: Self-Parody as a Career Strategy
Most actors are terrified of becoming a joke. George Hamilton built a mansion out of it.
Think about his appearances in 2 Broke Girls or his various turns as the "Extra Crispy" Colonel Sanders for KFC. He understands that his tan isn't just a cosmetic choice; it’s a brand. When he shows up on a TV series now, he’s playing "George Hamilton," a mythological creature who hasn't seen a cloud since 1974.
He even tried a daytime talk show again in the late 90s. It didn't work. He did a stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2006. He was 66 years old, charming the pants off the judges despite having the grace of a very tan statue. He lasted six weeks. Why? Because people like him. They just don't necessarily want to watch him lead a procedural drama about a forensic accountant.
The Facts About the "Lost" Projects
- The Last Resort (1997): A pilot that didn't go anywhere.
- The Bold and the Beautiful (2005): He played Rex Whitworth. Yes, he did the soap opera thing. It fits the tan.
- Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story: He voiced himself. Again, the meta-commentary.
His film career—Love at First Bite and Zorro, The Gay Blade—showed he had incredible comedic timing. Television, for some reason, usually tried to put him in boxes that were too small or too serious. The medium is intimate. It’s in your living room. George Hamilton feels like he belongs on a 40-foot screen or on a yacht in the South of France. Putting him in a standard three-camera sitcom feels like putting a Ferrari in a grocery store parking lot.
Navigating the Hamilton Filmography
If you're looking to actually watch a George Hamilton TV series that holds up, your options are limited but specific. Don't go looking for a seven-season run of anything. It doesn't exist. Instead, treat his TV career like a scavenger hunt.
First, find the Columbo episodes. He did two: the 1975 episode "A Deadly State of Mind" and the 1991 one mentioned earlier. They are masterclasses in "smarmy charm."
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Second, track down his guest spots on Joey or Hot in Cleveland. He’s better when he’s the seasoning, not the main course.
Third, if you can find clips of The George & Alana Show, watch them for the sheer 90s kitsch. It’s a time capsule of an era where we thought everyone needed a talk show as long as they were tan enough.
What We Can Learn from George's Small Screen Struggle
George Hamilton's TV career is actually a lesson in branding. He survived for six decades in an industry that eats its young. He did it by leaning into a specific niche.
- Don't fight the persona. George tried to be a serious lead in The Survivors and it failed. He leaned into the "Tan Man" persona and became a legend.
- Versatility is overrated if you're iconic. He isn't a "chameleon" actor. He’s George Hamilton. Whether he’s in a spy show or a soap opera, you’re getting the same guy. And that’s what the fans actually want.
- Longevity requires a sense of humor. The reason he’s still relevant in 2026 is that he’s the first person to make a joke about his skin tone.
If you're researching his work for a project or just out of nostalgia, stop looking for the "hit" series. Look for the moments where he disrupted the medium just by showing up. He’s a reminder that sometimes, being a "star" is more important than being a "lead actor."
To truly appreciate his impact, your next step should be watching Love at First Bite. I know, it's a movie, not a TV series. But it’s the DNA for everything he did on television for the next forty years. It’s the origin story of the George Hamilton we see on our TV screens today: the man, the myth, the mahogany.