Matisse lives in the posh Beverly Hills mansion with millionaire Dave Whiteman, (Hector Elizondo) a successful clothes hanger manufacturer; his wife, Barbara (Anita Morris); their social-climbing 20 year-old daughter, Jenny (Eileen Seeley); their awkward 17 year-old son, Max (Evan Richards); Carmen the maid (April Ortiz) and Jerry Baskin, a middle-aged, philosophical tramp (Tim Thomerson) whom the family adopts after his attempted suicide in the family's  swimming pool.

Mike the dog played the role of Matisse on the series. Owned and trained by Clint Rowe, Mike was found at a ranch in Northern California. Mike has one blue-eye, one floppy ear and can perform hundreds of tricks. He first appeared in the feature film version of the series Down and Out In Beverly Hills (1985) based on the 1932 French movie Boudu Saved From Drowning.

Mike is a veteran of a number of commercial including spots for Toyota and Doublemint Chewing Gum. Mike also appeared in Little Richard's music video "Great Gosh a' Mighty, It's a Matter of Time."

You can also find Mike's paw prints (as of February 1986) in the cement sidewalk at the Tail O' the Pup, a famous Hollywood restaurant shaped like a large hotdog.

Mike (now deceased) was the co-host of the very last PATSY Awards (defunct as of 1986) and the TV movie Spot Marks the X (1987).

• Down and out in Beverly Hills (IMDb)