He worked on several iconic American shows of the era, and was particularly associated with influential writer and producer Stephen J. Cannell. Amongst the shows Beaton produced were Kung Fu, Baa Baa Black Sheep, The Duke, The Greatest American Hero, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe and Wiseguy, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Though Beaton enjoyed periods of series production, his resumé is replete with TV movies. Indeed, his most recent work seems to have been early 2000s Murder, She Wrote movies.