Martinex1: You would be hard pressed to convince me that the golden age of television detective shows was not in the 1970s through the early 1980s. In my mind, the best shows of this ilk ran right along the same timeline as the comic book bronze age. Maybe there was something in the air.
Whether police detectives or private investigators, I couldn't get enough of the crime procedural when I had control of the TV set. In a previous post, I shared my admiration for Columbo, so that is a no-brainer to be on my top five list, but how would I rank my favorite detective shows and which did I consider the worst? And how would you order your list?
Today we play Rank And File with crime shows of all kinds... and don't feel you have to leave out comedies or cartoons!
So here are my top five:
1) Columbo - see my post from December 5th, 2016 if you have any questions about my perception of the durability of the rumpled lieutenant.
2) The Rockford Files - James Garner played a very nuanced and complex somewhat down-on-his-luck investigator. He wasn't always politically correct. He often found himself on the wrong side of the law. He had bills to pay. He got annoyed by inconvenience. And he had a heart of gold. The opening theme clinches it for me; every time I hear that music I have to tune in.
3) Quincy, M.E. - He was a Medical Examiner and not a police officer, but he investigated like one digging into clues and searching for scientific evidence long before CSI. Jack Klugman was pivotal in the role; I could not grasp that he and Oscar Madison were the same guy. I actually learned some interesting facts from that show and remember talking about Legionnaire's Disease in the fourth grade because there was an episode about it.
4) Police Squad - On the heels of the movie Airplane!, the creators rolled out this comedy full of slapstick, puns, and site gags. It was very short-lived and existed before the Naked Gun movies. I thought it was hilarious as a kid. And Leslie Nielson was great.
5) Inch High Private Eye - This Hanna-Barbera offering came out just as I was starting to get into my detective fascination as a wee youngster. So it is a nostalgic favorite that most don't even remember.
And here is my "dishonorable" mention:
Mrs. Columbo - what were they thinking? This was a train wreck. It was like something out of Bizarro's world. In 1979, following the end of the detective's series, the network cast Kate Mulgrew as the never before seen wife. And that was mistake number one as she was way too young and not at all the character hinted at in the original great series. She was suddenly depicted as a columnist with an eye for crime. Between doing laundry, taking care of the children, and working at the paper, she solved mysteries. Huh? Detective Columbo's car and rumpled clothing could be seen in the opening credits, but other than that there was no real connection. If fact, in the subsequent season there were inferences to divorce and the title character's name was changed to Mrs. Callahan. It was horrible in so many ways.
Redartz: In all the cop shows and movies, the hero's partner always backs him up. No difference here; I'm backing up my buddy Marti! Backing him up with my picks, that is...
1) Barnaby Jones - My dad always watched the detectives, and he got me hooked on this one. How can you resist Buddy Ebsen's homey drawl? An excellent theme song too.
2) Columbo - can't add anything to what Marti already said about the show. Brilliant.
3) Scooby-Doo - Hey, the gang were detectives, weren't they? After all, "if it weren't for those blasted kids... "
4) Charlie's Angels - Never missed the show, at least for the first two seasons. Perfect representative of 70's pop culture. And I had such a crush on Kate Jackson.
5) Police Squad - I'd almost forgotten about the show. A crime, as it was hilarious!
So now it is your turn. How would you rank these types of shows? See the below photos for some ideas - but there are plenty beyond even this lengthy list to choose from. Share your thoughts and let's have some fun!
17 comments:
Yes to all above. I would add Longstreet, the blind detective played by Jose Feliciano, the famous guitarist with the famous Christmas song " Felice Navidad" that I heard a good hundred times this past month. Farrah Fawcett trumped Kate Jackson, no??? Lol!
Actually, I was going to mention Longstreet, James Franciscus played the detective, not Jose. What was interesting was Bruce Lee was an ongoing character on the series, showing up several times (not sure if Karen's reading this topic today..). Saw a few episodes a few months ago.
Yeaaah, it seemed like nearly every disability (or disadvantage) was showcased in one aspect or another back in the early 70s, where it essentially became 'shitck' or a reason to heighten the drama in the absence of decent writing.
My sweetie and I've been watching a lot of 'Barney Miller' and 'Starsky and Hutch' of late, just great shows, and an occasional 'Columbo' especially for the small parts given to future stars. The great thing about Barney, is that most cops actually attested that that show was more 'real life' than most of the drama cop shows back then. ALMOST got to meet Ron Glass last year at a sci-fi con in Seattle.., but the dimwits in charge did a fair amount of bait-and-switch on ticket buyers.., annoying. Such a shame to now to lose both Abe and Ron this past year.
I really enjoyed 'Ritchie Brockelman', watching his first team-up appearances on Jim Rockford (one of my Dad's favorite shows...), just wish his series would have stayed on.
Now,one fun series everyone forgets is 'Switch'... the mid 70s CBS series which ran three years, staring Eddie Albert, Robert Wagner, Charlie Callas, and the first network role for Sharon Gless, later to star in 'Cagney and Lacey'. Great fun, with two wonderful stars.
Loved The Rockford Files and watched it as often as I could. This show had a real panche and sense of style, a working class vibe.
Growing up my family was largely restricted to two stations (we got a third -CBS- but it was always fuzzy) and so we were pretty much an NBC and ABC focused group with emphasis on the former. That meant the Sunday night mystery movies were a big deal and that meant Columbo and McCloud were a big deal. We also watched a lot of Adam-12 and stuff like that. My dad was an Ironside fan too and we watched that regularly. At the same time Perry Mason reruns were a regular thing and it was odd to see Raymond Burr in two stages of his career simultaneously.
I just so happened to have caught the first Columbo movie a few days ago and found it fascinating to see him as a not fully-formed character quite yet. He had more of an edge and while he played the hapless detective for his prey he was more aggressive early on. Later he just allowed them to tumble into his clutches and and it was an elegant thing to watch.
Rip Off
In order of how much I originally enjoyed watching them when I was a kid.
1. COLUMBO - Not only my favorite detective/police show, but one of my all-time favorite TV shows period. I stated in another post that for the past several months I have been watching every Columbo in order from the first episode, and this past weekend I just finished watching the last episode of Season 7 (which sadly was the last season). Apparently I finished just in time because I think that Netflix quit airing the series as of 1/1/17. :(
2. STARSKY AND HUTCH - Loved this show when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun, and didn't seem as stuffy to me as some of the other shows my dad watched like Kojak and Cannon.
3. CHARLIE'S ANGELS - Was there a teenage boy alive at the time that wasn't a fan of a show about three hot chicks who could also kick ass?
4. BARETTA - A little more "gritty" than Starsky and Hutch, but still more 'fun' and fast paced than shows like Barnaby Jones.
5. QUINCY, M.E. - This one came along when I was little older and my dad was a big fan of it, so I used to watch it with him and I really liked it. I've always been partial to the guys who use their intellect to solve crimes.
Holy Guadalcanal Batman! How did I live the last 50 years mixing up Feliciano and Fanciscus??? When I hear Felice Navidad, henceforth, I will remember this! Hey - Would Batman be considered a "detective " show???
Great topic. Just some general comments.
My mom was a big fan of these shows. Her favorite was Columbo. But she also liked Rockford, especially episodes that featured Stuart Margolin as Angel, and so did I. I also remember watching Rockford and Police Woman back to back on Friday nights and having quite the crush on Angie Dickinson.
Which is a good segue into - favorite Angel - gotta be Jaclyn Smith. I also wasn't disappointed with Cheryl Ladd replacing Farrah.
Just to throw in some others I don't think have been mentioned - Mannix and the Streets of San Francisco were also favorites.
Tom
All right, first I have to say you get points for putting in a picture of the obscure Richie Brockelman - I remember my older brother and I really got a kick out of that show (haven't watched it since, so I'm curious as to how it holds up). But I have to take away points as there's absolutely no image of probably my absolute favorite detective show from about the age of 11 until the end of high school: Magnum P.I. (!)
Anyway, my favorites now are definitely Columbo, Rockford Files, Police Squad and Barney Miller (and yeah, echoing David, it was really sad about both Vigoda - not entirely unexpected - and Glass - rather unexpected, like so many of the 2016 casualties). Kojak and Quincy were also pretty good, as I recall.
Back in the '70s and '80s, though, my favorites were, as noted, Magnum, and a little earlier, Hawaii 5-0 (and it just occurred to me now that I apparently had a fondness for shows set in Hawaii).
By the way, Martinex, I only ever heard of "Mrs. Columbo" recently, like a few years ago, but I agree, the entire concept sounds atrocious - I can only imagine how bad the actual show was.
Those are great additions Tom. I forgot about those shows. Mannix I vaguely remember and I remember the Streets of San Francisco opening but not much else. Between that show and Rice-A-Roni commercials, San Francisco seemed pretty exotics to a midwesterner like me. Hawaii 5-O had the same effect.
Rip - we had the same problem with CBS - always fuzzy or cutting out. We were constantly manipulating the rabbit ears and adding tin foil to the antenna. My parents - who still don't have or want cable - still mess with that! (Also Rip - thanks for the topic starter yesterday; it was a heavily visited post).
Charlie Horse and David - I had never ever heard of Longstreet before you mentioned it today. I only know James Franciscus from Beneatth the Planet of the Apes and voicing that horribly boring Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie. But hey, I would have loved to see him singing Christmas tunes! I used to mix up Jean Stapleton and Jane Seymour so that is much worse. I looked up pictures of Longstreet and he would have made a good Matt Murdock - more how I picture DD rather than the current Netflix star.
And Richie Brockelman was a good short-lived series; it was a much different take on a detective and kind of in the Columbo line in that he took advantage of people'a perception of him - in this case more of a nerdy P.I. rather than a rumpled detective.
I watched some of these, but a lot of them I don't remember at all. My mom was a big Quincy fan, and I think my dad watched Hawaii Five-O, Mannix, and FBI (with Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). I liked Rockford Files, Vega$, Starsky and Hutch, and Banacek (I lean toward action-oriented stuff).
As for Charlie's Angel, I have to agree with Tom ... Jaclyn Smith was definitely my favourite (still is, for that matter).
Mike Wilson
Marti- your comment about midwesterners hit home for this Indiana boy! I felt (and still do) feel that exotic awe for Hawaii and SF. Also, for New York ( someday I'll visit the legendary home of my Marvel heroes...). And really, just about anywhere that isn't flatland...
Heh-- MAD magazine once took a little one-page look at how that glut of "impaired" detectives really should have performed when chasing down a bad guy. Blind Longstreet, wheelchair-bound Ironside, spherical Canon, and methusalan Barnaby Jones-- law-breakers beware!
I was probably the only kid who never watched Columbo. Sometimes caught McMillan & Wife. Actually, of that whole Sunday Mystery Movie wheel, the one I liked the most was the VERY sadly short-lived Hec Ramsey (w/ Richard Boone). Beyond that, Rockford Files might be the only one I ever payed any attention to. It's in middle age that I've come to love the genre, and my favorites (from American television) would be MONK (by far), BONES, PSYCHE (although it gets tiresome by the end) and what I've seen of CASTLE so far. And ELEMENTARY. Really, though, I think the Brits and Australians have us beaten in quality detective shows, hands-down. MIDSOMER MURDERS, MORSE (though they can be a bit slow), PIE IN THE SKY, INSPECTOR LEWIS, FOYLE'S WAR(probably my favorite), DR BLAKE MYSTERIES, NEW TRICKS (wait, maybe THAT'S my favorite)-- even ROSEMARY & THYME--- if they come on while I'm in the kitchen, I find myself perched on the stool finishing an episode even if I've nothing left to cook or clean. . .
HBWife and I have begun COLUMBO from the beginning ourselves, btw! We'd watched several of the last "movie" episodes, and I went back and got her the first two seasons for Christmas. Oh my heavens, what a delightful time capsule! And for the mystery purists-- Columbo is technically a "howcatchem" in format, as opposed to a "whodunnit", since we always see the crime committed in the beginning. The joy for the viewer is trying to see where the villain's slip-up was, and how/when Columbo catches it. I have to say, between the two of us, we've been pretty darned accurate thus far-! (A casual palm-reading; an offering of sugar for coffee; a vulnerable weak-link of an accomplice. . . etc)
HB
Angel Kate Jackson for me, I might add. Smart, not silly/giggly/jiggly. She was the only one I could ever buy having the intellect necessary to be an undercover operative of any sort. . .
HB
HB - surely you were not watching Charlie Angels for any reason other than the giggly/wiggly, lol?
Refartx - if I may where do you live in Indiana? I grew up in Gary 😎
Many of the shows referenced passed me by. Some didn't make their way across the pond, and others weren't watched by my parents (and therefore, by proxy and with one TV, by me)
But I thoroughly enjoyed Quincy and his righteous campaigns against health and safety injustice. Until he took aim at punk stage-diving. Then this 12-year old aspiring punk realised he was just The Man wanting to spoil my fun.
And how about Sledge Hammer? I remember returning home after a night out during the late-80s, and wondering if what I was seeing was real or the beer playing tricks. While the gags were fresh I loved that show.
Mrs Columbo?!? Wow...
HB- there have been some good shows in recent years. We loved "Monk" too.
Charlie Horse 47- Ahhh, Gary- been through there a few times. I grew up in Anderson, college in Indianapolis, now live on the Ohio across from Louisville. Been all over this state ; should explore some others...
Colin Bray- good call on "Sledge Hammer"! Short lived but fun show. Ano odd related note: about the time I started watching that show, Peter Gabriel hit the charts with "Sledgehammer ". Probably just coincidence...
Thanks for mentioning that Mad piece, HB, that was pretty much all I knew of these shows! Also, good call on Foyle's War! I enjoy watching Miss Fisher with my wife, and occasionally other imports. One thing I'd like to share about The Rockford Files. One the guys in my band is a very big fan of that James Garner vehicle. So much so that his other band is called The Angel Martins!
Hmm Jose Feliciano playing a blind detective? I'd have earnestly loved to watch a show like that!
I loved these in no particular order - Cannon, Ironside, Baretta, Starsky & Hutch, Kojak, Charlie's Angels (Jaclyn Smith baby!), Quincy, Magnum and Mannix!
Of course, to me the ultimate detective show will always be Jeremy Brett's iconic Sherlock Holmes!
- Mike 'the game's afoot Watson!' from Trinidad & Tobago.
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