70s crime TV
A time when detective shows were the rage
Much is made of the Western takeover of television in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a period when nearly every show had its own saloon and hitching post. Yet, police/detective shows held a similar dominance in the 1970s.
Take 1974, for example. In alphabetical order, you had Adam-12, Barnaby Jones, Cannon, FBI, Get Christie Love, Harry O, Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Kojak, Manhunter, Mannix, Police Story, Police Woman, Rockford Files, Rookies, and Streets of San Francisco.
These were shows that lasted for years. The FBI, with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., was just wrapping up its ninth season in 1974, just as Rockford Files was taking off for a six-year run. Hawaii Five-O would run for 11 years and then get revamped to return in the 21st century for a 10-year run.
It should be noted that Shaft and Columbo also appeared on a spot basis in prime time in 1974. Columbo was in a rotation that featured two other detective shows, McCloud and McMillan & Wife.
Troy Brownfield’s story, “The 1970s TV Detective Boom,” in the Saturday Evening Post, published in 2023 (yes, the Post is still kicking) noted that “the 1970s boom was presaged by two shows that kicked off in 1967: Mannix and Ironside.” Both shows ran for eight seasons. Mannix featured Mike Connors as a hard-hitting gumshoe who moved to the soundtrack of Lalo Schifrin, while Ironside starred Raymond Burr as a chief of police who didn’t let being in a wheelchair stop him from solving cases as regularly as Perry Mason, his previous TV persona.
You had TV cops in all shapes and sizes in those days. They came bald (Kojak), old (Barnaby Jones and Cannon), disheveled (Columbo), disabled (Ironside), and sexy (Police Woman).
James Garner and Joe Santos of “Rockford Files.”
Two of the most distinct detectives in that period were Rockford Files and Harry O. “Rockford’s decent core and regular guy demeanor earned him fans as he struggled with both creditors and fistfights,” stated Brownfield. Roy Huggins, who created Maverick, a previous James Garner hit, collaborated with Stephen Cannell to develop the series that relied on the laconic Garner (and Joe Santos as Dennis, his buddy on the force) to add lighthearted charm to sometimes serious plots.
While only lasting two seasons, Harry O has received critical acclaim, such as “Remembering ‘Harry O,’ the 70s’ Second Best, Mostly Forgotten Private Eye Series” by J. Kingston Pierce in CrimeReads. Both Rockford and Harry were down-to-earth guys. Garner lived in a trailer with his dad, while Harry, played by David Janssen, often took the bus.
When you watch a 70s cop show now, there’s more to enjoy than just a mystery plot. Nostalgia’s involved. You’re reminded that telephone booths used to be everywhere. It was a time when you still needed things like change and maps. The 70s fashion is on display while car chases with all those Chevy Monte Carlos and Ford LTDs point out how little attention we paid to the price of gas.
Things would change again on the TV scene as they always do. Sitcoms were coming and then reality TV. Maybe Barnaby Jones wasn’t so bad after all.