Even with Doug McClure.
In 1972,Outer Limitscreator Leslie Stevens andStar Trekproducer Robert Justman noticed two things.
There simply wasnt anything out there.
Sci-fi being their bread and butter, they decided to do something about it.
They also noticed the explosive and ongoing popularity of shows about spies.
So what could be better than a sci-fi secret agent show, right?
There were hints of science fiction in most spy shows, but theirs would be different.
It would still be character-driven, but theyd push the futuristic technology into the foreground.
The result wasProbe, a two-hour pilot picked up by NBC.
This is where things start to get weird.
The great Burgess Meredith plays the boss, Cameron (get it?)
World Securities mission is not law enforcement exactly.
Things had taken a sharp turn toward the paranoid and anti-government sentiment was running ugly.
Youd think it would be a hard sell.
Its like the flipside toThe Prisoner, but told from Number 2s perspective.
Its less a show about freedom and rebellion than one about complete control.
But there you go.
The second problem the show encountered was the name.
You watch the show, its obvious it shouldve been, and was supposed to be, calledProbe.
Its the only damn name that makes sense.
Although dozens of Probes are introduced throughout the series, the show focuses on three.
Tony Franciosa plays ex-NYPD cop Nick Bianco, a specialist in international organized crime.
Thats something that holds true for several series entries.
I mean, a crooked card game as opposed to a new Cold War?
Cmon, buddy, focus!
Not even a pocketful of blow darts.
These guys dont even use guns, for godsakes.
After a while youd think someone in HR would start re-evaluating the whole screening process, right?
Now feeling betrayed by the corporation he wants to try out his new bomb on Probe Control.
and together they attempt to infiltrate the billionaires organization.
A number of fairly clever twists and unexpected tricks follow.
In The 24-Karat Hit, a Probe is shot and seriously wounded while investigating a million-dollar gold heist.
William Smith guest stars, as does the great Wally Cox in his final performance.
and Why isnt your scanner on?
Its around week fifteen that we get real signs theres some bad trouble afoot.
Camerons on-hand staff of techs is abruptly reduced from five to two.
Its a doozy, especially if you havent seen the Frankenheimer film.
Despite bright spots like that, the series was cancelled after one season and 23 episodes.
There was no zap-pow ending, no whopper finale, not much of anything.
Just another episode, then no more.
Or maybe it was the times.
The stories and characters still make sense, even if the clothes and hair are a little dated.
In factSearchis almost a bit too timely.
I love Big Brother.
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