Most Wanted (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Most Wanted is an American
crime drama series
shown on ABC
from October 16, 1976 until August 20, 1977. It starred Robert Stack
, Jo Ann Harris
, Shelly Novack
, and Hari Rhodes
. This program marked the reunion of series star Stack with noted producer Quinn Martin
, as the two had worked together previously on the legendary hit crime series The Untouchables
.
named "Most Wanted". The Mayor of Los Angeles
, Dan Stoddard (Hari Rhodes
), created the force to concentrate exclusively on criminals on the mayor's most-wanted list.In bringing them together, Mayor Stoddard specified "As few people as possible" , and that their motto would be "Brainpower instead of manpower- focus instead of force". Captain Linc Evers (Stack) headed the force accompanied by his two assistants (Harris and Novack) who used undercover tactics to bring down the city's most wanted and dangerous criminals. The series' original pilot featured a fourth member, played by Tom Selleck
, but he was not used for the series. Also actress Leslie Charleson
was also in the series pilot as the female member of The Most Wanted Unit, but was replaced in the series by Harris.
According to series star Robert Stack, in his autobiography, Straight Shooting,http://www.amazon.com/dp/0026133202 Most Wanted had become a Top 10 Nielsen ratings hit, (# 7) but was cancelled by ABC due to network politics after only one season.
The theme song was composed by Lalo Schifrin and later used by the Sunburst Band for the house song "New York City Woman."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
crime drama series
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
shown on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from October 16, 1976 until August 20, 1977. It starred Robert Stack
Robert Stack
Robert Stack was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he was the star of the 1959-1963 ABC television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.-Early life:...
, Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris
Jo Ann Harris is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, she is known for her role in the film The Beguiled as the sultry 17-year-old Carol who seduces Clint Eastwood's character. Harris had a small singing role in Newsies as "Patrick's mother", the woman searching for her son in the first part...
, Shelly Novack
Shelly Novack
Sheldon Leonard "Shelly" Novack was an American football player and actor.-Career:Novack was an all-league and special mention Junior College All-American at Santa Monica City College , and 1 team All-American at Long Beach State in 1964 and 1965. In 1966, Novack was drafted as a wide receiver by...
, and Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes was an American author and actor whose career spanned three decades beginning around 1960....
. This program marked the reunion of series star Stack with noted producer Quinn Martin
Quinn Martin
Quinn Martin was one of the most successful American television producers. He had at least one television series running in prime time for 21 straight years , an industry record.-Early life:...
, as the two had worked together previously on the legendary hit crime series The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
.
Overview
The series focused on an elite task force of the LAPDLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
named "Most Wanted". The Mayor of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Dan Stoddard (Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes
Hari Rhodes was an American author and actor whose career spanned three decades beginning around 1960....
), created the force to concentrate exclusively on criminals on the mayor's most-wanted list.In bringing them together, Mayor Stoddard specified "As few people as possible" , and that their motto would be "Brainpower instead of manpower- focus instead of force". Captain Linc Evers (Stack) headed the force accompanied by his two assistants (Harris and Novack) who used undercover tactics to bring down the city's most wanted and dangerous criminals. The series' original pilot featured a fourth member, played by Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, but he was not used for the series. Also actress Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson
Leslie Charleson is an American actress most famous for her work in daytime television.-Biography:Charleson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her career began on short-lived soap A Flame in the Wind in 1964...
was also in the series pilot as the female member of The Most Wanted Unit, but was replaced in the series by Harris.
According to series star Robert Stack, in his autobiography, Straight Shooting,http://www.amazon.com/dp/0026133202 Most Wanted had become a Top 10 Nielsen ratings hit, (# 7) but was cancelled by ABC due to network politics after only one season.
The theme song was composed by Lalo Schifrin and later used by the Sunburst Band for the house song "New York City Woman."
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Robert Stack | Captain Linc Evers |
| Hari Rhodes | Mayor Dan Stoddard |
| Shelly Novack Shelly Novack Sheldon Leonard "Shelly" Novack was an American football player and actor.-Career:Novack was an all-league and special mention Junior College All-American at Santa Monica City College , and 1 team All-American at Long Beach State in 1964 and 1965. In 1966, Novack was drafted as a wide receiver by... |
Sergeant Charlie Benson |
| Jo Ann Harris Jo Ann Harris Jo Ann Harris is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, she is known for her role in the film The Beguiled as the sultry 17-year-old Carol who seduces Clint Eastwood's character. Harris had a small singing role in Newsies as "Patrick's mother", the woman searching for her son in the first part... |
Officer Kate Manners |
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Sky Killer" | October 16, 1976 |
| 2 | "The Slaver" | October 23, 1976 |
| 3 | "The Corrupter" | October 30, 1976 |
| 4 | "The Two Dollar Kidnappers" | November 6, 1976 |
| 5 | "The Wolf Pack Killer" | November 20, 1976 |
| 6 | "The Heisman Killer" | November 27, 1976 |
| 7 | "The Torch" | December 18, 1976 |
| 8 | "The Ten-Percenter" | December 25, 1976 |
| 9 | "The White Collar Killer" | January 1, 1977 |
| 10 | "Ms. Murder" | January 8, 1977 |
| 11 | "The Pirate" | January 15, 1977 |
| 12 | "The Hit Men" | February 5, 1977 |
| 13 | "The Ritual Killer" | February 12, 1977 |
| 14 | "The Tunnel Killer" | February 19, 1977 |
| 15 | "The Parasite" | February 26, 1977 |
| 16 | "The Spellbinder" | March 7, 1977 |
| 17 | "The Driver" | March 14, 1977 |
| 18 | "The Insider" | March 21, 1977 |
| 19 | "The People Mover" | April 25, 1977 |
| 20 | "The Death Dealer" | August 13, 1977 |
| 21 | "The Dutchman" | August 20, 1977 |