The FBI debuted on 19 September 1965
ABC was in bad shape in fall 1965.
It was introducing a number of new shows, which were in trouble getting out of the gate. Of the 11 new shows that debuted on the Alphabet Network, only three would survive.
And that included one hour-long crime drama that was one of those three survivors, The FBI. Based on 1959’s The FBI Story and 1962’s FBI Code 98, the show had Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Philip Abbott, who would remain on for all nine seasons; and Stephen Brooks, who would be on for the first two seasons.
That night had, as guest stars, Jeffrey Hunter, Estelle Winwood and Dina Merrill. And one hallmark of the show was that it behaved like an anthology show (think The Twilight Zone), in that guest stars so often took center stage.
The FBI may not have had the ratings electricity that a mid-season show named Batman had, but for nine years and 241 episodes, it entertained millions of Americans. To our knowledge, it’s not running on any streaming channel, which is too bad. Though the agency has had its share of troubles in recent years, which is one major reason why the show ended in 1974, The FBI also inspired many young people to pursue a career with it. Many up-and-coming actors, such as Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, had early roles, while such veteran performers as Maurice Evans and Gene Tierney, also had featured roles.
Whatever the case, we at least have the series on DVD, and it remains a pleasure to watch!