“Survival,” the 241st episode of The FBI, marked the final time that ABC would air a new episode, on 28 April 1974. When it aired, the United States was still in the middle of the Watergate controversy. The series was reaching the end of the road in part because of the scandal, though it faced other challenges in terms of finding story lines.
The plot line is really more of a character study rather than a more action-packed story, and it seems a little bit like a letdown. However, the episode benefits from a top-notch cast, including Dabney Coleman, Julie Gregg (who was coming off of her role in the Godfather movies) and Jon Cypher. One sad irony is that, in Act II, Agent Chris Daniels, played by Shelly Novack, mentions the idea of dying so soon. His character, of course, doesn’t, but Mr. Novack would be the first cast member to pass away, in May 1978.
And it’s interesting how the series is now at least 50 years old. However, “Survival” was not the final-ever run episode. That would fall to “The Animal,” which originally aired on 17 February 1974, and rerun on 8 September 1974. We will discuss that episode in September.