When The FBI debuted on the night of Sunday, 19 September 1965, ABC was starting what was to be a disastrous fall season when it came to its new shows. It was a horrible time for the Alphabet Network, as competing shows on the other two networks were outperforming such shows as Tammy, Amos Burke—Secret Agent and Honey West.
The show was pitted against The Ed Sullivan Show and a half-hour of the Walt Disney anthology series. Based upon the 1959 movie The FBI Story, viewers were introduced to widowed Inspector Lew Erskine, his assistant Jim Rhodes, Erskine’s daughter Barbara and FBI Assistant Director Arthur Ward. The first episodes delved into the characters’ personal lives as well as their crime fighting. That first season also had none of the narration that would be a hallmark of what was to be the remaining eight seasons.
Which brings us to this fact: Of all the shows introduced that season, The FBI would last the longest, running 241 episodes over nine seasons. While the series would continue on, alterations were made to the show that first season in which we saw less of the personal aspect of the main characters and more on their actual crime fighting. It also meant the focus would go on to the guest stars as well, and the series had plenty of them!
At a time when the real-life FBI is having its share of issues, this show is a reminder that not all heroes wear capes and tights. Some earn their salary from the U.S. taxpayer and drive Ford sedans! And The FBI broke new ground in that it was the first time that a part of the Federal Government was portrayed on a television series. And it remains an entertaining one at that.