Casting changes—Inspector Erskine gets a new sidekick
The FBI began Season 3 with more changes:
- Because The Fugitive was no longer the flagship show of Quinn Martin Productions, The FBI was now listed as “A Quinn Martin Production.” Never mind that Warner Brothers retained control.
- Speaking of Warner Brothers, it would merge with Seven Arts. Not too long into the season, viewers would see a new log for Warner Brothers-Seven Arts
- We also no longer see full credits at the end of the show. Very inconvenient.
But most importantly, William Reynolds would take over the role of Inspector Lewis Erskine’s sidekick. Stephen Brooks would no longer perform that role. As SAC Tom Colby, Mr. Reynolds made a quiet debut, and the casting change would not be acknowledged until episode #72, “The Legend of John Rim,” on 31 December 1967. He was no stranger to FBI-themed productions, since he distinguished himself in the 1963 movie FBI Code 98.
Ratings kept improving for The FBI as well. There was still some competition from a new NBC show, The Mothers-in-Law, that was developed by none other than Desi Arnaz. The comedy, however, would falter after its first season. The Ed Sullivan Show and Bonanza both had run a long time, and the former was especially showing its age by 1967. The FBI had become Quinn Martin’s most successful series.
And, in a time of great turmoil, many Americans found Inspector Lewis Erskine’s crime fighting rewarding. This is more so because shows that featured fantasy and/or camp were losing favor by this time. Audiences wanted more reality in their shows, not fantasy. Rioting in 1967, and political assassinations in spring 1968 left the United States demoralized, as did the frustrations of the Vietnam War.
In the end credits, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. drove a 1968 Ford Mustang convertible