Still holding at No. 17 in the ratings
The FBI entered the 1971-72 season with strong ratings. While it placed at No. 17 (right behind The Partridge Family), the series continued to hold its own. The Ed Sullivan Show was off the air, and Bonanza would continue on its final season. The opening titles remained the same from the previous season. Things continued much the same as before. But times would change during the season:
- Television was becoming more gritty. All In The Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show reflected the changing times. While The FBI remained in the Top 20, it was beginning to show some age because of the tight controls the real-life agency put on the show and the producers.
- And there would also be competition from NBC from their mystery shows, such as Columbo, starring Peter Falk.
- And, speaking of the agency, Director J. Edgar Hoover died on 2 May 1972 at age 77. He had led the Bureau, for better or worse, for 48 years. The times would begin changing in that spring of 1972.
Still, there were some very interesting episodes, including ones with Jessica Tandy and Joseph Wiseman, as well as the last two-parter of the series.