Pilot (21 Mar. 1976)

A rapist/killer who preys on nuns prompts the mayor of Los Angeles to create a special task force headed by Lee Evers. Can they catch the killer before he strikes again?

Director:

Walter Grauman

Writer:

Laurence Heath (teleplay)

Stars:

Robert Stack, Shelly Novack, Leslie Charleson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Stack	...	Lincoln Evers
Shelly Novack	...	Charlie Benson
Leslie Charleson	...	Lee Herrick
Tom Selleck	...	Tom Roybo
Sheree North	...	Melissa Dawson
Kitty Winn	...	Sister Beth
Percy Rodrigues	...	Mayor Stoddard
Jack Kehoe	...	Phil Benedict
Stephen McNally	...	Rev. Benson
Marj Dusay	...	Jean Evers
Roger Perry	...	Harkness
Fred Sadoff	...	Goldberg
Don Calfa
Robert Doyle
Richard Lawson

Storyline

Pilot for the short-lived TV series about a special police unit, among them a dedicated homicide detective, a female psychologist, an undercover cop, and an electronic gadgetry expert, tracking down a merciless serial killer whose victims include Catholic nuns.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | serial killer | tv series pilot | murder | actor shares first name with character

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1976 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Most Wanted (1976)

User Reviews

Cops-vs-killer done in routine TV style

This made-for-TV effort, (complete with appropriate moments for commercial insertions), is to today's "C.S.I." and "Law and Order" series what "Adam-12" was to "Hill Street Blues." It's not so much bad as just thin, bland, and undistinguished. Since the killer's identity is revealed in the opening scene, there's not much suspense or mystery involved, and the use of nuns as victims of a serial killer seems merely like a distasteful ploy for ratings. The means by which the police catch the killer lack flair and ingenuity.

There is some interest in seeing a young Tom Selleck playing support to Robert Stack but he spends most of the show with a faintly dazed expression on his face as if he's a misplaced "Playgirl" centerfold wondering if now is the moment when he should start taking his clothes off. Alas, he never does.

Still, Selleck almost looks good compared to the miscast actor who plays the tough, street-smart undercover cop. This guy looks like a C.P.A. who got off the elevator on the wrong floor!