Archer 

The adventures of Ross Macdonald's literary dick Lew Archer.

Stars:

Brian Keith, John P. Ryan, Edward Andrews

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Brian Keith	...	Lew Archer 6 episodes, 1975
John P. Ryan	...	Lieutenant Barney Brighton 5 episodes, 1975

Storyline

Lew Archer, a former policeman, is a private detective who is not above bending the law when trying to solve a case. His friend, Lieutenant Brighton, helps him with information. The show was loosely based on the character Lew Archer in the Ross Macdonald novels.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as series title | surname as series title | detective | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1975 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows The Underground Man (1974)

User Reviews

Disappointing

I remember this show, and it died a well-deserved death after only a few episodes, none of which caught any of the flavor of Macdonald's novels (perhaps not surprisingly). Brian Keith was miscast as Archer, and the plots were basic TV private eye stuff. The show spun off from a rather good TV-movie based on The Underground Man. Peter Graves was a good, subdued Archer, and Paul Wendkos directed the film. All in all, it served Macdonald better than did this series and better than either of the Paul Newman Harper movies (Harper and The Drowning Pool). Ultimately, Harry O, the David Janssen TV series from the same era as Archer, came rather closer to the Macdonald spirit than anything based on Macdonald's own novels.