One of the most fondly remembered and action-packed detective series of the late ’60s and early ’70s, Mannix was the brainchild creators Richard Levinson and William Link (Columbo, Murder: She Wrote) and executive producer Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible).Mike Connors won an Emmy as the title character, a tough, streetwise private eye whose hands-on approach to cases raised the hackles of his employers, the scientific-minded Intertect, and his no-nonsense boss Lou Wickersham (Joseph Campanella).
Episodes generally saw Mannix taking his share of licks, either from or in the service of that week’s guest star (celebs on display in this debut season include Tom Skerritt, Karen Black, Julie Adams, William Windom, and Neil Diamond in Episode 4, “The Many Deaths of Saint Christopher”).
The on-screen violence, which earned the show its devoted audience as well as critical outcry, is fairly tame by today’s standards, though it preserves the show’s energy and drive; the chemistry between Connors and Campanella and especially Emmy winner Gail Fisher as secretary Peggy Fair (one of the first African-American characters to appear as a regular on a television series) also keep the episodes moving at a crisp pace.
Modern audiences used to more high-tech crime shows like Num3ers and the CSI franchises may find Mannix’s methods sort of quaint, but those who favor classic TV fare or who remember it from its lengthy network and syndicated runs will enjoy tagging along with Joe Mannix all over again.
Character to watch: as Mannix.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the series.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?