Created by Robert Blake (1933-2023) You want to know how much moolah Robert Blake made for ABC during his run in Baretta? Here's a hint: when Baretta ended, NBC--no doubt sniffing a cash cow--was willing to air not one but several pilots for a hard-boiled private eye series Blake had concocted, and gave him carte … Continue reading Joe Dancer
Tag: Unsold Pilot
Daryl Zero (Zero Effect)
Created by Jake Kasdan "Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it … Continue reading Daryl Zero (Zero Effect)
Sam Valenti Jr. (The Ferret)
Created by Blake Edwards Pseudonyms include Sam O. Brown (1922-2010) In this comedy, Robert Loggia played legendary anti-terrorist UN Special Agent SAM “THE FERRET” VALENTI, whose disappearance sets off an global crime wave. It falls to his son SAM VALENTI JR. (Steve Guttenberg), a bumbling, accident-prone jazz musician and amateur inventor (and possibly a part-time private eye), operating under … Continue reading Sam Valenti Jr. (The Ferret)
A. Dunster Lowell (The Boston Terrier)
Created by Blake Edwards & Tom Waldman Blake Edward must have really liked this idea. After failing to interest any of the networks in his 60-minute pilot, The Boston Terrier, about the adventures of suave, Harvard-educated (and presumably dogged) private eye A. DUNSTER LOWELL in 1962, Edwards tried again the next year with a revamped thirty-minute version—in … Continue reading A. Dunster Lowell (The Boston Terrier)
Nikki Beaumont & Nora Delaney (Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files)
Created by Nancylee Myatt “Here come the girls!” — the official theme song (seriously) Once upon a time, there was a 2004 made-for-television movie, Nikki and Nora, about two female partners (and lovers) in the Special Crimes Unit of the New Orleans police department. Apparently, it was intended as a pilot for UPN, but it was never … Continue reading Nikki Beaumont & Nora Delaney (Nikki & Nora: The N&N Files)
Braddock
Created by Paul Monash Tom Sicox starred as BRADDOCK, a private eye in the not-distant-future on the trail of some stolen components for a new later device, while contending with a jealous lover or two. Braddock, supposedly "the last private eye in America," relied on “old fashioned methods”--none of those fancy-schmancy “computerized” tricks for him. A … Continue reading Braddock
Cheryl Singer (The Danger Team)
Created by Tom Greene and Michael Wagner Rookie gumshoe CHERYL SINGER worked her cases--or at least that was the plan--with some rather unusual assistants: three animated clay characters in The Danger Team, an undercooked 1990 pilot from ABC. Unfortunately for the producers, like the much-loved Claymation Christmas Special, only a few who managed to catch it, and the … Continue reading Cheryl Singer (The Danger Team)
Alexander L’Hiboux (The Owl)
Created by Bob Forward "I am the Owl. And the Owl never sleeps." For those of you who like a little pulp baked right into the mix, you ought to get a kick out of Bob Forward's two explosive books featuring ALEXANDER L'HIBOUX, whose street name is "THE OWL" ("L'hiboux" is French for "owl"). When … Continue reading Alexander L’Hiboux (The Owl)
Eric Bolan (The Silent Whisper)
Created by Jonathan Betuel When the family of a San Francisco cop ERIC BOLAN (David Beecroft) discovered his wife and two young children had been targeted by the serial killer he had been investigating, he rushed to defend them--but arrived too late, and had his throat and his vocal chords slashed. Left unable to speak, … Continue reading Eric Bolan (The Silent Whisper)
Dicky Barrett (Vegas Dick)
Created by Rich Wilkes Vegas Dick was a UPN pilot, scheduled to air during the 2003-04 season, centering on DICKY BARRETT, a former con artist attempting to go straight, but who ends up scamming his way into a gig as the house detective at a swanky Las Vegas casino and hotel, after saving the life of … Continue reading Dicky Barrett (Vegas Dick)