"Madigan" (1972) TV series 1972-1973

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot Keywords:

Neo Noir | Prequel | Based On Film | Police Officer | Irish American

Cast

Richard Widmark

...

Sgt. Dan Madigan (6 episodes, 1972-1973)

Runtime:

90 min (6 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Part of the ABC Wednesday Night Mystery Movie.

Movie Connections:

Follows Madigan (1968)

Best TV Cop of All

No one has ever played a detective (the kind that bends the rules) as well as the great and often overlooked Richard Widmark. The six 90-minute episodes that comprise this series remain fresh in my memory despite the fact that I have not seen the show since its rebroadcasts on the CBS Late Movie in the U.S. during the mid-70s. Without Widmark, there may not have been a whole lot to distinguish the show from a lot of other cop dramas of the decade, but his performance always made it more than a cut above routine. I find these shows (especially "The Manhattan Beat" and "The London Beat" episodes) far superior to director Don Siegel's 1968 theatrical feature that inspired this short-lived NBC-TV series. Now if only these shows were available on video or even in syndication.