'I Spy' premiered on U.S. television a year after the launching of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E'. At first glance the shows appear virtually indistinguishable - a pair of globe-trotting secret agents constantly facing danger, as well as lots of lovely women. But that is where the similarity ends. 'M.F.U.' followed the Bond formula closely, but 'I Spy' was much more original.
It broke new ground by having a black man - comedian Bill Cosby - as a lead, not a supporting character. Times were changing in the mid-60's. Within months of his debut, 'Mission: Impossible' gave us Greg Morris as 'Barney Collier' and Nichelle Nichols opened hailing frequencies as 'Uhura' in 'Star Trek' . 'Alexander Scott' was as important as his friend 'Kelly Robinson', played by Robert Culp. Robinson's cover was that of a world-class tennis player, while Scott was his coach. The strong relationship between the men was an integral part of the show's success. The humorous banter they exchanged made it a joy to watch. It paved the way for the buddy-buddy shows that followed in the '70's.
While Cosby rightly got the acting awards, one should not overlook his co-star. Culp, an early choice to play 'Napoleon Solo', made 'Robinson' more human than some of the other spies on television at that time. In 'Room With A Rack', for instance, we see him being tortured, and he was just brilliant.
It also was the first show to boast overseas location filming. When Scott and Robinson strolled down a busy street in Tokyo, that is exactly where they were. As a consequence it had a realistic edge many similar shows lacked.
The plots were more down to Earth too. No mad scientists threatening to unleash death-rays on Washington D.C. Robinson and Scott were more likely to be rescuing a kidnapped British mathematician or busting up a gang of saboteurs posing as respectable businessmen. There was no 'M' or 'Mr.Waverly' figure ( though Walter Wager's novels featured a desk-bound superior called 'Donald Mars' ), instead they got their orders from other agents in the field.
The roster of guest-stars included Boris Karloff, Eartha Kitt, Peter Lawford, Martin Landau, Michael Rennie, Dorothy Lamour, Carroll O'Connor, a pre 'Jason King' Peter Wyngarde, and future Bond villain Richard 'Jaws' Kiel! The show was massively popular, winning Cosby Emmys ( as previously noted ) while Culp saw acclaim for his intelligent scripts ( the best one being Season 3's 'Home To Judgment' ).
Strangely, after three years, it ended, apparently as the result of conflict between the network and producer Sheldon Leonard. Culp and Cosby went their separate ways, briefly reuniting in 1972 for the film 'Hickey & Boggs', and then as Scott and Robinson in 1994's T.V. reunion movie 'I Spy Returns' which, in my view, was not much good.
2002 saw the inevitable cheesy Hollywood remake, starring Eddie Murphy as 'Robinson' and Owen Wilson as 'Scott'. Its makers had clearly never seen the show. Murphy/Robinson was now a boxer, with Wilson/Scott his promoter. The plot, such as it was, concerned an invisible plane. This insult to celluloid rightly flopped. The best thing to be said for it was that neither Culp nor Cosby were persuaded to do cameos.
'I Spy' remains a thrilling, funny, intelligent show that set new television standards, ones that have never been equalled, much less surpassed.
It broke new ground by having a black man - comedian Bill Cosby - as a lead, not a supporting character. Times were changing in the mid-60's. Within months of his debut, 'Mission: Impossible' gave us Greg Morris as 'Barney Collier' and Nichelle Nichols opened hailing frequencies as 'Uhura' in 'Star Trek' . 'Alexander Scott' was as important as his friend 'Kelly Robinson', played by Robert Culp. Robinson's cover was that of a world-class tennis player, while Scott was his coach. The strong relationship between the men was an integral part of the show's success. The humorous banter they exchanged made it a joy to watch. It paved the way for the buddy-buddy shows that followed in the '70's.
While Cosby rightly got the acting awards, one should not overlook his co-star. Culp, an early choice to play 'Napoleon Solo', made 'Robinson' more human than some of the other spies on television at that time. In 'Room With A Rack', for instance, we see him being tortured, and he was just brilliant.
It also was the first show to boast overseas location filming. When Scott and Robinson strolled down a busy street in Tokyo, that is exactly where they were. As a consequence it had a realistic edge many similar shows lacked.
The plots were more down to Earth too. No mad scientists threatening to unleash death-rays on Washington D.C. Robinson and Scott were more likely to be rescuing a kidnapped British mathematician or busting up a gang of saboteurs posing as respectable businessmen. There was no 'M' or 'Mr.Waverly' figure ( though Walter Wager's novels featured a desk-bound superior called 'Donald Mars' ), instead they got their orders from other agents in the field.
The roster of guest-stars included Boris Karloff, Eartha Kitt, Peter Lawford, Martin Landau, Michael Rennie, Dorothy Lamour, Carroll O'Connor, a pre 'Jason King' Peter Wyngarde, and future Bond villain Richard 'Jaws' Kiel! The show was massively popular, winning Cosby Emmys ( as previously noted ) while Culp saw acclaim for his intelligent scripts ( the best one being Season 3's 'Home To Judgment' ).
Strangely, after three years, it ended, apparently as the result of conflict between the network and producer Sheldon Leonard. Culp and Cosby went their separate ways, briefly reuniting in 1972 for the film 'Hickey & Boggs', and then as Scott and Robinson in 1994's T.V. reunion movie 'I Spy Returns' which, in my view, was not much good.
2002 saw the inevitable cheesy Hollywood remake, starring Eddie Murphy as 'Robinson' and Owen Wilson as 'Scott'. Its makers had clearly never seen the show. Murphy/Robinson was now a boxer, with Wilson/Scott his promoter. The plot, such as it was, concerned an invisible plane. This insult to celluloid rightly flopped. The best thing to be said for it was that neither Culp nor Cosby were persuaded to do cameos.
'I Spy' remains a thrilling, funny, intelligent show that set new television standards, ones that have never been equalled, much less surpassed.