Switch (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = Switch


caption =
format = Crime/Action/Drama
runtime = 60 min.
creator = Glen A. Larson
starring = Eddie Albert
Robert Wagner
Charlie Callas
Sharon Gless
William Bryant
James Hong
Mindi Miller
country = USA
executive_producer = Glen A. Larson
Jon Epstein
Matthew Rapf
network = CBS
opentheme =
camera =
first_aired = September 9, 1975
last_aired = July 9, 1978
num_episodes = 70
num_seasons = 3
tv_com_id = 2906
imdb_id = 0072574
website =

"Switch" is an American action-adventure, tongue-in-cheek detective series that was broadcast on the CBS network for three seasons between September 9, 1975 and August 20, 1978, bumping the long-running "Hawaii Five-O" detective series to Friday nights.

TV series

History

It was inspired by the 1973 movie "The Sting". It was created by Glen A. Larson. Donald P. Bellisario was one of the writers.

Plot

The series focused on two main characters, Frank MacBride (Eddie Albert), a retired bunco cop who once arrested Pete Ryan (Robert Wagner), who was a con man before his trusted crime-fighting partner. After Ryan's release, the two open up their own detective agency in Los Angeles that specializes in "out-conning the cons" by using the same sorts of double-crosses and deceptions used by con men in order to capture criminals. Assisting them is another former con man of Frank's, restaurant owner Malcolm Argos (Charlie Callas), and Maggie Philbin (Sharon Gless), Frank's and Pete's young receptionist who helps them out in each of the cases.

During the show's run the series became more serious in tone and more of a traditional crime drama.Fact|date=February 2007 William Bryant joined the cast as Lt. Shilton. In the final season, Pete moves into an apartment above Malcolm's bar and Mindi Miller and James Hong joined the cast.

Numerous familiar and/or unfamiliar actors who guest-starred on the show went on to become successful actors: Richard Masur, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Dionne Warwick, William Schallert, Beverly Garland, Morgan Fairchild, Margot Kidder, Julie Sommars, Richard Mulligan, Dick Sargent, Howard Hesseman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Don Porter, Sonny Bono, Jack Colvin, Penny Peyser, Gordon Jump, Noble Willingham, Jared Martin, Lorenzo Lamas, among many others. Future "The Young and The Restless" stars, Eric Braeden and Jess Walton also future "Dynasty" stars, John Forsythe and Joan Collins also guest starred in the show. Veteran radio disc jockey Casey Kasem made a guest appearance, and Natalie Wood, who's Wagner's real-life second wife also made a cameo appearance.

The modestly successful show was put on hiatus in early 1978, being replaced by "The Incredible Hulk"; it came back during the summer to air its final 10 episodes before ultimately being canceled that August because of low ratings. Years after the show was canceled, the show aired in reruns. As of 2007, it is one of the fewer shows that's currently not airing in syndication.

Cast

* Eddie Albert - Frank MacBride - A retired police officer
* Robert Wagner - Det. Pete Ryan - Frank's ex-con man turned partner
* Charlie Callas - Malcolm Argos - Frank's ex-con man who worked at the restaurant recruited by Pete & Frank
* Sharon Gless - Maggie Philbin - Frank's & Pete's classy receptionist
* William Bryant - Lt. Shilton - Frank's & Pete's partner (seasons 2-3)
* James Hong - Wang - Malcolm's cook (season 3)
* Mindi Miller - Revel - Waitress who work at Malcolm's restaurant (season 3)
* Anne Archer - Laurie - played one of the semi-regular cast of grifters who helped Frank and Pete with their sting operations. Although only seen in a handful of Season One episodes, she and her bikini stayed in the title sequences for all of Season One and at least part of Season Two.

ee also

* "McCoy", a similarly-themed TV series that also debuted in 1975.

Trivia

* Originally, "Switch" started out as an adventure series, it did pretty well in the ratings at the end of the first year. Midway throughout the second season, the show turned into a crime drama, playing second-only to shows like: "Kojak", "Hawaii Five-O", "McMillan and Wife", "Police Woman", "The Streets of San Francisco", "The Rockford Files", among many others.

* Both Eddie Albert & Robert Wagner became friends in real-life, long before they starred together on this series. He would later co-star with Robert Wagner in the film, "", after the series was canceled.

* Long before Lorenzo Lamas co-starred on "Falcon Crest" with Albert's old friend, Jane Wyman, he guest-starred with both Albert & Wagner on an episode of "Switch", recruiting on a soccer league where many star players have either been mugged or been murdered on the scene.

* The series pilot for CBS aired on March 21, 1975, as a 90-minute made-for-television movie.

* On one episode, Wagner's real-life former wife Natalie Wood played a woman in a bathtub. In real-life, she drowned near her yacht in 1981.

* Both Cheryl Ladd & Jaclyn Smith got their start on guest-starring "Switch", before finding fame on "Charlie's Angels".

* After the show's cancellation, Robert Wagner went on to star in the successful series, "Hart to Hart", the following year.

* Wagner would later reunite with Sharon Gless on "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" in the 1990s.

* Before Donald Bellisario began his own production company created top-notched shows such as: "Airwolf", "JAG", among many others. He served as one of the writers on "Switch", while also writing some episodes for "Kojak". Coincidentally, both shows aired on CBS.

* This is actress's Sharon Gless's second TV series, she previously co-starred on "Marcus Welby, M.D.", a year after. Gless's association with Universal Television began in 1973, as a contract player.

* Eddie Albert, Robert Wagner, Charlie Callas and Sharon Gless are the only actors to appear in every episode of the series.

* Ultimately, Universal Pictures contract player Jack Colvin who guest-starred on "Switch", had co-starred in "The Incredible Hulk", before the show's demise.

External links

*imdb title|id=0072574|title=Switch