During its first 5 seasons, 77SS found its niche as hip, cool, sometimes slightly comical private eye show that really worked for Warner Bros. Spinoffs weren't so successful - Bourbon Street Beat was initially a better series but leaned toward the noir and the New Orleans ambiance that included black people (who disappeared halfway through the series only season). Richard Long took his Rex Randolph character from BSB to 77SS (the first tv character to go from one series to another existing series), Warner tried again with a couple private eye agencies at the beach Surfside 6 (Miami Beach) and Hawaiian Eye (Honolulu) but they didn't catch on either.
77SS moved on along with Edd Byrnes catching on as a pop culture icon as Kookie. It went along swimmingly but with some bad luck as far as cast was concerned. Richard Long had a heart attack at age 33 during the third season and had to bow out - he died at age 47 in 1974 after a lot more TV work and series like The Big Valley. Roger Smith had a stroke during the fourth season and then developed myasthenia graves that ended his acting career. Luckily Smith had already developed as a good writer and off screen producer for his wife Ann-Maragret, and he lived until age 84. By season 6, the entire cast except for Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Was gone and the series was turned into something Jack Webb-ish. It folded after season 6.
But it was great for what it was, best demonstrated by the script Smith wrote for "Once Upon a Caper," where each PI explained to Rex Randolph how he was the one who made the firm and the others were just nincompoops at the start - a great show making great fun of itself.
77SS moved on along with Edd Byrnes catching on as a pop culture icon as Kookie. It went along swimmingly but with some bad luck as far as cast was concerned. Richard Long had a heart attack at age 33 during the third season and had to bow out - he died at age 47 in 1974 after a lot more TV work and series like The Big Valley. Roger Smith had a stroke during the fourth season and then developed myasthenia graves that ended his acting career. Luckily Smith had already developed as a good writer and off screen producer for his wife Ann-Maragret, and he lived until age 84. By season 6, the entire cast except for Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Was gone and the series was turned into something Jack Webb-ish. It folded after season 6.
But it was great for what it was, best demonstrated by the script Smith wrote for "Once Upon a Caper," where each PI explained to Rex Randolph how he was the one who made the firm and the others were just nincompoops at the start - a great show making great fun of itself.