The F.B.I.

1965

Seasons & Episodes

  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

7.4| 0h30m| TV-14| en
Synopsis

The F.B.I. is an American television series that was broadcast on ABC from 1965 to 1974. It was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, and the characters almost always drove Ford vehicles in the series. Alcoa was co-sponsor of Season One only.

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Reviews

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
DKosty123 Quinn Martin became a successful producer with The Fugitive, but this series started just before that one ended. It really shows all the same trademarks that the David Jansen series showed. In fact, some of the same actors made appearances in both shows.While the stories are all fiction, they are drawn from the files of the FBI with their cooperation. One of the real drawbacks of the series is it always tells you in the beginning what crimes the bad guys will commit. Evne though it is presented as a detective type series, this is what makes the show unique. In a way, Martin did this style with the Fugitive for 5 years too. Actually, the formula for this wore pretty well for a nine season run.The show also seemed to draw big name guest stars like a magnet. William Shatner even did a show in 1970. When you go through a list of who guested on it, you will find a large number of names who did lots of other roles in their career. Men & even a fair number of well known women pop into episodes.Of the principal players, the regulars, the star, Efrim Zimbelist Jr. is the only one still alive out of all the male leads (and this show's regulars were pretty much all male). That is because the FBI back then did not have many women agents which explains why J E Hoover wore all those dresses in the office. It also explains Hoover obsession of always getting his man.The shows are well produced & always staged in acts with an epilogue. Erskine (Zimbelist) always gets the bad guy. One annoying thing is that every time he shoots his gun, he almost never misses. It became a running joke, just get Erskine in range with his gun & the bad guy has had it. If that were based upon reality, all the criminals in the US would have been shot down by the 5th season. While this was Quinn Martins most long term success, The Fugitive was better drama to me & a bit above this series. Still, this is solid entertainment. This is one of the few long term shows that were never bought back in a bunch of reunion specials. Even TV Land never tried anything with this one.
ceking19182 The FBI was a very influential in my professional career. Like most of the TV cop shows, Dragnet, Highway patrol, I saw through the Hollywood part, into the possibilities of reality. I saw in all of them a theme running through and each of those theme reaffirmed my belief in an ideal system. One is always advancing, towards professionalism. There is nothing wrong with that. Its not the movie itself, but what it inspires in people who are watching. Can there be an FBI like that portrayed? Yes, of course, and there has been in the past. The structure is there. But you know what, one never reaches perfection because this is an imperfect world. Subjected to all the factors of life.The late Director of the FBI was a great administrator - he developed the FBI into one of the worlds most prestigious law enforcement organizations. He was a stern man, regardless of what has been said about his personal life in many books. He had the respect of his men and that cannot be said for many agencies today. The people of the United States should be proud of a man like Hoover, who made the image felt even in a show like The FBI.QM and the host of people who put that show together should be commended for the professional image that it portrayed. For those out there I say to you"...yes, it can be achieved. It is within the realm of possibilities"
MartinHafer Now that the show is back in syndication, I've watched as many as I can and see some major differences between the early shows (1965 or so) and later ones (in the early 70s). The early ones SHOWED more violence and often the bad guys were "pushing up daisies" by the end of the show. Later, the FBI agents hardly ever shot the bad guys or if they did it was just in the leg or arm--hardly realistic, but an apparent bow to overly sensitive pressure groups that had grown in the early 1970s. Also, the earlier episodes made the characters seem a little more human--often, Erskine was shown with a good looking woman or would complain about having to work too hard, while later he was pretty much a robot. Finally, the earlier episodes were occasionally more histrionic--sometimes too much and some times very juicy and exciting! In general, I prefer the earlier shows--they may have been a little campier, but they seemed more exciting.
raysond One day I was changing channels on the remote and could you believe that the seldom seen Quinn Martin series was part of an History of Television and Radio special? Indeed,it was ahead of its time and when I was a kid growing up it was a Sunday night staple in the house opposite whatever came on that night either 60 minutes or some James Bond movie afterwards. Efrem Zimbalist,Jr. was the John Walsh of his day,taking down all types of criminals,rapists,terrorists,and serial killers who were breaking the law,and brought to justice with the help of special agents who worked under him in the FBI. An interesting part about the show is at the end,Efrem would stepped out of his character and give you a report of criminals and fugitives who were wanted by the FBI and would tell you that these people were extremely armed and dangerous. Could you believe that Lex Barker (who played in the Tarzan movies of the 1950's) was the head of security for the FBI as a special agent? Yes,he was for the entire shows' nine year run which was on ABC from 1965-1974,and was of the longest running crime shows ever on television. I had a friend who was asking me if they have any of these episodes on videocassettes,and if they do,you do not want to miss one single episode of The FBI. A Quinn Martin Production.