Serpico (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Serpico is a short-lived American crime drama
series that aired on NBC
between September 1976 and February 1977. The series was based on the novel by Peter Maas
and the 1973 film of the same name
that starred Al Pacino
in the title role. A television movie, Serpico: The Deadly Game, served as pilot
and aired in April 1976.
stars as the unorthodox NYPD detective Frank Serpico
who battles corrupt members of the police force. Tom Atkins
co-stars as Lieutenant Tom Sullivan. The series aired 14 episodes before being canceled in January 1977.
director Reza Badiyi
served as one of several directors of the series. Serpicos theme song was written by Academy and Golden Globe-award winning composer Elmer Bernstein
.
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
series that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
between September 1976 and February 1977. The series was based on the novel by Peter Maas
Peter Maas
Peter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish heritage....
and the 1973 film of the same name
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
that starred Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
in the title role. A television movie, Serpico: The Deadly Game, served as pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
and aired in April 1976.
Summary
David BirneyDavid Birney
David Edwin Birney is an American actor/director whose career has performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film and television. He has three children, a daughter Kate, and twins, Peter and Mollie....
stars as the unorthodox NYPD detective Frank Serpico
Frank Serpico
Francesco Vincent Serpico is a retired American New York City Police Department officer who is most famous for testifying against police corruption in 1971...
who battles corrupt members of the police force. Tom Atkins
Tom Atkins (actor)
Tom Atkins is an American television and film actor. He is primarily known for his work in the horror film genre, having worked with writers and directors such as John Carpenter, Stephen King, and George A. Romero...
co-stars as Lieutenant Tom Sullivan. The series aired 14 episodes before being canceled in January 1977.
Production notes
IranianIranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
director Reza Badiyi
Reza Badiyi
Reza Sayed Badiyi was an Iranian-American film director. Badiyi was well known for directing episodes of many popular television series...
served as one of several directors of the series. Serpicos theme song was written by Academy and Golden Globe-award winning composer Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Country Boy" | September 24, 1976 |
| 1-2 | "The Traitor in Our Midst" | October 1, 1976 |
| 1-3 | "The Indian" | October 8, 1976 |
| 1-4 | "Every Man Must Pay His Dues" | October 29, 1976 |
| 1-5 | "Strike!" | November 5, 1976 |
| 1-6 | "Trumpet of Time" | November 12, 1976 |
| 1-7 | "Prime Evil" | November 19, 1976 |
| 1-8 | "Rapid Fire" | December 10, 1976 |
| 1-9 | "Dawn of the Furies" | December 17, 1976 |
| 1-10 | "The Serbian Connection" | December 24, 1976 |
| 1-11 | "Danger Zone" | December 31, 1976 |
| 1-12 | "Sanctuary" | January 7, 1977 |
| 1-13 | "The Party of Your Choice" | January 14, 1977 |
| 1-14 | "One Long Tomorrow" | January 28, 1977 |
| 1-15 | "A Secret Place" | Never aired |