''Banyon'' is a detective series broadcast in the United States by NBC as part of its 1972–73 television schedule, though a standalone two-hour television movie was broadcast first in March 1971. The series was a

Quinn Martin Quinn Martin (born Irwin Martin Cohn; May 22, 1922 – September 5, 1987) was an American television producer. He had at least one television series running in prime time every year for 21 straight years (from 1959 to 1980). Martin is a memb ...

Production (in association with Warner Bros. Television), the first-ever show Martin made for the NBC network, though he did not produce the pilot. Robert Forster Banyon 1972

''Banyon'' was a period drama set in the late 1930s in Los Angeles. It concerned the life of

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

Miles C. Banyon ( Robert Forster), a tough-but-honest detective who would accept essentially any case for US$20/day. Located in the same complex (the famed Bradbury Building) as Banyon's office was the secretarial school operated by Peggy Revere (

Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...

). By an agreement between Banyon and Revere, part of the training provided to these young women was a period serving as Banyon's secretary; this gave him the advantage of not having to provide a salary for a secretary but meant that he never had the same one long enough for her to become a truly knowledgeable or reliable assistant. Besides Revere, the other ongoing female character was Banyon's girlfriend, Abby Graham ( Julie Gregg), a nightclub singer who was constantly trying to encourage him to "settle down" and marry her, but to no avail during the brief run of this series. Banyon's police acquaintance with the

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

was the cynical Lieutenant Pete McNeil ( Richard Jaeckel). ''Banyon'' was unable to find an adequate audience and lost in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

to ABC's ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'' and

movies A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

on CBS and was canceled midseason. Despite the show's short life,

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

liked Forster's performance as the title character so much that he hired him for the feature film '' Jackie Brown'' many years later. It is one of the few Quinn Martin shows not owned currently by

Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...

; the series rights remain with Warner Bros. Discovery. It is also one of only two QM shows to bill a cast member above the title (the other is '' A Man Called Sloane'', featuring Robert Conrad).

Episodes

References

;Notes ;Bibliography Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, '' The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows''

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0068045, title=Banyon NBC television dramas Neo-noir television series 1972 American television series debuts 1973 American television series endings Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios American detective television series Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Television series set in the 1930s Television shows set in Los Angeles American English-language television shows Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal