''Rafferty'' is an American drama series starring

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England during t ...

that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from September 28 until November 28, 1977. McGoohan played a former army doctor named Sid Rafferty who has retired and moved into private practice. Also seen regularly were

John Getz John William Getz (born October 15, 1946) is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films, most notably ''Blood Simple'', '' The Fly'', and ''The Social Network' ...

as Rafferty's junior partner, Dr. Daniel Gentry, and Millie Slavin as the medical office's nurse, Vera Wales. Episodes often dealt with the gruff, egotistical and driven Rafferty, a brilliant diagnostician with almost no social skills or bedside manner, working to identify his patients' unusual and life-threatening ailments. One reviewer considers this series a forerunner to '' House, M.D.'' It only lasted one season for 10 out of 13 episodes, and McGoohan was apparently very unhappy with the series, reportedly saying: "...a disaster ... the most miserable job I've ever done in my life ... a total frustration from start to finish.."

Cast

as Dr. Sid Rafferty *

as Dr. Daniel Gentry *Millie Slavin as Nurse Vera Wales

Episodes

Cultural impact

The lyrics of the single "Sleeping Gas" by the

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band

The Teardrop Explodes The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single " Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. ...

express displeasure at the series: "You can watch Rafferty turn into a serial / Just like a cartoon by a.a.p."

References

External links

*
Opening & Sponsorship Sequence for ''Rafferty''
a
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV)

1970s American medical drama television series 1977 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings CBS television dramas American English-language television shows Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Los Angeles {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub