''Sam'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on the
CBS network from March 14 to April 18, 1978, for six episodes. It told the story of a
Los Angeles police
{{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
Law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, ...
officer, Mike Breen (played by
Mark Harmon
Thomas Mark Harmon (born September 2, 1951) is an American actor, writer, producer, television director and former American football, football player. He is best known for playing the lead role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on ''NCIS (TV series), NCIS'' ...
), and his specially-trained
police dog, Sam, a
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever or simply Labrador or Lab is a British list of dog breeds, breed of water dog retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from St. John's water dogs imported from the Newfoundland Colony, colony of Newfoun ...
.
Synopsis
In the series, Sam assisted Breen in cases such as rescues, drug smuggling, and bomb threats. Also starring were
Len Wayland as Breen's supervisor, Captain Tom Clagett, and
Gary Crosby as Captain Gene Cody.
Production notes
''Sam'' was the brainchild of television producer
Jack Webb, whose
Mark VII Limited packaged the show for
Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...
. Much like Webb's earlier ''
Adam-12,'' several incidents per episode were featured. Further, Wayland and Crosby appeared in numerous Mark VII productions previously. James Doherty and Leonard B. Kaufman were the producers; Webb and Paul Donnelly served as executive producers. Only six episodes were broadcast.
CBS aired ''Sam'' as a replacement series for the 1977 ''Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes''. ''Sam'' aired opposite
ABC's sitcom ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
''; ''Happy Days'' easily outranked ''Sam'' in the ratings, with ''
Project U.F.O.'' (on Sundays) also having better ratings during the season.
This would be the last television series to debut that was produced by Jack Webb, who died in 1982. Also, the final television appearance of
Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
was featured in episode #1.6.
References
Classic TV Archive* Terrace, Vincent
''Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials 1974-1984'' New York: Zoetrope, 1986.
External links
*
1978 American television series debuts
1978 American television series endings
1970s American crime drama television series
CBS crime dramas
Television shows about dogs
Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department
American English-language television shows
Television series by Mark VII Limited
Fiction about police dogs
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