''Serpico'' is an American

crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

series that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

from September 24, 1976, until January 28, 1977. The series was based on the book by Peter Maas and the 1973 film of the same name that starred

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

in the title role. A television movie, ''Serpico: The Deadly Game'', served as

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and aired in April 1976.

Summary

David Birney David Edwin Birney (April 23, 1939 – April 27, 2022) was an American actor and director whose career included performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film, and television. He is noted for having played the title role ...

stars as the unorthodox

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

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 and replaced with '' Quincy, M.E.

Cast

as Frank Serpico * Tom Atkins as Lt. Tom Sullivan

Production notes

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

director Reza Badiyi served as one of several directors of the series. ''Serpicos theme song was written by

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{epguides, id=Serpico, title=Serpico 1976 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings 1970s American crime drama television series American English-language television shows Live action television shows based on films Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in New York City NBC crime dramas