mm-39 I love detective shows. One can watch Cannon on TV Land. I never saw a detective show with a fat, out of shape protagonist. The same formulated detective series, of running around asking question, with the usual confrontational climax. The viewer is assaulted with the out of the blue investigation breaks leading to figuring out the case. The usual plot devices of a found phone number, or random run in with character directs the story. The weired musical score sets a strange tone! A very 70's show because of the music, cloths, social message, and characters. The quality of filming and acting has come a long why from the 70's. Still a interesting show 7 out of 10 spy cams for Cannon.

Victor Field Once upon a time you weren't a real TV detetctive unless you had a gimmick; Banacek was Polish, Barnaby Jones was old, Pepper Anderson was a "Police Woman," Ironside was in a wheelchair, Longstreet was blind, McCloud was a cowboy, Kojak was bald, Starsky and Hutch were "cool" (I HATE that word!), Columbo was polite and persistent...Cannon, who left the force after his wife and child were killed (a plot thread tied up in one of the later episodes), was fat. And like Sammo on "Martial Law" nearly thirty years later, he didn't let his excess avoirdupois hinder his getting results. Unlike Sammo, however, he was hopeless when it came to the rough stuff - watching him get physical is embarrassing, and you suspect he and everyone else involved knew it, which is why hand-to-hand fight scenes were kept to a minimum throughout. (Scenes of him scuba-diving were also kept to a minimum of one episode of the entire run - William Conrad in a wetsuit is not something you want to see.)The series was more reliant on stories than gimmicks, however, and it was William Conrad's show. No sidekicks, no best buddies, no revolving-door love interests, no down-at-heel stuff for him; he was good value, and so was the series.

big_bellied_geezer I agree with the others about the quality and the care that each episode of Cannon had. A memorable TV show that only ended because William Conrad grew tired of doing it and wanted to end it on a high note. There was a "reunion" TV movie called "The return of Frank Cannon" done around 1980 as I recall. Perhaps it will see the light of day again in reruns.

teddyrob66 I agree, I think Cannon was one of the best series ever made. The early 70's era was the best for guest stars, and Cannon had its share of famous actors. It was about something different every time. Cannon carried a gun, but he could also disarm a enemy with either a fist or a menacing sneer. The series hasn't been on in my area in a few years, yet I still remember particular episodes in great detail. I put the show on the level of Columbo, which was another series put together with great care. You can see the same episode several times over, and still not be bored. Also, there are a few episodes you need to see a few times to really get them. This is quality, something Quinn Martin did so well.