A much better series than "City of Angels" with Wayne Rogers. Top notch direction, top notch scripts and top notch acting and not to mention it was a Quinn Martin Production! Which meant QUALITY all the way. But, too bad it didn't last long because according to QM it was just to expensive to produce. I would definitely agree that Robert Forster was channeling John Garfield. it's too bad these aren't out on DVD. Luckily, I own the paperback novelization of the pilot episode, so, if that is the only way to enjoy this excellent series,is by reading the book, I'm going to do it right now. I have an idea for the DVD, why not put Banyon and The Manhunter together on one DVD?

I loved this series when it was running during 1972-73. My father was also a big fan because it was set in the late 1930s when he had been in college. We used to get together and watch it as a weekly ritual. Although the show captured the flavor of the period in look and dialog for the most part, my father would always spot the occasional historical inaccuracies. He should have been the technical consultant! Anyway,Robert Forster was excellent as the "new" John Garfield and a good supporting cast and good guest stars always made it fun to watch. A made-for-TV movie that aired in 1971 (an obvious pilot) also starred Forster along with Jose Ferrer, Darren McGavin and Hermoine Gingold and is also worth watching. I would love to see the shows again after all these years. Too bad they were never really re-run.

This series, along with Quinn Martin's Manhunter, brought the viewers back to the Depression era. Manhunter focused mostly on chasing the bad guys you already met in the prologue, but Banyon gave us the poor, thinking detective, living by his wits and fists. Robert Forster was cool and the twists in the plots were great; the stories are even better than what Murder She Wrote had to offer. Banyon doesn't just fight; he investigates and solves the crimes, and solves it well. And those costumes! The 30's threads, not to mention the cars, the guns and the music! Short-lived as it may be, it's the best TV could offer back in the selfish 70's.