The year was 1965, two years after we lost JFK. We had colour TV but it is not in a lot of homes. Yet. We also had gentlemen of African extraction, but they were not on a lot of TV shows either. In other words, this show was not only outstanding entertainment on its own, but it was as radical behind the camera as it was in front of it. The producer, Sheldon Leonard, had a vision, a revelation, as to how this kind of series should be done; and to his credit he successfully sold it to the suits. Travel, locations, savoir faire. This kind of formula had been successfully used in England (Danger Man) but in the US, I SPY was following shows like the MAN FROM UNCLE, filmed more or less on the same sets and stages each week. Culp was great. He had a leanness and a restlessness which fit the part perfectly (played cop in an earlier series, so he was easy to cast). Not as easy to cast was Cosby, a black entertainer who had made history in Vegas and other venues with his easy comedy and addictive tales of growing up. Later, comics like Richard Pryor (to name only one) would credit Cosby as their inspiration. Even more astonishing, he had crossed over into the mainstream media, and was popular on both sides of the racial divide. You might be inclined to assume that casting him as the co-star in a spy series was a no-brainer. You'd be wrong. There was opposition, but it was overcome. As it happened, Cosby was superb, somehow blending his easy delivery from his comic act into an action figure. He was portrayed as the more educated of the two, and when they were ordering a meal in a Chinese restaurant, he was Cosby that would break spontaneously into Mandarin. It was a fun and extremely well produced series. Would it hold up well today? I believe it would, to the discerning viewer. It most certainly will hold up better than Hollywood's horrific feature remake of the some name, which I suspect will be lost to history.

I SPY arrived in the wake of Bond, and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E's first blush of success (I don't believe that THE AVENGERS or SECRET AGENT had quite made it to the U.S., but they soon would), and while Cicely Tyson had already taken a leading non-domestic role in EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, that series was less of a success than I SPY was. I SPY may not've had the first "interracial" kiss on U.S. television, but it certainly beat STAR TREK's much-bruited non-kiss (between William Shatner and Nichelle Nicholls's characters, and more of a pressing faces together) by several years, with the numerous appearances of France Nuyen as Sam, Robert Culp's Kelly's great love (apparently, Nuyen and Culp were an item off screen for a while; amusingly, Nuyen and Shatner may've kissed ((I don't remember clearly)) on her one STAR TREK appearance, which followed by nearly a decade Nuyen and Shatner's appearance together in the stage version of THE WORLD OF SUSIE WONG, wherein, as Nuyen told LIFE magazine, Shatner often "needed" ((sic)) a preshow massage from her). The emphasis on East-Asian settings in the first season particularly was canny, if also ethically arguable--surely Cosby would appear particularly All-American to even the most nervous viewers in distinction to these Other people, however often they were played by just as All-American actors. The politics in other ways were often simpleminded, particularly when compared to even SECRET AGENT, but the human drama was also at times remarkably present even given the flimsiness of the scripts, as noted here by others.

If I think back to all of it, this show started it all. For some viewers who have not watched it, and best remember Bill Cosby from The Cosby Show. When ever this show will be shown in re-runs on T.V.Land. Just might find this show very enjoyable. Bill Cosby and Robert Culp were perfectly cast has Alexander Scott and Kelly Robinson two undercover agents going on dangerous missions and enjoying sight seeing. This show in many ways tried not to be to serious or to silly. It is a great blend of action and humor.

This is definitely one of *the* best TV series ever made. It broke the mold of conventional television in several ways: It was the first series to do actual location work around the world. It was the first series to feature a black lead. It was the first series to feature a multi-racial cast and guest-cast on a regular basis.Culp was definitely wanted by Sheldon Leonard (creator). Culp offered Bill Cosby to play his partner, Alexander Scott. The networks reluctantly agreed, but Cosby instantly proved that the network's apprehension was unfounded.Fortunately, some TV stations are nice enough to re-air the series (KDOC in California aired it three years ago, with some [mostly minor] syndication cuts. WFTC in Minnesota is currently running it, with no syndication cuts. Obviously I'm very happy right now!) Even better, "I Spy" has some new episodes released on video and on DVD (what, no laserdisc?) With luck, "I Spy" will regain some popularity as these episodes really are timeless and should be more readily available for all.