Jigsaw (US TV series)
Encyclopedia
Jigsaw is a short-lived television
crime drama
program, aired on the ABC
network as an element of the wheel series
The Men
as part of its 1972-73 lineup
. It was the only element of The Men not to be produced by Warner Bros. Television
(instead, Universal Television produced this element; they had also produced the series which inspired The Men: The NBC Mystery Movie
).
Department's Bureau of Missing Persons. Dain was a rebel who chafed at standard police procedures and techniques, but was always effective in finding the person for whom he was searching. He pieced each case together as if it were a jigsaw puzzle
.The show was supposedly based on Det. Sgt. John "Jigsaw" St. John (at that time, the longest-serving member of the Los Angeles Police Department
, who retired after just over fifty years on the force).
There was a spin-off Jigsaw Annual, which is now rare enough to change hands for over one thousand dollars on the collectors' market.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
crime drama
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
program, aired on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network as an element of the wheel series
Wheel series
A wheel series is a term applied in the broadcast television industry to a television program in which two or more regular series are rotated with the same time slot...
The Men
The Men (TV series)
The Men was an umbrella title for three adventure series aired in the United States by ABC as part of its 1972-73 lineup.The Men comprised Assignment Vienna, Jigsaw, and The Delphi Bureau. The common element in each of the series was that its hero was a rugged individualist, working essentially...
as part of its 1972-73 lineup
1972-73 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three United States television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1972. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with a few exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
. It was the only element of The Men not to be produced by Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
(instead, Universal Television produced this element; they had also produced the series which inspired The Men: The NBC Mystery Movie
NBC Mystery Movie
The NBC Mystery Movie is the general name of an American television series, produced by Universal Studios, that was broadcast by NBC from 1971-77...
).
Overview
The program starred James Wainwright as Lt. Frank Dain, who worked as an investigator for the California State PoliceCalifornia State Police
The California State Police was a security police agency founded in 1887 which served to protect the State Capitol Building, the Governor and other state agencies located throughout the state. They provided police services to all state agencies that did not have their own police force...
Department's Bureau of Missing Persons. Dain was a rebel who chafed at standard police procedures and techniques, but was always effective in finding the person for whom he was searching. He pieced each case together as if it were a jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
.The show was supposedly based on Det. Sgt. John "Jigsaw" St. John (at that time, the longest-serving member of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
, who retired after just over fifty years on the force).
There was a spin-off Jigsaw Annual, which is now rare enough to change hands for over one thousand dollars on the collectors' market.
Episodes
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hard Time" | October 12, 1972 |
| 2 | "The Bradley Affair" | November 2, 1972 |
| 3 | "To Stalk the Night" | November 30, 1972 |
| 4 | "Finder's Fee" | December 21, 1972 |
| 5 | "Kiss the Dream Goodbye" | February 17, 1973 |
| 6 | "Girl on the Run" | February 24, 1973 |
| 7 | "In Case of Emergency, Notifly Clint Eastwood" | March 3, 1973 |