Six or Seven seasons?

[dissolute]

Yes, The USA screened the first 16 (actually, 15, as they didn't show "The Winged Avenger") during January-May 1967

Episodes 17-24 were shown January-March 1968, along with some Tara episodes (although there are clearly errors in the spreadsheet as it claims Split was broadcast in New York on 1 Feb '68, 11 days before they finished production of it.

I didn't do the research for all of that spreadsheet, and I don't know who collated the New York TX.

Here is what it says, in part:

Wednesday, 10 January 1968 Mission Highly Improbable
Wednesday, 17 January 1968 The Positive-Negative Man
Wednesday, 24 January 1968 You Have Just Been Murdered
Wednesday, 31 January 1968 Death's Door
Wednesday, 7 February 1968 Murdersville
Wednesday, 14 February 1968 ?
Wednesday, 21 February 1968 Return of the Cybernauts
Wednesday, 28 February 1968 The £50,000 Breakfast
Wednesday, 6 March 1968 ?
Wednesday, 13 March 1968 Dead Man's Treasure
Wednesday, 20 March 1968 The Forget-Me-Knot
Wednesday, 27 March 1968 Invasion of the Earthmen
Wednesday, 3 April 1968 The Curious Case of the Countless Clues
Wednesday, 10 April 1968 ?
Wednesday, 17 April 1968 ?
Wednesday, 24 April 1968 Get-a-way!
Wednesday, 1 May 1968 Have Guns - Will Haggle
Wednesday, 8 May 1968 Look, (Stop Me If You've Heard This One)

[mousemeat]

Yes, The USA screened the first 16 (actually, 15, as they didn't show "The Winged Avenger") during January-May 1967

Episodes 17-24 were shown January-March 1968, along with some Tara episodes (although there are clearly errors in the spreadsheet as it claims Split was broadcast in New Yourk on 1 Feb '68, 11 days before they finished production of it.

I didn't do the research for all of that spreadsheet, and I don't know who collated the New York TX.

Here is what it says, in part:

Wednesday, 10 January 1968 Mission Highly Improbable
Wednesday, 17 January 1968 The Positive-Negative Man
Wednesday, 24 January 1968 You Have Just Been Murdered
Wednesday, 31 January 1968 Death's Door
Wednesday, 7 February 1968 Murdersville
Wednesday, 14 February 1968 ?
Wednesday, 21 February 1968 Return of the Cybernauts
Wednesday, 28 February 1968 The £50,000 Breakfast
Wednesday, 6 March 1968 ?
Wednesday, 13 March 1968 Dead Man's Treasure
Wednesday, 20 March 1968 The Forget-Me-Knot
Wednesday, 27 March 1968 Invasion of the Earthmen
Wednesday, 3 April 1968 The Curious Case of the Countless Clues
Wednesday, 10 April 1968 ?
Wednesday, 17 April 1968 ?
Wednesday, 24 April 1968 Get-a-way!
Wednesday, 1 May 1968 Have Guns - Will Haggle
Wednesday, 8 May 1968 Look, (Stop Me If You've Heard This One)

wondering why, the winged avenger wasn't shown in that first U.S. sequence of episodes on ABC ?


looking over...and there's some fine episodes there..myself, I love murdersville,,

and the 50k breakfast.....and look, (stop me if you've heard this one ) wasn't too shabby either..as the series continued to evolve...as it reached it's conclusion in bizarre.....I would have loved to See Tara apart of the NEW AVENGERS, (briefly) before departing and giving way to Purdy....

[frank]

I wasn't planning on commenting on this thread but I am glad people bring up the difference of the US broadcast dates that makes the case for an additional season.

It's hard to get around the fact that 5 of the Tara King episodes were aired in the US several months before they were aired in the UK. And the opening and closing credits are different to make them in tune with the "5B" Emma Peel episodes. It's one of the reasons I could never through out the bootleg VHS copies of the early Tara episodes. Those 5 don't just have the shooting gallery opener but a number them have slightly different versions of the shooting gallery end credits. They vary in the final part of the end credit where there's an extreme wide shot of Steed and Tara, In a couple of episodes they are standing in different positions, In another you see them walking away from the camera. The fanatic in me demands I hang onto those crummy VHS copies even if my old VHS machine breaksdown..lol

And as stated those 5B EP stories don't have the subtitles. And their overall have a distinctly different feel in camera work and in the less artificial use of sets and exterior locations compared to the "5A" episodes

[Frankymole]

Yes, that last shooting block of Emma Peel episodes definitely displays that some deliberate re-tooling and re-thinking of the series' look had gone on during the gap, probably taking into account US feedback.

[mousemeat]

Yes, that last shooting block of Emma Peel episodes definitely displays that some deliberate re-tooling and re-thinking of the series' look had gone on during the gap, probably taking into account US feedback.

exactly...and the series is pure british..and I found it strange that the series was basically being shape by American influence, at least the initial broadcast sequence, and tweaking of adding 'Mrs. Peel, we're needed '....and I found it rather sad, that basically the series ended when American ABC, dropped the series from it's 1969 schedule, and removal of funds from ABC, pretty much had the plug pulled on the Tara era....and if British funds, wasn't enough to keep the series from tanking ...and yeah, eventually the series would have ended on it's own time..all series do..whether it's 3 seasons. or 20..

[Frankymole]

I'm pretty sure that without American funding, the monochrome Peel series would have been the last.

[mousemeat]

I'm pretty sure that without American funding, the monochrome Peel series would have been the last.

perhaps, but if so, doesn't make sense..as the series was popular in the UK, right ? and it played in many other markets outside the UK..so they should of had a decent revenue stream...unless they under charged fees, and bad budgeting, etc from ABC-Thames, etc some thing is wrong when they had to have those American dollars to fund the series

[dissolute]

One of those ? in my list must be "Split!". "My Wildest Dream" was apparently held back as it was deemed too violent.

[Frankymole]

I'm pretty sure that without American funding, the monochrome Peel series would have been the last.

perhaps, but if so, doesn't make sense..as the series was popular in the UK, right ? and it played in many other markets outside the UK..so they should of had a decent revenue stream...unless they under charged fees, and bad budgeting, etc from ABC-Thames, etc some thing is wrong when they had to have those American dollars to fund the series

With the cost of film and trechnicians in the 60s, and beyond, it was too expensive to make except as a co-production. The ITC series of Lew Grade were the same - without pre-sales to America, things like The Prisoner (at least beyond the first few episodes), Man in a Suitcase, The Persuaders!, and so on cost a bomb. Same as today when co-production deals are the only way commercial series can get to be made (although public service channels/networks like Channel 4 and the BBC can just about manage it alone, if it's a UK-interest show without wider international appeal - but usually even they prefer to co-produce). ABC TV in Australia, New Zealand's network(s), WGBH Boston, and Showtime in the US all co-funded some of the most fondly remembered British telly of the 80s and 90s, too - Robin of Sherwood, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes etc.

I guess The New Avengers is a prime example - no French or Canadian money, no programme. If they'd stepped in in 1969, maybe we'd have got a few more episodes of Tara - if they'd been more reliable backers than in 1977, anyway! Didn't Brian Clemens have to remortgage his farm to finance the last few episodes of TNA series 2? The producers used some of their own money, anyway.

Going back to videotape, as-live studio productions probably wasn't an option. It would've made Tara's and Purdey's eras feel very different!

[mousemeat]

I'm pretty sure that without American funding, the monochrome Peel series would have been the last.

perhaps, but if so, doesn't make sense..as the series was popular in the UK, right ? and it played in many other markets outside the UK..so they should of had a decent revenue stream...unless they under charged fees, and bad budgeting, etc from ABC-Thames, etc some thing is wrong when they had to have those American dollars to fund the series

With the cost of film and trechnicians in the 60s, and beyond, it was too expensive to make except as a co-production. The ITC series of Lew Grade were the same - without pre-sales to America, things like The Prisoner (at least beyond the first few episodes), Man in a Suitcase, The Persuaders!, and so on cost a bomb. Same as today when co-production deals are the only way commercial series can get to be made (although public service channels/networks like Channel 4 and the BBC can just about manage it alone, if it's a UK-interest show without wider international appeal - but usually even they prefer to co-produce). ABC TV in Australia, New Zealand's network(s), WGBH Boston, and Showtime in the US all co-funded some of the most fondly remembered British telly of the 80s and 90s, too - Robin of Sherwood, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes etc.

I guess The New Avengers is a prime example - no French or Canadian money, no programme. If they'd stepped in in 1969, maybe we'd have got a few more episodes of Tara - if they'd been more reliable backers than in 1977, anyway! Didn't Brian Clemens have to remortgage his farm to finance the last few episodes of TNA series 2? The producers used some of their own money, anyway.

Going back to videotape, as-live studio productions probably wasn't an option. It would've made Tara's and Purdey's eras feel very different!

good points...more or less...but you're basically telling me that British production companies, basically cannot support productions of many series..after ' x ' number of episodes, with out American or any other foreign investment..this is not a problem with U.S. companies