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The 1960s were an unbelievable clock time forspy TV showsand were the origination stop for several democratic serial . As many ofthe best spy showsfrom this epoch have been revived or bring up on the big filmdom , it ’s worth revisit the source material and seeing just how many astounding stories of covert espionage or undercover government work there are to discover . From trailblazing television shows that have left a live on impact on the genre to cult favorite that have stood the exam of clip , many 1960s series are worth modern viewers ' attention .
While many ofthe best spy moviesfrom the 1960s are well - known to advanced watcher , the same can not be said about TV show from this sentence . This does a real ill service to just how engaging and entertaining the best undercover agent shows from this period were , andfans of espionage serial would be doing themselves a favour if they need the time to root out these older series . While they may not be as iconic asSean Connery ’s 1960s least sandpiper as James Bond , all of these spy series are worth revisiting .
10Top Secret (1961-1962)
2 Seasons / 26 Episodes
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As its name suggested , the ITV British spy seriesTop Secretwas one of the best - kept secrets of 1960s spy television . asterisk William Franklyn as suave private agent Peter Dallas , Top Secrettook viewers on a thrilling journeying of espionage and deceit as the British agent get his work in South America . Throughout 26 60 - moment , black - and - white installments , Agent Dallas investigated issues of sake to British intelligence activity in Argentina .
Each episode ofTop Secretalso featured Patrick Cargill as flush businessman Miguel Garetta and Alan Rothwell as Dallas ’s nephew Mike . With a cast of engaging characters , strong penning , and an intriguing undercover agent - found premiss , Top Secretwas a strike with British viewers during its clock time . WhileTop Secretis not the easiest serial to track down and revisit , those look for it out will be rewarded with a out of sight patch of British undercover agent television history .
9The Champions (1968-1969)
1 Season / 30 Episodes
The Championsfeatured the United Nations agent Craig Stirling , Sharron Macready , and Richard Barrett working for a Geneva law enforcement organization called ' Nemesis . ’ As a British espionage thriller , The Championsmixed sci - fi concepts with occult arts police detective fiction to create an adventure serial break open with creativity . With an exciting pilot that started with the squad escaping by strain from a Chinese spying mission , The Championsbegan in the fictional land of Shangri - La and only became more intriguing as the serial get along .
From its cast of eccentric oddball grapheme to investigations of fascist regimes around the world , The Championswas a unique undercover agent series created by Dennis Spooner , who had worked on other classics likeThe AvengersandDanger Man . While budgetary constraint think of repeated sets and stock footage had to be use , the impregnable committal to writing and creative premiss ofThe Championsmore than made up for its financial limitations . With all 30 episodes available on DVD , there ’s no exculpation not to catch up withThe Champions .
8Callan (1967-1972)
4 Seasons / 44 Episodes
The British spy seriesCallanstarred Edward Woodward as David Callan , a secret service of process factor address with internal threats in the United Kingdom . With permission to use the most remorseless methods want , Callanshowcased its hero routinely torturing suspects as a means of interrogationand not thinking twice when it add up to killing those deemed to be a terror to Britain . While this description may make Callan seem like a shocking assassin , this was nothing liken to the sadistic nature of his upper - class fellow and snobby superiors .
Callanwas an excellent piece of 1960s spy media that even spawned a 1974 lineament - duration movie and a 1981 television celluloid , showcasing the preserve interest in his character . With four season and 44 episodes , ten episode ofCallanare woefully missing from the ITV archives . While this meant a full revisit of the entirety ofCallanwas an impossible action , the remaining episode are useable and make for thrilling view .
7I Spy (1965-1968)
3 Seasons / 82 Episodes
I Spywas groundbreaking for its time as it was among the first American television series to sport a Black actor in a extend part . Striking the perfect balance between natural process and funniness , I Spyvalued realness over the advanced gadgetry of moving picture series likeJames Bond . While Cosby ’s by and by behind - the - scenes behaviour has grime his once - acclaimed reputation , this should not take out from the incredible appeal ofI Spyand its importance within the chronicle of espionage - based boob tube during the 1960s .
6Get Smart (1965-1970)
5 Seasons / 138 Episodes
The popularity of theJames Bondfranchise in the 1960s mean that spy stories cursorily became right for parodying . This was precisely what Mel Brooks and Buck Henry sought to do withGet Smart , the secret agent drollery series that pound play at the more idiotic aspect of espionage movies and telly series . By blending Brooks ’ iconic comedic esthesia with story about bumbling clandestine agents working for the counterintelligence agency CONTROL , Get Smartmanaged to track down for five successful seasons with an astonishing 138 episodes .
With hilarious technology and gadgetry such as telephone set hide in association , combs , watches , and clocks , Get Smarthad express joy - out - tatty recur laugh such as Agent Max Smart ’s shoe phone that need him to take off his shoes ever fourth dimension it rang . With plenty of amazing guest stars , let in Carol Burnett and Vincent Price , Get Smartwas a defining serial in the fast - developing spy comedy genre . While the 2008 Steve Carell movie adaption ofGet Smartcouldn’t quite subsist up to its bequest , that reboot attempt showcased the serial ' continued appeal .
5Danger Man (1960-1968)
4 Seasons / 86 Episodes
Danger Manwas a British undercover agent series that was also known asSecret Agentin the United States . Showcasing the dangerous undertaking of hush-hush federal agent John Drake , unlike other heroes of the music genre like James Bond , Drake did n’t comport a gun for hire , rarely used gadgets , almost never got the young woman , and avoided using lethal forcefulness . star Patrick McGoohan as the globetrotting spy working for NATO and later the fictional intelligence agency for M9,Danger Manwas an interesting choice toBond .
Much like his more celebrated twin , James Bond , Drake introduced himself with the idiom “ Drake … John Drake,”and the series leaned into many undercover agent genre tropes and cliches . However , Danger Manalso strive for naive realism as it dramatized the very real threat of Cold War tensionsduring the sixties . WhileDanger Manhad been canceled after its first season , the serial publication was revived after a two - year abatement in 1964 and is well worth revisiting today .
4The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1968)
4 Seasons / 105 Episodes
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a spy fiction telly series that originally air from 1964 to 1968 . The show follows the adventures of Napoleon Solo , an American undercover agent , and Illya Kuryakin , a Russian spy , who work out together for the United internet Command for Law and Enforcement ( U.N.C.L.E. ) .
With deal of gadgetry and unparalleled weaponry , many episodes centered around the spy ' fight against T.H.R.U.S.H. , the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity . The Man from U.N.C.L.E.was a trailblazing series for espionage culture medium that was so democratic it even go to spin - offs likeThe Girl from U.N.C.L.E.This series legacy has lasted right up to modern time , asThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.was reimagined by Guy Ritchie for his 2015 flick star Henry Cavill .
3The Avengers (1961-1969)
6 Seasons / 161 Episodes
While modern viewers will probably believe of Tony Stark and an categorization of Marvel heroes when they hear the titleThe Avengers , back in the sixties , this name would also conjure simulacrum of one of the most acclaimed undercover agent series ever made . The Avengerswas a British espionage serial that encounter great popularity worldwide and focused on the British intelligence activity agentive role John Steed ( Patrick Macnee . ) As a far-out series with suave spy protagonist , The Avengersembodied all that was great about spy shows during the sixties .
From Steed ’s rotating miscellanea of female partners to the macabre Hitchcockian air of many episodes , The Avengerswas packed with sense of humour and style . Macnee ’s performance was an impressive showcase of onscreen charisma as he proved himself one of the most immensely watchable leading men television has ever seen . With strong production values and great performances , The Avengersholds up incredibly well today .
2The Prisoner (1967-1968)
1 Season / 17 Episodes
The Prisoner might justbe the most unequaled telly series of the 1960s , whose unbelievable portmanteau of sci - fi surrealism and Kafkaesque confusion made it a cult ducky . The series was create by and starredDanger Man’sPatrick McGoohan , who played the mysterious Number Six , an intelligence agent abducted and jail in a mysterious coastal hamlet after resigning from his spy work . With just 17 episodes , this unusual thriller was a trailblazing piece of television that pushed consultation outside their consolation zona in ways television from the era seldom did .
The legacy ofThe Prisonerwas so great that more than 30 days after it go off the melody , McGoohan reprised his role as Number Six onThe Simpsonsepisode “ The Computer weary Menace Shoes . ” This installment see Homer bring to the mysterious island and have many references toThe Prisoner . WhileThe Prisonerwas worth revisit for its engaging tale , its theatrical role as an authoritative document of 1960s counterculture also made it an substantive slice of television receiver chronicle .
1Mission: Impossible (1966-1973)
7 Seasons / 171 Episodes
Mission : Impossible is an American television serial create by Bruce Geller , pore on the missions of the close Impossible Missions Force . ab initio top by Dan Briggs in the first season , the leadership modulation to Jim Phelps . The serial publication is renowned for its self - destructing missionary post recording and iconic theme euphony .
Mission : Impossiblegained an impressive 2nd life as a massive feature film franchise starring Tom Cruise , but viewers often overlook the appeal of the original 1960s undercover agent series . This pop espionage thriller series take after a small team know as the Impossible Missions Force ( IMF ) as they took down hostile Iron Curtain governments , third - world dictators , corrupt industrialist , and crime Creator . Featuring Lalo Schifrin ’s iconic stem song and ego - destroy messages , theMission : ImpossibleTV serial laid the foot for much of what made the moving picture so successful .
or else of Cruise ’s Ethan Hunt , Mission : Impossiblefollowed agents like Dan Briggs ( Steven Hill ) and Jim Phelps ( Peter Graves ) as they hire in secretive workplace on behalf of the United States government . With plenty of mystery , great characters , and engaging military action chronological succession , lovers of the next film serial publication would be doing themselves a ill service if they did not go back and assure out the original . As perhaps the peachy spy series of the 1960s , Mission : Impossiblewas a must - watchspy TV show .
Custom image by Yailin Chacon.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a spy fiction television series that originally aired from 1964 to 1968. The show follows the adventures of Napoleon Solo, an American spy, and Illya Kuryakin, a Russian spy, who work together for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.).
Mission: Impossible is an American television series created by Bruce Geller, focusing on the missions of the secretive Impossible Missions Force. Initially led by Dan Briggs in the first season, the leadership transitions to Jim Phelps. The series is renowned for its self-destructing mission recordings and iconic theme music.
