PIONEERS OF TELEVISION: Crime Dramas

• January 24, 2011

Tuesday, February 1 at 8 p.m.

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As viewers reveled in being transported to shadowy underworlds, creative geniuses emerged in the forms of Jack Webb ("Dragnet"), Desi Arnaz ("The Untouchables"), and Bruce Geller ("Mannix" and "Mission: Impossible"). Groundbreaking actors Bill Cosby ("I Spy") and Angie Dickinson ("Police Woman") reveal the methods behind their successes as the first African-American and breakthrough female lead characters in a television series. Barbara Bain and Martin Landau share the secrets behind the innovative hit "Mission: Impossible"; Peter Falk’s friends and colleagues recall the evolution of his "Columbo" character; and James Garner and series creator Stephen J. Cannell recount the success of the "The Rockford Files."

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