Bearcats

Starring: Dennis Cole, Rod Taylor, Roy Jenson, Edward Faulkner
First Aired: September 16, 1971
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $8,000 for the cars on the show*

Bearcats was produced by Filmways, Inc., a New York-based production company. Filmways was also the big-name production company behind hit television shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Addams Family, and Green Acres, so it was on a winning streak. Dennis Cole and Rod Taylor were two of the Bearcats’ most prominent players. It was a historical show that took place just before World War I. Cole and Taylor took on the role of troubleshooters. Because it was extremely expensive, the concert was unique in that respect. It had elements of a Western feel to it, yet it made use of props that you wouldn’t generally see in such films, such as M1911 handguns, airplanes, machine guns, a World War I-era tank, and a variety of vintage automobiles that were popular in the early twentieth century.

Bearcats

Chopper One

Starring: Jim McMullan, Ted Hartley, Dirk Benedict, Lou Frizzell
First Aired: January 1974
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $1.2 million in total*

There was a procedural drama called Chopper One, and it was about two police officers who were in charge of operating a helicopter for searches and criminal apprehensions. The show was shown on ABC on Thursday evenings, which was a highly sought-after time period. Sony was in charge of distribution. There were only thirteen episodes of the show. It was the police side of the drama/thriller series Firehouse, which was set in a Los Angeles fire station and followed the lives of the firefighters who worked there. Neither program was able to maintain its momentum for very long. In contrast to Chopper One, which ended only a month after its counterpart was canceled, Firehouse finished only one month after its counterpart was canceled. The pilot episode of the show aired in 1974.

Chopper One