Eischied
| Eischied | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Written by |
Stephen Downing Ernest Tidyman |
| Directed by | Gary Nelson |
| Starring |
Joe Don Baker Eddie Egan Alan Fudge Alan Oppenheimer Suzanne Lederer |
| Theme music composer | John Cacavas |
| Composer(s) | John Cacavas |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Gerber |
| Producer(s) |
Matthew Rapf Jay Daniel |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
David Gerber Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 21, 1979 – January 20, 1980 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | To Kill a Cop (1978) |
Eischied (pronounced as "eye-shyed") was an American crime drama broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1979 to January 20, 1980. It was based on the starring character from the 1978 miniseries To Kill a Cop, which was based on the novel by Robert Daley.
Synopsis
The series stars Joe Don Baker as tough, brilliant, southern-bred New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives Earl Eischied. His complimentary catchphrase was "Ya done good," which was usually directed at one of the younger detectives or officers in his command. His pet cat was named "PC" (as in "police commissioner"). Eischied was tough and did not hesitate to work the streets with his detectives. He used a Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 Special, snub-nosed revolver, which he carried "old school" style, inside his waistband, concealed by his vest and/or suit jacket. He was not afraid to bend the rules in pursuit of a case, but would never break the law. His southern drawl concealed a sharp intellect and encyclopedic knowledge of criminology and police work. Although Eischied was physically imposing, he had great empathy and compassion for victims of crime and others less fortunate.
NBC reran all 13 episodes of Eischied in its original Friday night time slot during the summer of 1983, almost four years after it had been cancelled.
The show was broadcast in the United Kingdom under the title The Chief of Detectives. In (Western) Germany the show ran in 1980 under the title Schauplatz New York.
Episodes
| № | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Only the Pretty Girls Die: Part 1" | Bob Kelljan | Mark Rodgers | 21 September 1979 |
| 2-hour episode: Chief of Detectives Earl Eischied is trying to catch serial killer Albert Colvin (James Stephens), who hunts down and shoots beautiful women while taunting reporters by phone. This story is a close retelling of the Son of Sam case. | ||||
| 2 | "Only the Pretty Girls Die: Part 2" | Bob Kelljan | Mark Rodgers | 28 September 1979 |
| Colvin claims his sixth victim, but without using the trademark silencer on his gun. Eischied sees this as a sign that the killer's self-control is slipping and may be a harbinger of his next planned attacks. Through clues given by Colvin to two reporters, Eischied is able to track Colvin to his final planned attack at a Catholic church. | ||||
| 3 | "The U.N. Connection" | Harvey S. Laidman | Sean Baine | 5 October 1979 |
| Eischied must find a way around diplomatic immunity when he suspects United Nations members of being drug smugglers. | ||||
| 4 | "Angels of Terror" | Larry Elikann | Fred A. Wyler | 19 October 1979 |
| 5 | "The Accused" | Gene Nelson | (unknown) | 26 October 1979 |
| Captain Finnerty is charged with negligent homicide for fatally shooting an assailant, a 13-year-old boy. | ||||
| 6 | "Do They Really Have to Die?" | Nicholas Sgarro | Irv Pearlberg | 9 November 1979 |
| When a bank robbery goes bad the robbers are forced to take hostages. The robbers then face the biggest decision of their lives after realizing that the hostages can identify them all. | ||||
| 7 | "The Dancer" | Harvey S. Laidman | Sean Baine | 23 November 1979 |
| Eischied's investigation into a politician's death is hampered by the deceased's family, and by the police brass who want to bury the fact that he died while entertaining his mistress. | ||||
| 8 | "Who Is the Missing Woman?" | Gene R. Kearney | Gene R. Kearney | 30 November 1979 |
| A woman turns up at a New York City hospital badly beaten and raped. Eischied must deal with a victim that doesn't remember what happened to her, who did it or who she is. | ||||
| 9 | "Spanish Eight" | Harvey S. Laidman | Mark Rodgers | 7 December 1979 |
| Eischied investigates a gang that is flooding New York City's streets with Saturday-night-special handguns. | ||||
| 10 | "Friday's Child" | Larry Elikann | Mark Rodgers | 14 December 1979 |
| Detectives investigate a drug ring that is using children to move the shipments between locations. | ||||
| 11 | "Fire for Hire" | Leo Penn | Frank Abatemarco | 28 December 1979 |
| New York City is paralyzed by an arsonist who is creating havoc for Eischied's team of detectives. | ||||
| 12 | "Powder Burn" | Jack Starrett | Dallas L. Barnes | 18 January 1980 |
| Eischied suspects a man of murder, but he has an uphill battle to fight since the evidence doesn't add up. | ||||
| 13 | "Buddy System" | Nicholas Sgarro | Art Eisenson | 25 January 1980 |
| Chief Eischied implements a mandate that no cop goes out in uniform by himself when he receives a letter threatening to kill police officers unless a convicted criminal is released from jail. | ||||