For the most part, the Great Private Eyes of Literature haven’t fared too well on television. At least on this side of the pond.
Philip Marlowe, Mike Hammer, Spenser, and even Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op have all been brought to the small screen, many of them more than once, but they have all disappointed in one way or another, and have all wandered off the path—too often the literary heft and appeal replaced with by-the numbers TV schtick and gimmickry. Although they all have their defenders, and some are even watchable (at least in selected episodes and limited doses), the sad truth is that some of our most beloved and iconic gumshoes have been diluted for television. Give me a true TV original like Jim Rockford or Peter Gunn, over Stacy Keach’s cheesy Mike Hammer, or Powers Boothe stiffly trying not to damage the shiny, period-perfect antiques in Philip Marlowe, Private Eye any time.
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