NBC’s Newly Discovered 5-Part Detective Thriller Has Rewritten Television History

There are few TV shows as fun to watch as detective thriller series featuring a compelling lead investigator. NBC has released plenty of great additions to the genre, from iconic works like the Law & Order franchise to more recent projects like The Hunting Party. Flawlessly combining drama, mystery, and character-driven plots, detective series have come a long way since they were first conceived, but it’s always exciting when an older show is rediscovered, changing how audiences think about TV history.

The best thriller TV shows of the past few decades all have an angle that sets them apart from the tropes of the genre. Older works are no exception, as viewers will notice how series going back as far as the 1970s set their stories in a variety of locations and work hard to write protagonists who don’t feel stale or recycled. Television was changing in the ’70s. It was becoming more experimental and serialized, and returning to this era is more exciting than ever.

Every year, television fans discover new hidden gems that haven’t had the staying power of other series. While the 1970s is often defined by shows like M*A*S*H or Columbo​​​​, the rarely talked about Tenafly might finally be getting its due. Tenafly was a short-lived crime drama on NBC that most fans likely haven’t heard of. When crime series were first gaining popularity, network procedural shows were highly influential for the genre. It can’t be overlooked that Tenafly was an underrated but important addition to NBC’s lineup.

NBC’s Canceled Detective Thriller Tenafly Made TV History In 1973

Starring James McEachin as Harry Tenafly, the protagonist of the series, Tenafly was well ahead of its time when it premiered in 1973. The series follows the titular character, Tenafly, in his position as a high-powered private investigator who shatters audience expectations about this archetype. Instead of being hard-boiled and only working alone, Tenafly has a warm home life. The firm he works for isn’t shady or failing, but a successful business in Los Angeles.

The TV historian David Hofstede, known for writing critical evaluations and companion guides to classic TV shows, recently dove into the history of Tenafly on his blog (via Blogspot). While it takes some digging to uncover the history of Tenafly, it’s a revelation that 1973 saw a widely distributed crime series centering on a Black character and his family. While it’s far from perfect, Tenafly didn’t lean into harmful stereotypes or pigeonhole Harry Tenafly, as many other series of the time did with their characters of color.

As part of NBC’s iconic Wednesday Mystery Movie lineup, it’s clear that the network was willing to bet on Tenafly‘s mainstream appeal, not simply targeting one viewership group, as many contemporaneous programs did. Though it only ran for one season, this doesn’t minimize the fact that Tenafly was made, and that its creation made an impact that needs to be explored further.

The Rediscovery Of Tenafly Means Reappraising TV Drama In The 1970s

ph: Curt Gunther / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection

Just five episodes long, Tenafly didn’t get the chance to develop or find its voice like other long-running shows, but it shines a new light on how audiences and critics discuss ’70s television. The latter half of the decade saw more diversity on TV, with enormously popular works like The Jeffersons premiering. However, Tenafly alters the context of the media landscape during this period, encouraging viewers to keep re-examining history.

One of the only other TV shows that featured a Black lead at the time was Shaft, but Tenafly is rarely as well remembered. This is partially because Shaft was a spinoff of the film series of the same name. However, if a series like Tenafly was made and is only being rediscovered now, this means that there might be other boundary-pushing works that never got the recognition they deserved.

There are plenty of 1970s TV shows that wouldn’t hold up today, but that doesn’t mean the decade should be overlooked. Tenafly‘s existence is proof that complex roles and stories were being written for Black lead characters that weren’t exploitative. While the cultural and social importance of Tenafly can’t be overlooked, it’s also a fun thriller show that any viewer who seeks classic TV will enjoy.

Release Date

1973 – 1974-00-00

Directors

Bernard L. Kowalski, Jud Taylor

Writers

Richard Levinson

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  James McEachin

  Harry Tenafly

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  David Huddleston

  Lieutenant Sam Church

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  Lillian Lehman

  Ruth Tenafly