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The Avengers (1960-1969)
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"The Avengers" was a popular spy-themed show that aired in the United States during the 1965-66 and 1967 seasons, with the main characters being debonair Mr. John Steed and his sidekick the beautiful but deadly Mrs. Emma Peel. However, in its home country of Great Britain, "The Avengers" had a much longer run -- although with different characters teaming up with Mr. Steed.
The show actually had its beginning in 1960 with a detective show called "Police Surgeon." The main character was played by an actor named Ian Hendry. When "Police Surgeon" was cancelled in late 1960, Hendry was cast in a similar role, that of Dr. David Keel, in a new show to be called "The Avengers." His partner was a detective named John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee. This duo was an undercover team and their first case was to find the killer of Dr. Keel's wife -- hence the title "The Avengers."
When production of the show was stopped by an actors' union strike, Ian Hendry went on to other projects and "The Avengers" was relaunched in 1962 with John Steed as the main character and Honor Blackman ("Pussy Galore" of James Bond fame) as his new sidekick Cathy Gale. The show grew in popularity and continued through the end of the 1963-64 season, when Ms. Blackman left to pursue her role as a Bond girl.
She was replaced by Diana Rigg in the role of Mrs. Emma Peel. This new series ran in the United States in black and white during the 1965-66 season and in color during the 1967 season. Diana Rigg left after her 2-year stint to return to Shakespearan theater, and was replaced by Linda Thorson as Mr. Steed's newest sidekick, Tara King. The episodes for the new season were actually filmed beginning in November 1967, but the Tara King series didn't air in Great Britain until 1969.
"The Avengers" didn't die a quiet death, though, and on July 20, 1971 John Steed and a new partner, Hannah Wild, appeared on stage in Birmingham, England in a stage-produced comedy that lasted only six weeks. After that, beginning in January 1972, ten of the original episode scripts were rewritten for 15-minute radio broadcasts that apparently were popular though short-lived. Several years later, Patrick Macnee was called back to service as John Steed in a revived television series called "The New Avengers."
With two new partners, Joanna Lumley as Purdy and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gambit, the series aired in 1976, but failed to gain the popularity needed to survive in either Great Britain or the United States. "The Avengers," however, remains a cult favorite and all episodes from 1963 onward have been released on DVD by the A&E cable network. Lastly, a feature film based on the original Avengers was made in 1998, with Ralph Fiennes as John Steed, Uma Thurman as Emma Peel, and Sean Connery as the villain. However, the film was a box office disaster and is generally considered to be inferior to the original series episodes.
"The Avengers" had a strong connection to the James Bond film series. Four of the series' principles appeared in James Bond films -- Patrick Macnee (John Steed) appeared in "A View to a Kill" as agent Tibbett. Honor Blackman (Catherine Gale) appeared in "Goldfinger" as Pussy Galore. Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) appeared in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as Tracy de Vincenzo/Mrs. James Bond. And Joanna Lumley (Purdy) also appeared in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as one of Bloefeld's intended angels of death. In addition, several guest stars of "The Avengers" had prominent roles in James Bond films -- Lois Maxwell (the original Miss Moneypenny) appeared in the Cathy Gale episode "The Little Wonders." John Cleese (the current Q) appeared in the Tara King episode "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two ...." Christopher Lee (Scaramanga, "The Man with the Golden Gun") appeared in the Tara King episode "The Interrogators." And Carolyn Munro (Naomi, "The Spy Who Loved Me") appeared in the New Avengers episode "Angels of Death."
Although "The Avengers" was essentially a show about undercover agents/detectives, it often featured scientific themes and gadgets that were years ahead of their time.
SEASON 1 - Surviving Episodes
SEASON 2
SEASON 3
SEASON 4
SEASON 5
SEASON 6
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