What Might've Been: Escapade (1978)

 To say that Quinn Martin's luck was running out would be a gross understatement.

With Barnaby Jones still puttering along on CBS, and with Cannon having ended, leading to a TV-movie follow-up in 1980, Martin wanted to try something new. Actually, it wasn't that original.

At its core, Escapade was meant to be an American version of the 60's British series, The Avengers, which was enjoying a healthy run in American syndication, repeating only the episodes that had aired on ABC in the late 60's, with Diana Rigg, and, later, Linda Thorson, paired with Patrick Macnee.

With the follow-up, The New Avengers, still a ways away from landing here (and on CBS), Martin recruited Avengers co-creator Brian Clemens to develop an American version, hence Escapade. Granville Van Dusen and Morgan Fairchild are government agents working for a secret agency, taking orders from a computer. Now, if that part sounds familiar in a way, Martin tweaked the concept the next year with Robert Conrad in A Man Called Sloane for NBC.

Unfortunately, Escapade wasn't picked up, but then, I've already spoiled that, what with the reference to Sloane. Alex Henteloff (ex-The Young Rebels), by this point a dependable character actor, guest stars in the pilot:

Morgan Fairchild would eventually land a hit series with NBC's Flamingo Road, and, later, landed on Dallas. A few months after Escapade aired, she tried comedy, guest-starring on Mork & Mindy, which did enough to raise her profile. 

As for Van Dusen, he never headlined a series of his own, appearing in shows as diverse as The Young & The Restless, Soap, & The West Wing, but cartoon fans in the 80's will recall him having stepped in to voice Roger "Race" Bannon in the revival of Jonny Quest.

Rating: B.