How many lawyers do you know who would drive a beaten, nearly dilapidated pickup truck?
The idea behind Petrocelli was as much about the title character (Barry Newman) being just a common guy when not in the courtroom arguing a case for his clients. Tony Petrocelli drove around in a weather-beaten pickup, rather than a well preserved, expensive car, breaking the stereotype that lawyers were usually well paid.
Petrocelli, surprisingly, was the first dramatic series from producers Thomas Miller & Edward Milkis (Me & The Chimp, Happy Days, etc.), and their first sale to NBC. Their other dramatic series, Sweepstakes, also went to NBC, but wasn't as successful.
Petrocelli ran for 2 seasons (1974-6), and was retroactively spun off from a 1970 feature film, "The Lawyer", where Newman first played Petrocelli. In between, a pilot, "Night Games" aired as an NBC TV-movie earlier in 1974.
The series has resurfaced on cable on & off over the years, including a run or two on TV Land.
It also marked the return to series television of Albert Salmi (ex-Daniel Boone), who this time stuck around for the full run.
Here's the intro:
Co-star Susan Howard would later resurface on Dallas, and the only other common link between the two shows was producer Leonard Katzman.
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