I have two examples from the 1960’s. First, the Forget-Me-Knot episode of The Avengers in 1968. This was the episode where Diana Rigg’s character, Emma Peel was replaced by Linda Thorsen as Tara King. Miss Thorsen did an adequate job, but no one could have filled Diana Rigg’s shoes. Emma Peel could communicate more with a simple facial expression than most actors could in a paragraph of dialogue. As far as I was concerned, she was the reason for watching the show, and it was never as good after her departure.
This was a prime example of the glass ceiling at its worst. Even though Ms. Rigg had contributed so much to the success of the series, her pay was lower than the camera man’s. If the producers had given her a little more respect, she might have stayed longer. Instead, they let her get away, and the series didn’t last much longer without her.
For the third season premiere of Burke’s Law, ABC changed the title and completely retooled the series by transforming Amos Burke, detective, to Amos Burke, secret agent. They were obviously attempting to capitalize on the secret agent craze of the mid-sixties, but all they accomplished was to ruin one of the most fun series of the decade. As a homicide investigator, Amos Burke made murder fun on the two seasons of the Burke’s Law format. Also, the series was a showcase for aging Hollywood stars who rarely appeared on television. It was actually exciting to see the guest star roster each week which included such Hollywood icons as Linda Darnell, Walter Pidgeon, Mary Astor, Ann Blyth, Jeanne Crain and Virginia Mayo, to name a few.
Overruling the objections of Gene Barry and virtually everyone concerned with the series, the ABC brass stubbornly insisted that Amos Burke become a secret agent, in an effort to compete with NBC’s Man from UNCLE. As a result, the series lost everything that made it enjoyable – the tongue-in-cheek humor, the big-name guest stars, and the camaraderie of the supporting cast. Inevitably the ratings plummeted and the series was canceled 17 episodes into the season.