''David Cassidy: Man Undercover'' (the word "undercover" in the series title appeared at various times written as one word or two) is an American

police drama The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

starring

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

, four years after his run starring in ''

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy. Jones plays a widowed mother, and Cassidy plays the oldest of her five children, in a family who embarks on a music career. It ran from Se ...

'', his first starring role since that series was cancelled. The series was spun off after Cassidy starred in a special two-hour episode of '' Police Story'', titled "A Chance to Live", which aired in May 1978; this episode served as the

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

for ''Man Undercover''. In ''A Chance to Live'', Cassidy portrayed undercover

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

officer Dan Shay, a cop who successfully infiltrates a high-school drug ring as a fellow student. Cassidy earned an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for Best Dramatic Actor for the role. He reprised the role of Officer Shay for the ''Man Undercover'' series, which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

from November 2, 1978 to July 12, 1979. Only ten episodes of the show aired prior to its cancellation. The role of Shay's wife, portrayed in "A Chance to Live" by

Dee Wallace Deanna Wallace (née Bowers; born December 14, 1948), also known as Dee Wallace Stone, is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Taylor, the mother in the 1982 blockbuster film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''. She is ...

, was recast with actress Wendy Rastatter for the actual series. This show is the last new filmed series from

Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gem ...

to display a copyright notice at the beginning under the show's logo in the opening credits.

Synopsis

Set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the series stars Cassidy as undercover police officer Dan Shay. Each episode featured Shay going undercover in a different case.

Simon Oakland Simon Oakland (August 28, 1915 – August 29, 1983) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television. During his career, Oakland performed primarily on television, appearing in over 130 series and made-for-television movies between ...

starred as the head of Shay's undercover team. The plot of a twenty-something cop going undercover in high school would be used more popularly the following decade in ''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...

''.

Episodes

External links

* 1978 American television series debuts 1979 American television series endings 1970s American drama television series 1970s American police procedural television series NBC original programming English-language television shows Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Television series by Sony Pictures Television American television spin-offs {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub