Toma (TV series)

''Toma'' is an American crime drama television series that ran on ABC from March 21, 1973 to May 10, 1974. The series stars Tony Musante as a real-life detective Dave Toma, who was a master of disguise and undercover work. Susan Strasberg and Simon Oakland also star in supporting roles as his wife and his boss, respectively.

Overview

The series stars Tony Musante and Susan Strasberg and was based on the real-life story and published biography of Newark, New Jersey, police detective David Toma. Toma had compiled an amazing arrest record during his years on the force, particularly in arresting drug dealers. His boss, Inspector Spooner, was played by Simon Oakland.

The show ended production after one season, as Musante had only agreed to film one full season, citing a desire not to get trapped into only playing one character over a long period of time. The network and producers had initially assumed this to be a negotiating ploy, but it was not. Musante held firm and did not return for a second season.

Although the role of David Toma was recast with Robert Blake, it was soon felt that Blake would be better served with a different concept; accordingly, ''Toma'' was overhauled and became the 1975 series ''Baretta''. Apart from the circumstances of its conception, ''Baretta'' has no obvious on-screen connection to ''Toma'', as the shows have no characters or settings in common.

Many of the people on the ''Toma'' writing staff would go on to write episodes of ''The Rockford Files'', which debuted shortly after ''Tomas cancellation. These writers included Stephen J. Cannell, Roy Huggins (who signed most of his work on both shows as "John Thomas James"), Juanita Bartlett, Zekial Marko, Don Carlos Dunaway, and Gloryette Clark. Series stars Musante, Strasberg and Oakland would also guest star on various episodes of ''The Rockford Files''. An early version of the character of Jim Rockford had originally been conceived of as a guest star for a never-filmed episode of ''Toma''; the script was rewritten and became ''The Rockford Files'' 90-minute pilot, and all connections and references to ''Toma'' were dropped.

Episodes

Pilot (1973)

Season 1 (1973–74)

Reviews

The series received favorable reviews and blistering criticism for its depictions of criminal and police violence. Although ''Toma'' was achieving relatively good ratings, the show ended after one season. A second season was planned, but Tony Musante refused to continue with the show. Musante had told the producers at the outset that he wanted to do only one season, but they mistakenly assumed that this was only a negotiating tactic and that he would return if the series was renewed. The show would rank 45th out of 80 shows that season, with a 17.7 rating.

Legacy

''Baretta''

Rather than recast the starring role of Toma, the show was retooled as ''Baretta'' starring Robert Blake, with violent scenes toned down. ''Baretta'' debuted as a mid-season replacement on ABC in early 1975.

''The Rockford Files''

According to interviews on ''The Greatest American Hero'' DVD set, a writers strike during the shooting of ''Toma'' is what indirectly led to ''The Rockford Files''. Writer Stephen J. Cannell and his mentor Roy Huggins created the character of Jim Rockford as a way to get around an impossible schedule created by the strike.

Reruns

Despite having contributed to the development of the popular ''Baretta'', reruns of ''Toma'' were never syndicated to local stations, and repeats of the show on national television post-cancellation have been rare. Repeats of ''Toma'' aired in the late-1970s during '' ABC Late Night'', and later on USA Network's ''Crimebusters'' in 1984-1985. One episode aired on TV Land in 2001.

References

External links

*
Roy Huggins' American Archive of Television Interview
*
''Toma''
at Television Obscurities

{{StephenJCannellshows

1973 American television series debuts
1974 American television series endings
American Broadcasting Company original programming
1970s American crime drama television series
Television series by Universal Television
Television series based on actual events
English-language television shows
Television shows set in Los Angeles
Television shows set in New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey in fiction
American detective television series