''Nakia'' is an American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

series starring

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Forster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019) was an American actor, known for his roles as John Cassellis in ''Medium Cool'' (1969), Captain Dan Holland in ''The Black Hole'' (1979), Abdul Rafai in ''The Delta Force'' (1986), ...

about a Native American police officer in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It aired from September 21 to December 28, 1974.McNeil, Alex, ''Total Television: The Comprehensive Guide to Programming From 1948 to the Present'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, p. 588.Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, Sixth Edition'', New York: Ballantine Books, 1995, , p. 726. ''Nakia''s pilot was the made-for-television movie ''Nakia'', which was broadcast on April 17, 1974.

Cast

...Deputy Nakia Parker *

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

...Sheriff Sam Jericho *

Gloria DeHaven Gloria Mildred DeHaven (July 23, 1925 – July 30, 2016) was an American actress and singer who was a contract star for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Early life DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter De ...

...Irene James * Taylor Lacher...Deputy Hubbel Martin *

John Tenorio, Jr. John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Half Cub *

Victor Jory Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 – February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast in villainous or sinister roles, such as Oberon in ''A Midsummer N ...

...Ben Redearth

Synopsis

Nakia Parker is a full-blooded

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

in his mid-30s who is a deputy

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in the fictional town of Concord in fictional Davis County in 1974

. In the sheriffs department, he works for Sheriff Sam Jericho, as does fellow deputy sheriff Hubbel Martin and the office secretary, Irene James. Ben Redearth is a Native American friend of Nakias, and Half Cub is Nakias 12-year-old nephew. Nakia is often torn between ancient tribal customs and the use of modern police methods. Rather than use a police car, he alternates between driving a pickup truck and riding a horse while investigating cases. Sometimes inscrutable and prone to voicing tribal proverbs, Nakia is deeply committed to protecting his fellow Native Americans from injustice, and at times this leads to opposition from his more narrow-minded white neighbors – including Sheriff Jericho.

Production

Michael Butler and

Christopher Trumbo Christopher Trumbo (September 25, 1940 – January 8, 2011) was an American television writer, screenwriter and playwright. Trumbo was considered an expert on the McCarthy-era Hollywood blacklist. His father, screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, was ...

created ''Nakia'', and Charles Larson was its

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

. Episode directors included

Nicholas Colasanto Nicholas Colasanto (January 19, 1924 – February 12, 1985) was an American actor and television director who is best known for his role as "Coach" Ernie Pantusso in the American television sitcom ''Cheers''. He served in the United States Nav ...

Alvin Ganzer Alvin Ganzer (1911–2009) was an American film and television director. Early life Ganzer was born in 1911 in Cold Spring, Minnesota. Career As a young man, Ganzer moved to California, and in 1932 was given a job at Paramount Pictures in its ca ...

Leonard Horn Leonard Horn (August 1, 1926 – May 25, 1975) was an American director of prime time television programs in the 1960s and 1970s and helped shape a number of "classic" adventure and sci-fi series, including '' Mission: Impossible'', '' Mannix'' ...

, and

Alexander Singer Alexander Singer (born 18 April 1928, in New York City, New York, died 28 December 2020) was an American director. He began his career behind the camera in 1951 as a cinematographer on the short documentary ''Day of the Fight'', directed by his ...

,IMDb Nakia Full Cast and Crew
/ref> and episode

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

included Larson,

David Gerber David Gerber (July 25, 1923 – January 2, 2010) was a television executive producer. His notable work on television included the 1970s TV series '' Police Story'' and '' Police Woman''. Other executive producer credits include '' Jessie'', '' The ...

Peter Katz Peter Katz is an American film producer. His work includes ''Pop Skull'', ''Home Sick'' and ''Mortuary''. Career Katz has produced genre films that have screened at the AFI Fest, Rome Film Festival, as well as the New Zealand International Fi ...

, Ernest A. Losso, and

George Sunga George A. Sunga is an American director and producer. He is notable for producing the American sitcom television series ''Three's Company'' (and its spin-offs ''The Ropers'' and ''Three's a Crowd''). Sunga was raised in San Diego, California, ...

. Butler, Larson, and Trumbo all wrote for the show, as did

Sy Salkowitz Sy is a given name, nickname/hypocorism (often of Seymour) and surname which may refer to: Surname In arts and entertainment * Brigitte Sy (born 1956), French actress and filmmaker * Latyr Sy (born 1972), Senegalese singer and percussionist ...

, Jim Byrnes,

Mark Saha Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, Phyllis White, and Robert White. ''Nakia'', a rarity among American television series in its attempt to depict the challenges of modern-day Native Americans, was filmed largely on location in and around

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, New Mexico.

Broadcast history

The pilot for the series aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

as the made-for-television movie ''Nakia'' on April 17, 1974. ''Nakia'' premiered as a weekly ABC series on September 21, 1974. In addition to the pilot, thirteen episodes aired before the show, with low ratings in the face of tough competition in its time slot from

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

s ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey ...

'', was cancelled after the broadcast of December 28, 1974. The show aired at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday throughout its run.

Episodes

Sources

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0071017, Nakia
''Nakia'' opening credits on YouTube''Nakia'' episode "No Place to Hide" on YouTube
American Broadcasting Company original programming 1974 American television series debuts 1974 American television series endings 1970s American crime drama television series English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in New Mexico