The ’60s were a golden age for crime shows, and a new piece argues that five of them deserve a second chance. The list, titled “5 Forgotten ’60s TV Crime Dramas That Are Perfect For A Modern Reboot,” makes the case for reviving Man With a Camera, Johnny Midnight, Cain’s Hundred, Honey West, and The Man From Interpol. The argument rests on one simple observation: decades before Law & Order, there were plenty of shows about law and order, and many of them have since fallen into obscurity.
The Five Shows On The List
The list opens with Man With a Camera, starring Charles Bronson. The NBC series technically premiered in the late ’50s but was still on the air when the ’60s began. Bronson played Mike Kovac, a former World War II combat photographer who makes a living collecting photographic evidence for cops, lawyers, and other paying customers. He carries top-notch camera equipment, including hidden cameras built into radios.
The show’s premise feels dated today. Everybody walks around with a camera in their pocket now, and images can be faked or generated with AI. That makes Kovac’s job harder to sell. But the list argues that’s exactly the challenge a reboot could rise to. What crimes would require a combat photographer’s special skills? What new camera technologies might a modern cameraman have access to?
Next comes Johnny Midnight, a 39-episode syndicated season from 1961. The show followed an actor-turned-private investigator who solved crime around Broadway and Midtown Manhattan. He sometimes adopted disguises and performed new identities to get closer to a crook. His name was Johnny Midnight, which the list calls “the main character’s name.”
The list wants a reboot to lean fully into camp. It should be a silly show, a kitschy crime series for theater kids. The original had a Japanese manservant, a character trope the list says belongs far in the past. So a reboot would have to get rid of that. The list even suggests Johnny Midnight could be a musical, like Glee, except the main character is a middle-aged former actor working as a private detective.
Cain’s Hundred ran on NBC from 1961 to 1962. Peter Mark Richman starred as Nicholas Cain, a lawyer for the mob who decides to leave his criminal connections behind after he gets engaged. The mob doesn’t take kindly to that. They order a hit on Cain, but in the botched effort, they accidentally kill his fiancée instead. Cain vows revenge, working on the side of the law and teaming up with the FBI to prosecute 100 mobsters.
In the book Masters of the Shoot-Em Up, Richman said NBC axed the series because the network was “concerned about the level of violence on their shows.” A reboot would be free to have plenty of gunfire and action. More than a couple of the hundred could easily meet grisly, bloody ends rather than facing justice in a courtroom. The list calls the premise suited to a prestige TV reboot, though it also suggests an ongoing network series format. Think NBC’s The Hunting Party, but more legal drama and less conspiracy thriller.
Honey West was the first female detective to get title billing and lead her own show on U.S. network television. The series aired in the ’50s and the first half of the ’60s, and it starred Anne Francis as Honey, a stylish karate master who inherits a private investigator business from her late father. She worked with her father’s partner Sam Bolt (John Ericson) and her pet ocelot, Bruce. The show ended after one season.
The list notes that female-led crime series are no longer a novelty. There are great shows out there with women in the lead. But bringing Honey’s fashionable brand of mystery-solving to the modern era would be a fun way of making sure the show’s trailblazing is remembered.
A Comparison Of The Four Known Premises
| Show | Star | Network |
|---|---|---|
| Man With a Camera | Charles Bronson | NBC |
| Johnny Midnight | Unnamed actor | Syndicated |
| Cain’s Hundred | Peter Mark Richman | NBC |
| Honey West | Anne Francis | NBC |
Why These Shows Matter Now
The list argues that the ’60s crime shows have interesting premises that were cut off before they could fully explore them. Most were cancelled before they could reach their natural conclusions. A few would benefit from a pretty drastic reinvention for the current age; others need only be brought back to the airwaves with a fresh coat of paint.
The list also notes that modern shows enjoy higher budgets and a greater ability to show violence and the dark side of crime. That means a reboot of Johnny Midnight could lean into camp without worrying about tonal consistency. A reboot of Cain’s Hundred could kill more mobsters with grisly deaths. A reboot of Honey West could celebrate a female detective in a way that feels timely.
Our View On The List
The list is playful in its suggestions, and that’s part of its charm. A Johnny Midnight musical sounds absurd, but the original show was already a bit absurd. A Cain’s Hundred that kills more mobsters is a grim joke, but the premise is grim to begin with. The list isn’t arguing for literal remakes; it’s arguing for fresh takes on ideas that got lost along the way.
The list frames its proposals as hypothetical reboots, not planned ones. None of these reboots exist, and the piece itself admits as much. The list serves as a prompt to revisit the original series while waiting for their (hypothetical) reboots.
The list is also selective about its history. It mentions that Honey West was the first female detective to get title billing, but it doesn’t note that the show’s popularity was short-lived. The dolls were briefly more popular than Barbie, but the show itself ended after one season. That context matters for understanding why these shows faded.
Still, the list is worth reading for the sheer joy of its proposals. A Charles Bronson reboot of Man With a Camera? A middle-aged actor detective musical? A mob lawyer who kills his own fiancée? These are the kinds of pitches that get meetings, even if they don’t get greenlights.
The list is a reminder that television has a rich history of crime storytelling, and that history is full of ideas that never got their due. Whether any of these shows actually get a second chance is another matter. But the list makes a compelling case that they should.
The question is whether anyone has the nerve to bring them back.
Source material: “5 Forgotten '60s TV Crime Dramas That Are Perfect For A Modern Reboot,” TVLine.
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