The Man From UNCLE Episode Guides
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The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Season 04
Running Time: 60 min.
In its efforts to emulate the campy hyperbole of the Batman series during its third season on NBC, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. overplayed its hand disastrously, losing many of its longtime fans who had preferred the series when it was a relatively straightforward espionage series with a subtle inner lining of satire. Small wonder, then, that The Man From U.N.C.L.E. returns to its basics for its fourth season, eschewing the ridiculous and outrageous elements that had been inflicted upon its previous season, and focusing more on serious, hard-hitting storylines, with thoroughly credible villains and believable gadgetry. Better still, secret agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) have for the most part abandoned their clever bon mots, and in some cases are questioning and even challenging the "dirty" assignments handed them by their taciturn superior Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll). Less flippant and more cynical than ever before, Solo and Illya have completely forsaken the "comic-book" elements that had weakened their characters during the past season. And in another marked improvement -- albeit a superficial one -- the traditionally drab New York headquarters of U.N.C.L.E. have been given a complete face-lift, with the walls now "decorated" with state-of-the-art computer equipment (much of its recently purchased from NASA by the series' producers). One of the few artistic carryovers from seasons past is the "recycling" of certain multipart episodes as ready-made theatrical feature films. Examples during season four include the two-part "The Prince of Darkness Affair," which would be seen in theaters as The Helicopter Spies, and the series' two-part finale "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair," soon to be released theatrically as How to Steal the World. Despite the aforementioned improvements and upgrades in its content, the fourth season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was scuttled by two unforeseen developments. The first was the TV industry's overall toning down of violence, meaning that shows of the U.N.C.L.E. ilk would be denied the huge advertising revenues necessary for long-term survival. The other was NBC's decision to move the series from Friday evenings to Mondays, a move made on the assumption that U.N.C.L.E.'s CBS competition, Gunsmoke, was on its last legs. Unfortunately for NBC, Gunsmoke unexpectedly enjoyed a resurgence of popularity -- and this, coupled with already flagging ratings and a lack of sponsor support, doomed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to an ignominious mid-season cancellation on January 15, 1968. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Season 04 Cast and Crew:
 Robert Vaughn - (Napoleon Solo) |
 David McCallum - (Illya Kuryakin) |
 Leo G. Carroll - (Alexander Waverly) |
Production Credits:
Norman Felton (Executive Producer)
David Victor (Producer)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Season 04 Episodes:
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Summit Five Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Test Tube Killer Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The 'J' for Judas Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Prince of Darkness Affair, Part One
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Prince of Darkness Affair, Part Two
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Master's Touch Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Thrush Roulette Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Deadly Quest Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Fiery Angel Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Survival School Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Gurnius Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Man From Thrush Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Maze Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Deep Six Affair
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Seven Wonders of the World Affair, Part One
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Seven Wonders of the World Affair, Part Two
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