The Rockford Files debuted on NBC on September 13, 1974, and was a hit from the very beginning. James Garner starred as Jim Rockford, a private investigator who served time for a wrongful conviction, and the audience simply loved his handsome and hilarious character!
The Rockford Files had something that no other show in the 70s had: an average joe who lived in a mobile home with his father, dressed casually, and didn’t use violence, but instead his cool demeanor to talk his way out of tricky situations.
Jim was funny and relatable, and most men who watched the show wanted to be just like him, while many women were utterly infatuated with him.
Jim Rockford was different from any other PI on television. Because the character was played by a terrific actor, the show experienced excellent ratings for its six years on the air.
In fact, The Rockford Files was ranked No. 39 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. And the show continued to be played on various networks with great success for the next thirty years.
Although everyone loved Rockford’s character, another reason why the show experienced such immense success was because of the impressive writing. Cannell and Juanita Bartlett wrote most of the episodes, and their scripts were widely regarded throughout Hollywood.
In 1979, the show had to go on hiatus as Garner had injured his knee, his back, and even had an ulcer, and consequently could not perform for several months. Garner’s injuries were contracted on set as the actor did all of his own stunts, including the fight scenes, and the role was extremely physically taxing.
However, when he did recover, the show was abruptly canceled in 1980. NBC decided that the show was too expensive to produce even with incredible ratings. Fans around the country were quite disappointed, but luckily, a reunion was on the way.
Eight Rockford Files reunion TV movies were made from 1994 to 1999, which aired on CBS, not NBC. As it turns out, Garner went to court with NBC and Universal over the discrepancies within the original show’s profits, and they would never work together again.
The reunion movies were well received as they had most of the original cast playing themselves, only fifteen years later. And there have been several spinoffs of the program but none that took off or were even picked up by networks.
The truth is that The Rockford Files was a one-of-a-kind show with amazing writers and fantastic characters. The show is still in syndication today, and while there are almost too many shows to watch now, returning to The Rockford Files will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face.
