The first choice for the role of McCloud was Fess Parker, who turned it down. Universal hired Dennis Weaver, who was well known as a "western" actor from Gunsmoke. The pilot, "Portrait of a Dead Girl", aired on February 1… See more

The most enduring theme of the show was the conflict between the good-natured, clear-eyed buoyancy of McCloud and the metropolitan cynicism of the residents of New York City, including his fellow officers. McCloud's … See more

The show, which was in some sense a big city western, was set in New York City during what was arguably NYC's lowest point in the late 20th century, a period following the troubled 1960s and leading up to the fisca… See more

Weaver, Cannon and Carter later reprised their roles in a made-for-television movie, The Return of Sam McCloud, which premiered on November 12, 1989 on CBS. McCloud, who is now a United States Senator for … See more