The D.A. (1971 TV series)
| The D.A. | |
|---|---|
Robert Conrad as Paul Ryan
|
|
| Genre | Legal drama |
| Created by | Harold Jack Bloom |
| Written by |
Stephen J. Cannell Robert A. Cinader Robert C. Dennis Sidney Morse |
| Directed by | Alan Crosland, Jr. Dennis Donnelly Harry Harris Paul Krasny Harry Morgan Hollingsworth Morse Ozzie Nelson Alex Nicol Boris Sagal Jack Webb |
| Starring |
Robert Conrad Harry Morgan Ned Romero Julie Cobb |
| Theme music composer | Nelson Riddle |
| Composer(s) | Frank Comstock Nelson Riddle |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jack Webb |
| Producer(s) | Robert Forward |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Production company(s) |
Mark VII Limited Universal Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 17, 1971 – January 7, 1972 |
The D.A. is an American half-hour legal drama that aired Fridays at 8:00-8:30 pm on NBC for the 1971-72 season. It ran from September 17, 1971 to January 7, 1972 and was replaced by the more successful Sanford and Son the following week. The show was packaged by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited for Universal Television and is not to be confused with a show Webb produced in 1959 with a similar name, The D.A.'s Man, which starred John Compton in the lead role.
The D.A. starred Robert Conrad as Deputy District Attorney Paul Ryan, a tough-minded, hard-hitting prosecutor in Los Angeles County who was assisted by criminal investigator Bob Ramirez (Ned Romero). He prosecuted all types of cases under the watchful eye of his supervisor, Chief Deputy District Attorney H. M. "Staff" Stafford (Harry Morgan, who directed at least one episode himself). His opponent was usually Public Defender Katherine Benson (Julie Cobb). During the courtroom segments Ryan also provided a voice-over narration (like Dragnet), which brought the audience in on legal jargon and court procedures and allowed there to be less exposition in the dialogue, which was necessary due to the program's brevity, as most legal dramas have episodes twice the length of that of The D.A..
This program, however, is probably less known for its own storylines than for its lack of station clearances. Several NBC affiliates refused to air the program (mainly because it ran against ABC's Brady Bunch), choosing instead to take the time period for themselves (usually filling it with syndicated programs). Because of the station defections, NBC cancelled The D.A. in mid-season and replaced it the following week with the highly successful Sanford and Son.
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