ONTVLand: Quincy M.E. (An ONTD original)
Click to viewThanks to yeah_banana for the ONTVLand title!
Right after The Odd Couple ended, Jack Klugman took on a dramatic role as a Los Angeles county medical examiner who gets involved in police investigations. Originally 90 minutes long as part of The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie in the Autumn of 1976, alternating with Columbo, McCloud and McMillan (formally McMillan & Wife) the series was then made as 60 minute weekly episodes after NBC canceled the Sunday Mystery Movie in 1977. The series would run until 1983.
Quincy, always referred to by his last name or the nickname Quince, was ethical, proficient & often passionate about his work. He butted heads with his boss, Dr. Asten (John S. Ragin), & LAPD Homicide detective Monahan (Garry Walberg) & Sgt. Bril (Joseph Roman), but with the assistance of lab tech Sam Fujiyama (Robert Ito) always got to the bottom of things.
This is one of the first mystery series to not only show that things like bullet casings & fingerprints were clues, but also got into the forensic evidence that would be the basis of later shows like CSI.
While the early episodes are more of the whodunit or howcatchem type, with Quincy pursuing his own investigation & finding the culprit ahead of the LAPD, later episodes focused on social issues and responsibilities that often related to the case of the week. Topics included flaws in the drunk drive laws, lax airline safety regulation, & Autism.
Quincy was a widower whose wife had died from cancer a few years before the time the series takes place. He had a girlfriend in the first season, who is gone by the second & he was free to date around. It was the swinging ‘70s after all!
Like Columbo, he was never referred to by his first name. Although R. Quincy was once seen on a business card of his & was on his office door in early episodes.
Nearly all of the equipment in the lab was real, working things typically found in such a place. Technical Advisor Marc Scott Taylor was recruited to work the equipment & given the role of a lab tech, also named Marc, because it was easier to give him a bit part then to try to train the actors to operate the equipment without damaging it.
The character of Quincy was inspired by Dr. Thomas Noguchi, a real life L.A. County Medical Examiner. He performed the autopsies of Marlyn Monroe & John Belushi among others. Noguchi was also the inspiration for the Canadian series Wojeck in 1966.
Where can you watch it?
Currently Quincy M.E. is not available on streaming. Although there are some seasons on Region 1 & 2 DVD and YouTube has episodes.
Channels like MeTV, RetroTV (Retro Television Network) & Cozi will sometimes run the series, which can be watched with an antenna for the over-the-air signals or some cable lineups will have one or two of these channels.
Sources; Me, Myself & I, Wikipedia, IMDB, Just Watch, YouTube 1, 2, 3