Because it was to be aired on over-the-air television, CBS felt that the narrative of Shaft needed to be toned down as compared to the original three films. Now instead of opposing the police, Shaft worked with them, creating conflicts with Hawkins starring cinema legend James Stewart, another police series with a starkly different viewership. Contemporary analysts suggested that since Shaft and Hawkins appealed to vastly different audience bases, alternating them only served to confuse fans of both series, giving neither one the time to build up a large viewership.[2][3][4][5] A further contributor to its ratings failure was competition from other crime drama series starring African-American private investigators, NBC's Tenafly and ABC's Get Christie Love!.[6] Richard Roundtree himself publicly expressed his disdain for the small-screen version of Shaft.[7][8]
Episodes
Nº
Title
Original air date
1
"Shaft and the Enforcers"
October 9, 1973 (1973-10-09)
When a lawyer friend fails to return home after successfully defending a man accused of slaying a police officer, Shaft is summoned by the wife. When the lawyer and his client are fished out of the river, Shaft discovers they are the latest in a line of similar murders that have stumped police Lieutenant Al Rossi for months.
2
"Shaft and the Killing"
October 30, 1973 (1973-10-30)
An ex-girlfriend of Shaft’s, Diana Richie, is badly beaten and ends up in hospital. Shaft goes up against the pimp who delivered the beating, but when the pimp later turns up dead Shaft is the chief suspect.
3
"Shaft and the Hit-Run"
November 20, 1973 (1973-11-20)
Shaft is hired to help David Oliver, who is accused of killing Eddie Simmons in a hit-run with a stolen car. The investigation leads Shaft to come up against Clifford Grayson who is running an illegal gambling joint and for whom Simmons was a collector.
4
"Shaft and the Kidnapping"
December 11, 1973 (1973-12-11)
Three kidnappers, disguised as black men, break into Williamson’s house in a small upstate town and kidnap Nancy and leave the banker bound and gagged. They demand a ransom of $250,000 be delivered by John Shaft the next day.
5
"Shaft and the Cop Killer"
January 1, 1974 (1974-01-01)
Shaft is asked by a former high school classmate to help her husband, Police Officer Jerry Tyler, who has been accused of taking bribes. Although Shaft accepts Tyler’s story of being framed up by bar owner, Larry Doyle and his stooge, Brock, he declines the case but offers to seek help from the police. But when Lt Al Rossi is shot, Shaft takes a personal interest.
6
"Shaft and the Capricorn Murders"
January 29, 1974 (1974-01-29)
Gil Kirkwood, a financier in deep corporate trouble, fakes his own death in a fire which was also meant to kill his wife, Joanna, who is independently wealthy. With his wife dead, and himself presumed dead, Kirkwood had hoped to escape to South America with $3 million in diamonds from her safe deposit box. But when Joanna is rescued from the fire she hires Shaft, who has previously worked for her father, to investigate.
7
"Shaft and the Murder Machine"
February 19, 1974 (1974-02-19)
Shaft puts himself up as bait for hit-man Richard Quayle who inadvertently murders the fiancee of a friend whilst carrying out the assassination of a state witness.
^"Richard Roundtree." Unsung Hollywood. Nar. Gary Anthony Williams. Exec. Prod. Frank Sinton, Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, and Mark Rowland. TV One, 25 Mar. 2015. Television.
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