December 17, 1975 (1975-12-17) – October 20, 1976 (1976-10-20)
The Blue Knight is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from December 17, 1975 until October 20, 1976. It stars George Kennedy as Officer Bumper Morgan. The show was based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Joseph Wambaugh and produced by Lorimar Productions. It was also inspired by the 1973 TV film The Blue Knight, starring William Holden, which ran before the TV show premiered.
Plot
Bumper Morgan is a veteran police officer in Los Angeles, who continues to patrol the streets in uniform. The series dealt with Morgan's daily dealings with dangerous criminals and drug dealers.
75-minute pilot episode: Reaching his last week on the force before retirement, Bumper decides to devote his time to searching for a fellow officer's killer.
Season 1 (1975–76)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
1
1
"Two to Make Deadly"
Paul Krasny
Story by : Don G. Letney Teleplay by : Don G. Letney & Herman Groves
December 17, 1975 (1975-12-17)
Bumper's beat becomes a powder keg of murder and theft when two hoods decide it would be safer to rob other lawbreakers.
2
2
"Triple Threat"
Unknown
Unknown
December 24, 1975 (1975-12-24)
Bumper Morgan wounds a suspected mugger, then tangles with the injured man's fiercely protective sister, an attorney who will not believe that her brother is a criminal.
3
3
"Odds Against Tomorrow"
Daniel Haller
Anthony Lawrence
December 31, 1975 (1975-12-31)
When the mistress of a sadistic crime boss tries to leave him he beats her up, and vice officers ask Bumper Morgan's help in using the incident to persuade the girl to lead them to her long-wanted boyfriend.
4
4
"A Fashionable Connection"
Unknown
Unknown
January 7, 1976 (1976-01-07)
Bumper discovers that a high style fashion firm, headed by a shrewd woman designer, is the front for a smoothly-operated narcotics trade.
5
5
"The Cop Killer"
Unknown
Unknown
January 14, 1976 (1976-01-14)
A deranged ex-con, blaming Bumper Morgan for putting him behind bars, hires a killer to carry out his revenge.
6
6
"The Creeper"
Unknown
Unknown
January 28, 1976 (1976-01-28)
Bumper Morgan sets out to track down a mentally deranged hotel sneak thief.
7
7
"The Candy Man"
Unknown
Unknown
February 4, 1976 (1976-02-04)
After arresting a major drug pusher, Bumper finds the man is apparently immune to the law when federal narcotics agents put him back on the street.
8
8
"Mariachi"
Charles S. Dubin
Earl Wallace
February 11, 1976 (1976-02-11)
The savage beating of an elderly gambler sets Bumper on the trail of a loan shark and his sadistic henchman.
9
9
"Snitch's Karma"
Unknown
Unknown
February 25, 1976 (1976-02-25)
Eager to catch an elusive thief, Bumper reluctantly uses a small-time hood as an informant.
10
10
"A Slower Beat"
Paul Krasny
Walter Dallenbach
March 3, 1976 (1976-03-03)
Gunmen are holding up everybody on Bumper Morgan's beat—including his girlfriend—and detectives belittle him at every turn.
11
11
"To Kill a Tank"
Unknown
Unknown
March 10, 1976 (1976-03-10)
A dangerous criminal, armed with a stolen anti-tank gun, goes looking for a big score with his reluctant sidekick as Bumper tries to find him.
12
12
"The Pink Dragon"
Unknown
Unknown
March 24, 1976 (1976-03-24)
Bumper's campaign to close a hangout for crooks pits him against a hood who tries to trap him with a pretty girl.
13
13
"Everybody Needs a Little Attention"
Unknown
Unknown
March 31, 1976 (1976-03-31)
Bumper demonstrates to his partner that "everybody needs attention" after a massage parlor manager files a false complaint that threatens his badge.
Season 2 (1976)
No. overall
No. in season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
14
1
"Bullseye"
Unknown
Unknown
September 22, 1976 (1976-09-22)
A trigger-happy cop forces Bumper into an all-out battle by endangering a valuable informer.
15
2
"A Slight Case of Murder"
Unknown
Unknown
September 29, 1976 (1976-09-29)
Police machinery is hard to stop when evidence points to an old wino as a cop killer.
16
3
"Upward Mobility"
Unknown
Unknown
October 13, 1976 (1976-10-13)
Bumper stirs up trouble on his beat when he tries to steer a young girl into a safer life.
17
4
"The Rose and the Gun"
Unknown
Unknown
October 20, 1976 (1976-10-20)
An overeager young cop shoots and kills a suspect, then hints that Bumper was afraid to fire.
18
5
"Everything in Life is 3 to 1 Against"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
A retired cop is heavily in debt to a bookmaker Bumper has doggedly tried to shut down.
19
6
"A Matter of Justice"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
Defying Bumper's warning about taking the law into his own hands, a vigilante goes after a band of hoodlum-robbers who raped his daughter.
20
7
"Great Wall of Chinatown"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
Bumper investigates the shooting death of a Chinese gang leader
21
8
"Point of View"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
Bumper goes back to the Police Academy to take a course designed to update veterans in modern techniques. An ex-con has a job, but an informer says he is in on plans for a big robbery.
22
9
"Throwaway"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
Bumper is relieved from duty while officials investigate his fatal shooting of a hood.
23
10
"Death Echo"
TBD
TBD
Unaired
Bumper tells down-and-out bum Joey to stop disturbing the police when he keeps confessing that he is the one responsible for raping and murdering four women. But when Joey begins to give details which only the cops and the murderer know, Bumper realizes that Joey has become the sounding-board for a maniac.
