Conflict erupts within a close-knit engine company of a big-city fire department when a black recruit and a bigoted white veteran clash during a wave of suspected arson in the ghetto. Pilot to the short-lived series that began a run in January 1974.
Acting
Roundtree's charisma fights the script's clumsiness—and mostly wins.
Production
Genuine fire stunts on a TV budget look accidentally dangerous.
Director
Alex March
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This flopped as a pilot but ABC burned off three episodes anyway in 1974, making it TV's most committed mistake.
Released months after Shaft's Big Score, this tried to cash in on Roundtree's stardom while awkwardly grafting him onto a white ensemble—a tension the script never resolves.
US
