Hong Kong (1960-61)
by Diane Tomasik
From the Complete Rod Taylor site

In between a pair of enduring big-screen favorites -- "The Time Machine" and "The Birds" -- Rod Taylor spent a season on TV, in "Hong Kong."

As an American correspondent assigned to cover the Orient, Evans solved murders, foiled kidnappings, wooed women and even managed to write a few newspaper stories.

The show was full of adventure and style, set in an exotic locale where the hero dashed about in a convertible and donned a white dinner jacket while facing equal parts danger and romance.

Hong Kong's 26 hour-long episodes were shot in black and white. The show featured sophisticated story lines, music by Lionel Newman and a new leading lady each week (to the delight of the leading man). But despite having the makings of a blockbuster, "Hong Kong" couldn't compete against the hugely popular "Wagon Train" on NBC.

ABC aired the show at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, but "Hong Kong" wasn't exactly kid stuff, filled as it was with shady characters, frequent brawls, strange dialects, drinking, smoking and lots of kissing. Although it suffered in the ratings -- prompting Taylor to note sarcastically that "only 13,500,000 are watching us" -- it nevertheless stirred great fondness and a lingering sense of adventure in many fans.

Click here for an episode guide and more details about "Hong Kong" from The Complete Rod Taylor site.