6 reasons 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' was the coolest spy show of the '60s
Did you know that the classic spy series of the Sixties had links to Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Star Trek?
Some think that comic book culture is a modern phenomenon. Yet, the 1966 television schedule was a sci-fi and comic lover's dream. In the wake of James Bond, the spy genre was booming, too. Mission: Impossible, Get Smart, The Man Who Never Was, I Spy and The Avengers were all fighting the Cold War with gadgets and secret agent skills. And then, of course, there was The Man from U.N.C.L.E., America's first spy show.
When The Man from U.N.C.L.E. premiered in 1964, the TV Guide schedule was a landscape of sitcoms. The popularity of the show signaled a sea change in programming. Over the course of its four seasons, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. underwent drastic changes as well — as we'll get to below — making it arguably the definitive action series of the decade.
Here are six reasons The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is the coolest spy show of the 1960s — even when it became the silliest.
1) Like James Bond, Napoleon Solo and April Dancer were the brainchildren of Ian Fleming.
2) It is technically set in the Sherlock Holmes universe.
3) William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy appeared in an episode together — years before Star Trek.
4) It was three dramatically (and comedically) different shows in one.
5) A famous board game inventor designed the weaponry.
6) The United Nations made the writers come up with the acronym for U.N.C.L.E.
69 Comments

MeTV could very easily turn their space into a "memory scrapbook" kicked off by a story to introduce the purpose. To include his favorite interests (charities) and a link to his official fan website, to leave proper messages of support and appreciate.
Life is in the moment, not a series of R.I.P.s serving little purpose in lieu of meaningful sentiment.
"Tell us what's your favorite episode of LITB. And your memory of Wally Cleaver."
That way the family has something to reference. It's here for posterity. And generates positive, supportive conversations, in terms of giving back.
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" People need to leave this alone.
Put yourself in the place of this saddened family."
Was a most appropriate comment.
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There was a lot of confusion yesterday and "𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲" of the comments in response to the news were sincere. However there was too much in the way of unnecessary banter.
"Tell us what's your favorite episode of LITB. And your memory of Wally Cleaver."
would be excellent add ins when MeTV posts their R.I.P memorials. Unfortunately it won't stop the banter generated by users.
MeTV has always been very timely in response to these unfortunate moments, and I think they handled the changing news on it just as timely.