Most of the eps I've seen of season 1 are clever and well written, with really nice interplay between all the characters. Truly interesting to watch. I can see why it was a hit - I'd have been a regular, that's for sure.

Then, tonight, I got the season 2 opener from Netflix. It was actually painful to watch. Slightly boring, some stupid gags, goofball humor, "hip" social commentary and - worst of all - David McCallum somewhat reduced to more of a 2nd banana role (at least in "Alexander the Greater" and "Ultimate Computer"). I have to wonder if Robert Vaughn had the ego to throw his weight around before that season started, and wanted McCallum's focus reduced? Dunno, but it sure looks like it from these two eps...McCallum sure seems to have had fewer lines and less screen time than before. I mean: Solo wins a chess match with the evil genius and beats a musclebound dude in a ridiculous fight, while Ilya gets very muddy, gets beaten up, and whines something like "It's no use!" before Solo rescues him. Pity.

I can see why the show bombed - and not just because the spy fad was starting to fade. Had I been alive when it was on and got hooked during season 1, I would have sat through the opener for season 2 with my mouth open, then tuned out for good. Glad I didn't buy it!

Sorry to carp on this but it's a real unexpected downer...I don't think I'm going to order any more of season 2.

And I hear season 3 was even worse?!?!? Egad.

Gonna go watch Wild Wild West now...at least that show took a couple more years to peter out.

Yes, it went downhill FAST.

Sam Rolfe, the man who created U.N.C.L.E., left after the first season, so it lost his guidance. But the show was a big hit. It also paved the way in merchandising. One thing that hurt it was "Batman", which because of it's popularity caused the network to push for more campy action. It got so bad that after the third season, they made it too serious in the forth season. Although it was still better than the third. It also didn't help that they put it opposite "Laugh-In", but what really killed it was what also killed "The Wild, Wild West". That was the anti-violence movement, that killed several popular shows.

It should also be noted that the show did not have a big budget, and that didn't change as the show got more popular. If it hadn't been for the resources and back lot of MGM, the show would have been impossible to do. The show "I Spy" was NBC's prestige spy show, even though MFU was more popular.

Robert Vaughn was the star of the show, and I have never read of him trying to down play David McCallum's role. If you watch the first season, particularly the first episodes, David McCallum's character was not of equal status. It was the chemistry between the two, and viewer's letters that moved him up. If any thing I think that Robert Vaughn welcomed having some of the load taken off of him, as he was attending college at the time. He was definatly the co-star by time the second season came around. He also did a few movies during the show, so that could perhaps account for less time in some episodes.

David.