After years of rejecting offers to star in a TV series, Richard Widmark finally succumbed to Universal and NBC-TV's offer for a series. The pilot, La dernière enquête (1973). was rejected, however, and Widmark was asked to play Madigan in a segment of the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie during the 1972-73 season. The series was canceled after one season despite usually finishing in the top 30 of the Nielsen ratings.
Don Siegel says in his biography that Inger Stevens felt very uncomfortable during the shooting because producer Frank P. Rosenberg pushed her to rehearse a very difficult and poignant scene whilst she also had to shoot wardrobe tests throughout the day, a totally impossible schedule to follow, according to Siegel.
After the producers made a successful pilot with Richard Widmark, La dernière enquête (1973), they had second thoughts about it and decided to substitute the Dan Madigan character. Widmark agreed if half of the episodes could be shot in Europe.