Kolchak: The Night Stalker - Production

Production

In late 1973, Matheson and William F. Nolan completed the script for an intended third television movie entitled The Night Killers, a story about android replicas. However, ABC decided it wanted a weekly series instead.

After some negotiation, McGavin agreed to return as Kolchak and also served as the series' executive producer. However, ABC did not obtain Jeff Rice's permission, and he sued the studio. The suit was resolved shortly before the series aired in the fall 1974 season; Rice received an on-screen credit as series creator. The first four episodes aired under the title of The Night Stalker. After a month-long hiatus, the series was renamed and returned as Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

The show featured a wide range of guest stars and many Hollywood veterans, including: Ken Lynch, Charles Aidman, Randy Boone, Scatman Crothers, Dick Van Patten, Jan Murray, Larry Storch, Jeanne Cooper, Alice Ghostley, Victor Jory, Murray Matheson, Julie Adams, John Dehner, Phil Silvers, Bernie Kopell, Marvin Miller, Jesse White, James Gregory, Hans Conried, Mary Wickes, Henry Jones, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Mason, Stella Stevens, Abraham Sofaer, David Doyle, Jim Backus, Kathleen Freeman, John Hoyt, Dwayne Hickman, Eric Braeden, Tom Skerritt, Erik Estrada, William Daniels, Jamie Farr, Pat Harrington, Jr., Larry Linville and Richard Kiel. Jimmy Hawkins appeared on the series as a Catholic priest on November 1, 1974, in what was his last acting appearance. McGavin's wife and assistant, Kathie Browne, appeared in the final episode as Lt. Irene Lamont. According to IMDB.COM, the singing duo "The Gang" filmed a scene for "The Sentry" episode, but the scene never aired. This scene has never been restored for home video and is the only "lost" footage from the series.

In addition, the series provided the first professional writing credit for Bob Gale, who wrote the script for the episode called "Chopper". David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, also worked on the series as a story editor, his first regular crew position in Hollywood. Gale is credited for eight episodes but as story editor also helped rewrite the remaining 12, and McGavin and others attribute much of the show's quirky humor to his creative input.

The series' ratings were mediocre and its star was growing dissatisfied, resulting in its cancellation after one year. The series aired on Friday nights at 10pm - a virtual graveyard for most TV series, particularly one aimed at a younger audience into horror. McGavin found himself rewriting scripts and doing much of the work of a producer without getting the full credit and compensation of one. McGavin had been unhappy with what he felt was the show's "monster of the week" direction, and an exhausting filming schedule. He asked to be released from his contract with two episodes remaining to be filmed, which the network granted in light of the show's dwindling ratings.

Two television movies, The Demon and the Mummy and Crackle of Death, were cobbled together in 1976. Each was based on previously-screened episodes from the series. McGavin provided a voice-over for both, which allowed the narrative to maintain some continuity. Because of this re-purposing, four episodes were removed from the syndication package and remained unavailable in their original format until Columbia House released them on VHS. In addition, another two previously-aired episodes were released on video called The Night Stalker: Two Tales of Terror.