This week, classic television lovers mourned the death of Anne Francis, who broke the PI gender barrier with "Honey West" during the 1960s.
Still, there haven't been many females on commercial television playing private eyes, and certainly not without a partner. For instance, Laura Holt, played by Stephanie Zimbalist, had to hire Remington Steele, played by Pierce Brosnan in the enjoyable series that ran on NBC from 1982-87. Generally, female detectives have always had a man either as a partner or a boss. Where's the female version of Jim Rockford?
Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury in the wonderful CBS series "Murder, She Wrote," doesn't count; she's an author who happens to solve crimes. Charlie's Angels were, well, working for Charlie. And while "Honey West" broke ground, Anne Francis was frequently shown dressed in sexy attire, meaning that men's style wishes usually overcame women's substance.
The British do slightly better, with the successful "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," which is only available on cable here.
Don't expect any more groundbreaking from ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX in this respect, alas. And that's the saddest eulogy that can be delivered for Anne Francis. She may have broken a barrier, but practically no one's run past it.
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