Cop on the Beat

Directed by Virgil W. Vogel

With Lloyd Bridges, Pat Crowley, Jim Backus, Dane Clark and Dean Stockwell

An aging street cop goes after a gang of toughs involved in several robbery-rapes on his beat in this pilot (a spin-off from "Police Story") for the 1975-76 series. The veteran cop concept also was the basis for "The Blue Knight" series at the same time — and that, too, was based on a Joseph Wambaugh creation. Also known as "The Return of Joe Forrester."