Mike Connors played an unnamed undercover police agent who infiltrated organised crime – with his gun tucked into the back of his belt (where the bad guys always somehow failed to look or frisk) – to expose the leaders and prevent the spread of corruption. His name began as Nick Stone and was changed with each assignment in order to protect him.
Forever operating without credentials, recognition, or back-up, he passed himself off as a tough hood in order to infiltrate criminal gangs, wreck their schemes and bring the bad guys to justice.
The “tightrope” he walked was treacherous, for many of the police he aided had no idea who he was and would have shot him in various situations without realising he was working on their side.
Connors narrated each episode, and at the end of the show, as all the bad guys were arrested in a surprise police raid, Connors would say “. . . in the confusion, one man escaped. Me”.
Tightrope was dropped by CBS after one season despite good ratings and an unusually loyal following.
