The Hero (1966 TV series)

The Hero is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC on Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. Eastern from September 8, 1966 to January 5, 1967. It was the first television series for Richard Mulligan.

After reports of possible cancelation of the series surfaced in the fall of 1966, the National Association for Better Broadcasting (NABB) wrote to NBC and to sponsors Lever Brothers Company and R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company asking that it not be canceled. Frank Orme, NABB's executive director, said that ending the series would undermine writers' and producers' efforts to come up with shows "that would reverse the continuing decline in standards of network entertainment programming."

Premise
The series centers on Sam Garret, the star of a fictional Western television series titled Jed Clayton — U.S. Marshal. In contrast to the Western's success onscreen, Garret is "a clumsy bloke offscreen." An article in The New York Times described the character as "a good-natured family man with 10 thumbs and a fear of horses."

Other characters include Garret's wife, Ruth, and their son, Paul. Fred Gilman and his son, Burton, are the Garrets' neighbors.

Cast

 * Richard Mulligan as Sam Garret
 * Mariette Hartley as Ruth Garret
 * Bobby Horan as Paul Garret
 * Victor French as Fred Gilman
 * Marc London as Dewey
 * Joey Baio as Burton Gilman

Production
Leonard Stern was the series's creator and executive producer. Jay Sandrich was the producer for Talent Associates. Sixteen episodes were filmed in color at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. It was broadcast at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays.