# McMillan & Wife (1971)

> A San Francisco police detective and his wife, a former lawyer turned amateur sleuth, team up on lighthearted 1970s cases.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/10092

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 39
- Episode runtime: 90 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, comedy, mystery
- Created by: Leonard B. Stern
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Susan Saint James, Rock Hudson, John Schuck, Nancy Walker, Richard Gilliland, Martha Raye, Paul Stewart, Pat Harrington Jr.
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066685/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: lighthearted, witty, cozy, breezy, nostalgic

## Synopsis

McMillan & Wife (1971-1977) is an American police procedural created by Leonard B. Stern for NBC, running six seasons and 39 ninety-minute episodes as part of the NBC Mystery Movie wheel. Rock Hudson plays Stewart Mac McMillan, a San Francisco police commissioner, and Susan Saint James plays his wife Sally, whose sharp instincts and playful stubbornness keep pulling her into his investigations. John Schuck plays Sgt. Charles Enright, the rumpled officer who works the cases alongside them, while Nancy Walker brings sitcom-style comic energy as the household's Mildred. The engine of each episode is a self-contained murder or theft puzzle that the couple untangles with bickering affection and domestic teasing, so the marriage is as central as the crime. Shaped as a case-of-the-week series, it moves at an easygoing pace, with the emphasis on witty dialogue and warm chemistry rather than grim forensics. Its breezy, nostalgic 1970s San Francisco atmosphere suits viewers who enjoyed Columbo and McCloud and want a cozy, comedic mystery with a romantic partnership at its heart.

## Shows like McMillan & Wife

- [Hart to Hart (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/3005)
- [Jake and the Fatman (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4301)
- [77 Sunset Strip (1958)](https://ember.film/tv/872)
- [Ironside (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/4361)
- [The Streets of San Francisco (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/2342)
- [The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)](https://ember.film/tv/2785)
- [The Rockford Files (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/899)
- [Banacek (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/1258)
- [Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/13774)
- [Simon & Simon (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/1993)

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