Banacek poster

TV series

Banacek

1972TV-PG2 seasons8.4 / 10

Banacek is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 22, 2026

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Synopsis

Banacek is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several other shows but was the only one to last beyond its first season.

Season 2 episodes

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← Season 1

Episode 1

No Stone Unturned

1h 10m

"Man in Harmony," a 3-ton, 11-foot tall sculpture is missing at its gala unveiling. The 5-foot pedestal to which it was attached is all that remains to mark the theft. A ransom demand threatening to turn the large stone into gravel unless $500,000 is paid further complicates the case. Working, and competing, with a Boston Insurance Company colleague, Banacek has only two days to find the statue and collect his fee.

Episode credits

Guest stars Linden Chiles, Gary Lockwood, Joe Maross, Larry Pennell, Mark Russell

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Episode 2

If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn't He Tell Us Where He Is?

1h 10m

One morning Max - a huge, complex computer system - is missing from the locked, alarmed and guarded building he filled just the night before. Banacek steps in to find out how tons of computer machinery could be sneaked out leaving only bare walls.

Episode credits

Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiWritten by Robert Van ScoykGuest stars Sabrina Scharf, Alan Fudge, Julie Rogers, William Sylvester, Anne Baxter, Richard Jordan, Jim Davis, Poupée Bocar

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Episode 3

The Three Million Dollar Piracy

1h 10m

A three-million dollar wedding coach, being sent overseas, disappears shortly after being placed into a shipping container and loaded aboard ship, under the watchful eyes of two Boston Insurance Company employees. Enter Banacek, who must figure out the puzzling theft and find the coach before the ship sails to collect his ten percent.

Episode credits

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglenWritten by Stanley Ralph Ross, Jack Turley, Robert Van ScoykGuest stars Lada Edmund Jr., Linden Chiles, Don Knight, Richard Gautier, Arlene Martel, Hal Buckley, Titos Vandis, Martin Kosleck

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Episode 4

The Vanishing Chalice

1h 10m8.0 / 10

A one-of-a-kind Greek chalice worth 1.5 million dollars is stolen in front of many witnesses.

Episode credits

Guest stars Cesar Romero, Eric Braeden, Sue Ane Langdon, John Saxon, Paul Picerni, Dorrie Thomson

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Episode 5

Horse of a Slightly Different Color

1h 15m

Thoroughbred-owner Katherine Wells finished an interview at the track, then in confidence tells her horse trainer that she is quitting racing and sold her prized thoroughbred for $5,000,000. That after morning workout, the transfer would be official. Before new owner and camera crew, Oxford Dunn starts his quarter run.. yet a different horse finishes - with no time to switch in the "Horse of a Slightly Different Color." It's another impossible puzzle for Banacek.

Episode credits

Directed by Herschel DaughertyWritten by Jimmy Sangster, Harold LivingstonGuest stars Anne Francis, John Crawford, Harry Carey, Jr., Pamela Hensley, Linden Chiles, Ramon Bieri, Terry Wilson

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Episode 6

Rocket to Oblivion

1h 10m

A small but powerful prototype engine sits sealed in a rotating display case in the middle of a crowded trade-show floor. A power failure turns out the lights for a few seconds, and when the lights return, the rocket engine has vanished. Banacek must beat his competition to the solution before Federal agents step in.

Episode credits

Guest stars Linda Evans, Andrew Prine, Dick Van Patten, Robert Rothwell, Tom Drake, Philip Carey, Jimmy Joyce, Cosmo Sardo

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Episode 7

Fly Me- If You Can Find Me

1h 10m

A charter company jetliner makes an emergency landing at a small desert airstrip, blowing all of its tires and leaving a shaken flight crew. The next morning finds the pilot left guarding the plane dead and the airstrip empty of the immovable aircraft. Enter Banacek - in a chauffeur-driven jeep - to sort out the convolutions of pilots, stewardesses, old business partners and more to learn where the crippled plane has gone.

Episode credits

Directed by Bernard L. KowalskiWritten by Harold LivingstonGuest stars Sterling Hayden, Victoria Principal, Jack Kelly, Patricia Quinn, James Daris, Charles H. Gray, Carlos Romero, Richard Roat

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Episode 8

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

1h 10mfinale

A stage magician vanishes in the middle of his act, as he is about to be arrested on suspicion of a $1,750,000 securities fraud. Banacek is called in to try to recover the missing money and solve the mystery of the disappearing man.

Episode credits

Directed by Bernard McEveetyWritten by Stanley RobertsGuest stars James Rosin, Nancy Olson, Gretchen Corbett, Lynnette Mettey, Bruce Gordon, Phillip Pine, Kathrine Baumann, Frank Maxwell

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Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

More about Banacek

Cast

George PeppardThomas Banacek
George MurdockCavanaugh
Ralph ManzaJay Drury
Murray MathesonFelix Mulholland
Christine BelfordCarlie Kirkland
Stefanie PowersAngie Ives
Madlyn RhueHolly Allencamp
Robert WebberJerry Brinkman

Credits

Created by
Anthony Wilson
Written by
Harold Livingston, Jimmy Sangster, Stanley Roberts, Del Reisman, Robert Van Scoyk, David Moessinger, Paul Playdon, Stanley Ralph Ross, Robert Presnell Jr., Robert Van Scoyk, Harold Livingston, Robert Presnell Jr., Jack Turley, Howard Browne

Production details

Status
Canceled
Series type
Scripted
Episodes
16
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • NBCUnited States
  • Universal TelevisionUnited States
  • Universal Television EntertainmentUnited States

Themes

boston, massachusettsprivate detectivetheft