TV series
«The chief of detectives!»
When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.
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Checked Jul 22, 2026
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When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.
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Episode 1
A police chief who is confined to a wheelchair and a former cop who is now a priest team up to discover who has been committing a series of murders of local priests. (Note: This was a crossover episode for the short lived series "Sarge" starring George Kennedy)
Guest stars George Kennedy, Anthony Zerbe, Ned Romero, Robert Sampson, Ann Doran, Kermit Murdock, Peter Brocco, Charles Seel
Episode 2
Due to give evidence, the Chief discovers that there is a contract out on his life, and that the chosen killer is a highly dedicated man. Whilst the authorities see only the lethal killer, however, it seems that everybody has another side to their personality.
Directed by Don WeisGuest stars George N. Neise, Joyce Jameson, Stephen R. Hudis, Phillip Pine, James Olson, Marion Ross, Len Wayland, Paul Bryar
Episode 3
A phoney cab driver is taking men to so-called parties, where they are drugged and robbed; but when one of the victims winds up dead, the Chief takes on the case. When he and his team try to follow the cab driver, however, they find that the gang are rather more dangerous than they had first appeared.
Guest stars James Drury, Michael Lerner, Tom Hallick, Cliff Emmich, Lynnette Mettey, Frank Parker, C. Lindsay Workman, Claudia Jennings
Episode 4
After the murder of Police Captain Belding, his daughter, a rookie cop, is anxious to prove that the allegations of corruption against him were false. She hampers the Chief's investigations and generally gets in the way, but he takes a shine to her, and has her drafted onto the team.
Directed by Don WeisGuest stars John Lupton, Clifford David, Donald Woods, Madlyn Rhue, Johnny Seven, Bobby Darin, Van Williams
Episode 5
A prisoner is denied parole for no clear reason, and the Chief's investigations lead him to a woman who seems to have supernatural powers. With his team clearly taken in by the apparently inexplicable events going on, Ironside has his work cut out trying to find a rational explanation.
Directed by Don WeisGuest stars John Zaremba, Ford Rainey, Paul Stewart, Ed Haskett, Barbara Rush, Ray Walston, James Dobson
Episode 6
A policeman is shot and killed by an assailant. The evidence points to the murderer being a local thief, currently enjoying a reign of terror in San Francisco, but soon the investigations lead elsewhere.
Guest stars George D. Wallace, Stuart Nisbet, Ross Elliott, Brandon De Wilde, Vera Miles, Ned Romero, Ann Doran, Stuart Randall
Episode 7
Chief Ironside's sponsored "daughter" arrives from Korea, intending to marry a fellow Korean now living in San Francisco. Before he can be fully happy about the marriage, however, the Chief wants to know a little more about her fiancè; and soon finds out that the young man is in trouble.
Directed by Leslie H. MartinsonWritten by Martin RothGuest stars Buck Young, Soon-Tek Oh, Dana Elcar, Jean Byron, Lee Delano
Episode 8
An actor/producer is murdered during a series of comic improvisations, and all of the actors present at the time seem to be suspects. Given a number of aliases and false leads, the Chief embarks on the trail of the killer.
Directed by Don WeisWritten by Max HodgeGuest stars Elaine Giftos, Roddy McDowall, Joey Forman, Michael Bell, Anne Archer, Bob Hastings
Episode 9
Fran Belding's cousin Bobby commits suicide, and a note left behind seems to suggest that he could not live without her love. A series of other notes then follow, suggesting either that he is still alive, or that somebody is trying to make her suffer for apparently having sent him to his death.
Guest stars Peggy Rea, Anthony James, Christine Belford, M. Emmet Walsh, James B. Sikking
Episode 10
On a day out with Mark, Ed finds a body in the park, but when Homicide arrives it has gone. Teased by his rival, Homicide Sergeant Larry Mullen, Ed is anxious to prove that there really was a body, but the Chief would rather have him working on a kidnapping case with the FBI. It soon appears, however, that the two cases may in fact be the same one.
Guest stars William Benedict, Lee Montgomery, Warren Berlinger, Fred Holliday, Beth Brickell, Brian Avery, Charles Bateman, Bill Zuckert
Episode 11
Ed is shot during a raid on a jewellery store, and his life is saved by a stranger who vanishes as soon as the authorities arrive on the scene. When it later transpires that the stranger is a soldier gone AWOL following the murder of a colleague, Ed is determined to prove him innocent of all charges.
Directed by Leslie H. MartinsonGuest stars Robert Pratt, Michael Callan, Don 'Red' Barry, Diana Muldaur
Episode 12
A string of deaths at a convalescence home leads the Chief to go undercover as a patient, whose two children (Fran Belding and Ed) hint that they wish he were "no longer their problem". It soon appears that violence and murder are considered due care by certain members of the staff.
Guest stars Lynn Hamilton, Jon Lormer, Ruth Roman, John Carradine, Jason Wingreen, Marco López
Episode 13
A policeman is killed, and his murderer is subsequently shot by the dead man's partner; and when it transpires that both officers were at the Police Academy with Ed, Ironside becomes involved. When he begins investigating, the Chief discovers that the second death was no murder, but a set up.
Guest stars Tad Horino, Amzie Strickland, David Carradine, Roger Perry, Richard Anderson, Jackie Coogan, James McEachin, Michael Conrad
Episode 14
Ed discovers that a man sought on assault charges is Bernie Simmonds, a man who was in his class at school. Whilst pursuing the investigation he meets again with Ann Garfield, his first love; now widowed with two small children. Love, it seems, is set to blossom twice; unless Ann knows more about Bernie than she is letting on.
Guest stars Alex Henteloff, Gary Crosby, Johnny Seven, Marlyn Mason
Episode 15
The son of an old friend, fearing that his father's life is in danger, asks the Chief to go to Tokyo. Once there Ironside finds his old friend wheelchair-bound as a result of an accident, and begins to work on his own theory about who might have hired a hitman to kill such a respected old man.
Directed by Leslie H. MartinsonGuest stars George Takei, James Shigeta, Yuki Shimoda, Bob Okazaki, Lloyd Kino
Episode 16
The Chief is sure that a man just released from prison is responsible for the murder of a policeman, but as determined as he is to prove it, the man in question is equally determined that it will never be proved. With this in mind he persuades a woman of dubious reputation to become close to Ironside, so that she can assassinate him.
Directed by Corey AllenGuest stars Len Lesser, Johnny Seven, Dane Clark, Antony Carbone, Suzanne Pleshette
Episode 17
A string of bank robberies are being committed, all with the exact hallmarks of a certain thief recently released from prison. Having a liking for the ex-con, however, the Chief wishes to believe in his innocence, and sets out to prove that it may be a copycat who is responsible for the raids.
Guest stars Burgess Meredith, Bernie Kopell, Frank Aletter, Myron Healey
Episode 18
A Mob numbers racket suffers a series of robberies, but is understandably unwilling to report the thefts. The Chief, feeling that he knows who might be the guilty party, sets out not only to stop the robberies, but also to get to the thief before the Mob metes out their own form of justice.
Guest stars John Barbour, Charo, Mike Road, Pat Hingle, Robert Emhardt, Morgan Paull, Norman Leavitt, George Sawaya
Episode 19
A military-issue fragmentation grenade is used in an attack on two Vietnam veterans, one of whom - a friend of Mark's - is killed. When it transpires that another of the pair's old unit has come under similar attack, the Chief sets out to trap the killer, using Ed in a cunning disguise as bait.
Guest stars Frank Maxwell, Scott Hylands, Virginia Gregg, Felton Perry, Percy Rodriguez, Vic Tayback, Karen Carlson, Bo Hopkins
Episode 20
A string of murders is committed, and in each case the victim has a numbered disk in their possession. After number four is found dead, it transpires that the Commissioner is the owner of disk number six; and the Chief disguises himself as number five - an irascible artist to whom he bears a striking resemblance - in order to keep him alive.
Directed by Don WeisGuest stars Shelly Novack, Michael Fox, Burr DeBenning, James McCallion, Jacqueline Scott, Marilyn Erskine, George Murdock, William Katt
Episode 21
The small daughter of a friend of the Chief's dabbles in witchcraft, and becomes convinced that she is responsible for the death of her parents' landlord. Taking to the case to show her that the truth is otherwise, Ironside discovers that the man arrested for causing the death might be equally innocent.
Directed by Christian I. Nyby IIGuest stars John Schuck, Paul Carr, Rod Serling, Milton Selzer, Jodie Foster
Episode 22
The son of a judge involved in a fraud case is framed for the murder of a young actress, in the hope that this will force a lighter sentence in the fraud trial. The Chief sets out to ensure that justice can be done, whilst at the same time protecting an innocent young man from ruining a career he has not yet had a chance to embark upon.
Directed by Raymond BurrGuest stars Val Avery, Michael Gough, Hilly Hicks, Arthur Space, Johnny Seven, Kerwin Mathews, Rick Lenz, Ian Wolfe
Episode 23
A violin tutor at a conservatory in San Francisco is murdered, and the suspects include an eclectic mix of talented musicians. The only clue possessed by the Chief is a message sent by the dead man to one of his students, hidden in a collection of pieces of classical music.
Directed by Alf KjellinGuest stars Collin Wilcox Paxton, Kevin Hagen, Paul Koslo, Tim Matheson
Episode 24
Alone in the office, Fran Belding is attacked by an escaped convict, and helped by a mystery man who refuses to tell her his name. The next morning he is reported missing by his wife, and his disappearance seems to be connected to the case of a major drug dealer whose very existence has always been suspect.
Guest stars Louisa Moritz, Robert Karnes, Sandra Gould, Johnny Seven, Anne Francis, Nico Minardos, Woodrow Parfrey
Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026
Raymond BurrRobert Ironside
Don GallowayEd Brown
Don MitchellMark Sanger
Barbara AndersonEve Whitfield
Art Metrano
Dana ElcarBill O'Brien
Paul Carr
NBCUnited States
Universal TelevisionUnited States
