Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Film noir was really a movie style until Peter Gunn. And PG brought it to the small screen. I was 11 when PG premiered and knew nothing of film noir. Our city had two broadcast channels and no cable TV. My friends and I in the school band mostly noted the Henry Mancini music. I transcribed a simple version of the theme, and our little Jr High talent show group won over a superior-but less pop musical group playing "Put Your Head on My Shoulder".Now that I'm old but not dead, I've rediscovered Peter Gunn on Amazon. For years a fan of film noir, I was blown away by the pilot episode. Holy cow! 1958 was at or near the end of classic film noir, yet PG may be one of the best of the genre and probably the only film noir TV series. Unlike most TV and a lot of movies of the time, PG's outdoor night scenes were actually shot at night! Like others here, I think it could have been better as a one hour show, as it's a major challenge to tell a whole dramatic story in a half hour program. OTOH, this series is a great way to introduce your millennial friends to film noir. 25 minutes almost fits their attention span. Next thing you know, they'll be looking up The Big Sleep and the Maltese Falcon.

How many TV themes from 1958 can be instantly recalled and hummed by today's teenagers? This is the only one I know of. Not only is Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn Theme a jazz masterpiece, his (hot, cool, and sometimes even ethereal) jazz scores for the show are still as gripping as they were when they were composed and recorded - over half a century ago. Combine that with producer/creator Blake Edwards at his up-and-coming very best, big-screen quality cinematography, routinely spectacular stunt work, and just the right cast - and you've got an enduring treasure of a TV series. Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn is several notches smoother than James Bond - but also willing to tangle with anyone and also willing to take his licks. Pete wins some and he loses some. but he's always ready to slug it out with the best of them. Stevens is as athletic as any actor around and, supported by the best brawling stunt men you've ever seen, the fights are as real as you're ever going to get. And on this show violence doesn't just appear - it EXPLODES out of nowhere! With some classics of this era, people still debate whether they're truly "noir" or not. There's no debate here - Edwards gives us noir of a purity seldom seen anywhere else. Quirky character portrayals bring dark urban sets to life - alluring temptresses linger everywhere - and without any inclination to hide their sensuality. Pete, the tenacious, hard-nosed foe for low-lifes and gangsters - is a suave, lusty, gentleman playboy with the ladies. Oh, but for Pete, nightclub singer Edie Hart is special. Pete may earn his living competing in the testosterone driven world of the big-city private detective ... but it's a whole different scene when he slips into "Mother's" place where Edie sings every night. There he's welcomed by "Mother" herself and - wow - "Mother" has no problem with what Pete and Edie are up to! Pete moves effortlessly from the macho world of the mean streets to the warm, female environment of "Mother's place". The dynamic is classic and the transition palpable. The technical quality is always superb. You'll not only see close, intense, intimate scenes - you'll see large scale exterior sets that would normally take half a day for a top cinematographer to light so exquisitely. Yet even with the extra limitations of shooting for the limited contrast range of black and white television, these amazing setups have been created somehow at TV production pace, on a TV budget. The atmosphere is delicious - the sensuality omnipresent - the action stunning. This show was way ahead of its time and, as you might guess, the outcries of "too hot for TV" were loud and many. But fortunately "PETER GUNN" delivers several seasons of stunning, delicious, unforgettable period noir drama we can treasure forever.

I have been watching this show. I barely remember it from my childhood days due to it being a bit racy for its time. Mostly, I just remember the great Henry Mancini theme song. However, the plots are very entertaining even in today's time. In fact, unlike many of today's crime shows, which usually last an hour (including commercial time), most drag out showing parts of this and that which really do not move the plot along well, in Peter Gunn, the short 30 minute slot is generally packed with interesting scenes and is generally unpredictable until the very end. The acting is superb by nearly every cast member in every episode. Except for the cars on the street and the wonderful jazz scores and scenes, there is so little to make this show out-dated. Most of the actions that occur could still occur today (if you discount some technology like everyone having a cell phone and being to get information on the internet). The show is in B&W but the show is so gritty the lack of color actually gives it a good film noir feel. It is really a shame that Craig Stevens (Peter Gunn) has not even been given a Star on the Walk of Fame. If you are a fan of gritty crime shows and a lover of good jazz, this is a series you do not want to pass up.

TV actors, at least in the old days when they were placed in a separate class from movie actors, often seemed to be clones of their movie brethren. Some were singular in their associations. Nehemiah Persoff seemed to be the Edward G. Robinson of television, getting similar roles and acting them in a very similar manner. Carolyn Jones was the Bette Davis of TV, even to the point of playing a set of sisters one of whom is a murderer on Burke's Law. Other's had company in their pursuits. The western stars were all either John Wayne or Gary Cooper, with an occasional Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda thrown in, (including the real thing on "The Deputy"). There were a whole selection of Clark Gables, including John Russell, Rory Calhoun, Richard Egan , Robert Lowery and others. There were plenty of Brandos, including Burt Reynolds, George Maharis and John Saxon. There were enough Rock Hudsons to fill a theater, with John Gavin, Tom Tryon and Gardner McKay coming immediately to mind. The blonde versions I call the "Redfords", a group of thoughtful , well educated types of which Robert Redford was one along with James Franciscus, Richard Chamberlain and William Shatner. They had varying degrees of success with Redford emerging as the head of the class. Perhaps the most successful strain, however were the Cary Grants. Grant made an ideal model for the suave detective hero, able to be charming or tough as the occasion demanded. Craig Stevens was hired to play Peter Gunn specifically because of a strong resemblance to Grant. His tightlipped performance was not really very charming but it's surely how Cary would have played that character. Latern-jawed John Vivyan played a role that Grant had actually essayed in the movies, Mr. Lucky. He was competent at best. The heroes of the Warner Brother's detective shows were largely based on Cary Grant. Ephram Zimbelist Jr.'s Stu Bailey was a grant-style role with a lot more charm than Peter Gunn. Richard Long's Rex Randolph on Bourbon Street Beat was much the same. Anthony Eisley's Tracy Steele was a less convincing version of the same character on Hawaiian Eye. But the best of the Grant clones was Gene Barry. He was male-model handsome, had good breeding and seductive whiskey voice. He was also TV's greatest reactors. He had a series of comic takes that was perfect for Amos Burke, who had to confront an unending series of eccentric subjects. Yet he could turn around and romance the ladies or get tough with the tough guys. And he was a good enough actor to hold up his end when the heavy dramatics intervened. One wonders what the originals of these clones must have thought as they watched the boob tube in it's infancy.