# "Spy series" from the ITC era **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 13, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-series-from-the-itc-era/1028414 "2026-03-13T00:43:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-series-from-the-itc-era/1028414/21 "2026-03-13T22:27:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In the US, a lot of shows like _ **The Protectors** _ (the color version with Robert Vaughn) and _ **The Champions** _ were usually aired late at night on local stations as fillers. I swear that my current love of superheroes was kick-started by the “Almost Super” heroes of my grade school years. One of those was _The Champions_ (aka “How to Show Super Powers With Almost No Budget”). I just watched the first episode and what it lacked in modern effects and timing, it made up for with sweet nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-series-from-the-itc-era/1028414/22 "2026-03-13T22:40:29Z")
I find it interesting that the cheaper, less marketed shows were filmed in 16mm, in contrast to ones like _ **The Persuaders** _, which was quite lavish in 35mm. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it last more than one season. As an aside, the 35mm episodes of _ **Star Trek TOS** _ were transferred to 16mm film for broadcasting in Canada in the 1960s. I can’t help but wonder what the quality of those prints was like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-series-from-the-itc-era/1028414.md?page=1)