OK, this is going to seriously date me -- but the first season of Man from Uncle (1964-65) was by far superior to the 2.5 seasons that followed for several reasons: they started out with a novel premise: explore the stories of "civilians" caught up in espionage/terrorist intrigue, and how the professional agents played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum interacted with them. Decent storylines (for the era) and generally good performances (fine acting by the regulars and thoughtful casting of guests). Even the theme music, by Jerry Goldsmith, was outstanding --a fully orchestrated blues riff! But -- the Bond craze was in full bloom then (Goldfinger was released during that first Uncle season), so during the 2nd season, the original premise was dropped and the show became a routine spy saga; even the theme was scaled back in scope. By the middle of the 4th season, it was no longer a novelty, and was cancelled in early '68. Curiously, show reruns crop up occasionally on cable -- but almost always the post-'65 seasons -- largely because (gasp!) the first season was still in black & white!, it wasn't filmed in color until the 2nd season. Worth seeking out in DVD -- as long as it contains that first season!