Operation: Runaway!

Jim 1970s

Aired: 1978-79

Operation: Runaway

NBC

DAD: David McKay (Robert Reed) / Single

DAD’S JOB: Psychologist

KIDS: Mark Johnson (Michael Biehn), Susan Donovan (Ruth Cox) (teens)

WHERE’S MOM?: Unclear where the whereabouts of birth parents were.

STAND-IN “MOM”: Karen Wingate (Karen Machon) / Girlfriend of David’s

Kinda like a dead serious version of Bachelor Father. David McKay was a psychologist who counselled teen runaways, and he apparently liked to take his work home with him. Mark and Susan were two runaways who became his Youthful Wards, a la Dick Grayson.

This whole premise didn’t seem to work out, so in the last half of the series run NBC dumped David McKay. Too late — the series cratered after a month with the revamped show.