Too short lived. I never did get it, but it was fun to watch and well done.

In college, we always thought it must be some kind of weird sequel to Secret Agent. I always wondered how Rover, the guard balloons worked.

As did Irishgit, I bought the entire series. I haven't had a chance to watch it again, however.

One of the high water marks for television, this enigmatic series continues to fascinate me today. I bought it on DVD in the hope that I might finally figure out all the nuances, but I just discovered even more nuances. Very intelligent, well acted and very rewarding to watch.

This show has been called television's first materpiece and I agree with that statement completely. While it is neither sci fi or fantasy it is, in my view, one of the most sophisticated and intelligent adventure series (only 17 episodes in total) to ever make its way to television. Patrick McGoohan plays a secret agent who resigns and is then kidnapped and brought to a village on a remote island. Though the buildings and decorations are cheerful and brightly colored there is a dark purpose lurking underneath. All of the residents of the village have been brought there because they have some kind of valuable information. No one is safe from the eyes of their captors as even the statues which adorn the grounds are cameras and people can be watched and monitored wherever they may be, even in their living quarters. Everyone is assigned a number and Patrick McGoohan is assigned the number six. With the exception of actor Leo McKern who appears three times (twice as number two and in the final episode as the defeated and dead number two) there is a new number two for each episode and his or her job is to find out why the prisoner resigned. The prisoner does not know which side is holding him so he refuses to talk. They use every possible means in an attempt to get the prisoner to talk including drugs, shock treatments, hypnosis, as well as old fashioned deception. The prisoner stands his ground, defeating them at every turn and makes his every move a statement of contempt towards his captors. As number two (Leo McKern) is spying on the prisoner one morning he remarks that He even makes putting on his bathrobe an act of defiance. The main message of the program, beyond the prisoner trying to escape and discover who is the elusive number one, is that no man is a number. In the first episode he declares I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. Each show starts with the prisoner saying I am not a number, I am a free man followed by laughter from the actor or actress playing number two for that particular episode. The show has many little nuances that can be interpreted in different ways. For example, in each episode one of the characters says the phrase Be seeing you and makes an ok sign with his right hand, holding the circular part of his hand up to his eye....... or is he actually forming the number six with his hand and reminding the prisoner that he is always being watched? (The reply is the same hand signal and saying and you. ) There is also the threat of rover which is the sphere like security device that roars as it chases and captures (or kills) all those who might attempt to escape. If you have ever felt caught up in the conformity of the world and the sometimes useless procedures one must go through in order to get along, I highly recommend this program. If you feel as if you are just a number and not a free individual then perhaps this show might inspire you to someday defy your captors and escape from the village that is holding you prisoner. Be seeing you.........

My favorite cult-classic TV show. Loved the idea and watched all seventeen episodes. From the opening dialogue to Number Six's defiance on the Island, this was just a great,odd and puzzling show that was just fascinating to watch.