Detective Series - The first private eye series was MARTIN KANE, PRIVATE EYE/NBC/1949-54 with Martin Kane a tough, determined New York City gumshoe played by William Gargan (1949-51), Lloyd Nolan (1951-52), Lee Tracy (1952-53) and Mark Stevens (1953-54). HONEY WEST/ABC/1965-66 was the first network private eye drama to feature a woman detective in the lead role. Anne Francis played Honey West a blond, karate-chopping Los Angeles detective whose character debuted on an April 1965 episode of the police drama BURKE'S LAW/ABC/1963-66.