The Name of the Game is an American television series that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC, totaling 76 episodes of 90 minutes — an unusual length for a U.S. series, which generally runs 30 or 60 minutes. The series rotated between three characters working at a magazine empire: a crusading reporter with "People Magazine" (Tony Franciosa) -- before there was a real-life People Magazine -- the sophisticated publisher (Gene Barry), and a crime journalist (Robert Stack).

The series was based on the 1966 TV-movie Fame Is the Name of the Game, directed by Stuart Rosenberg. It maintained a high budget for television.blank">http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nameoftheg/nameoftheg.htm Franciosa was eventually fired during the show's run, and his rotation taken by various characters played by actors including _Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Robert Wagner, and Darren McGavin. Serving as a common thread was newcomer Susan Saint James as Peggy Maxwell, the editorial assistant for each. As well, Franciosa, Barry,and Stack occasionally crossed over into each others' shows, though all three leads never appeared onscreen simultaneously.

Director Steven Spielberg, later known for such science fiction hits as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, and such futuristic SF films as A.I. and The Minority Report, directed a dystopic SF episode, "L.A. 2017", written by Philip Wylie. In the episode, Barry's character, Glenn Howard, is hunted down in a lethally polluted Los Angeles of the future, where the fascist government is ruled by psychiatrists and the populace has been driven to live in underground bunkers to survive the pollution.

This odd series had three rotating stars, who were featured in independent episodes tied together by a loose common theme. The commonality was Howard Publications, the self-made publishing empire of Glenn Howard. Episodes featuring Howard focused on his business and political confrontations and his flamboyant lifestyles. Other episodes featured Jeff Dillon, a crusading investigative reporter, or Dan Farrell. Farrell was a retired FBI agent who used his position as the editor of "Crime Magazine" to wage a literary war against organized crime. The series had several semi-regulars who were featured in one or more of the plot threads, including editorial assistant Peggy Maxwell, and junior reporters Joe Sample, Andy Hill and Ross Craig. Written by Marg Baskin