The film is a lavish fictionalized re-telling of the Watergate story (loosely based on ex-Nixon aide John Ehrlichman’s novel The Company) mixing political intrigue and personal drama and centering on the rise of a power-hungry American president and the men with whom he surrounds himself in order to keep his grip on his office. The story builds from a soap-opera start into a trenchant study of power that corrupts.
Created by David W. Rintels
Based on The Company by John Ehrlichman
Written by Eric Bercovici
John Ehrlichman
David W. Rintels
Directed by Gary Nelson
Starring Cliff Robertson
Jason Robards
Stefanie Powers
Theme music composer Dominic Frontiere (5 episodes)
Richard Markowitz (1 episode)
Cliff Robertson as William Martin
Jason Robards as President Richard Monckton
Stefanie Powers as Sally Whalen
Robert Vaughn as Frank Flaherty
Lois Nettleton as Linda Martin
Barry Nelson as Bob Bailey
Harold Gould as Carl Tessler
Tony Bill as Adam Gardiner
Andy Griffith as President Esker Scott Anderson
John Houseman as Myron Dunn
David Selby as Roger Castle
Meg Foster as Jenny Jamison
Peter Coffield as Eli McGinn
Frances Lee McCain as Paula Stoner Gardiner
Barry Primus as Joe Wisnovsky
Diana Ewing as Kathy Ferris
Lara Parker as Wanda Elliott
John Lehne as Tucker Tallford
Alan Oppenheimer as Simon Cappell
Nicholas Pryor as Hank Ferris
Frank Marth as Lawrence Allison
Thayer David as Elmer Morse
George Gaynes as Brewster Perry
Linden Chiles as Jack Atherton
Skip Homeier as Lars Haglund
John Randolph as Bennett Lowman
Bonnie Bartlett as Joan Bailey
The fictional story is loosely based on John Ehrlichman’s 1976 book The Company, a novel inspired by the author’s tenure as a top aide in the Nixon administration.