The White Shadow (TV series)

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The White Shadow
DVD cover for the first season
Genre	Drama, basketball, school
Created by	Bruce Paltrow
Written by	David Assael Steven Bochco Joshua Brand Tom Chehak John Falsey Steve Kline Gary Kott John Masius Bruce Paltrow Marc Rubin
Directed by	Thomas Carter Jackie Cooper Lawrence Levy Victor Lobl Marc Norman Bruce Paltrow Mark Tinker Virgil W. Vogel
Starring	Ken Howard
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	54 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Bruce Paltrow
Producer	Mark Tinker
Running time	48 minutes
Production companies	Company Four MTM Enterprises
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	November 27, 1978 (1978-11-27) – March 16, 1981 (1981-03-16)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The White Shadow is an American drama television series starring Ken Howard that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981, about a white former professional basketball player who takes a job coaching basketball at an impoverished urban high school with a racially mixed basketball team. Although the lead actor Howard was white, the series broke new ground as the first television ensemble drama to feature a mostly African American cast, with African American actors playing the high school principal and vice-principal, the majority of the teenage basketball players, and other supporting roles. The White Shadow also dealt with controversial subject matter such as sexually transmitted disease and gay sexual orientation among high school students.

Although The White Shadow was not a big ratings hit, it drew praise from critics and helped pave the way for later realistic dramas such as Hill Street Blues and My So-Called Life. It was the first series developed by executive producer Bruce Paltrow, who went on to create and produce the medical drama St. Elsewhere. The show also made popular TV stars of both Howard and Kevin Hooks, who portrayed high school basketball player Morris Thorpe. In the years since its cancellation, a number of journalists have praised the show and in some cases recalled being fans of the show as children or teenagers. In particular, sports columnist Bill Simmons has written about the show's strong influence on his life.