A Killing Affair (also known as Behind the Badge) is a 1977 American made-for-television crime drama film starring Elizabeth Montgomery and O. J. Simpson. The film originally aired on CBS on September 21, 1977.

Plot

Elizabeth Montgomery and O. J. Simpson star as homicide detectives pursuing a killer played by Dean Stockwell. While working on the case, the partners begin having a heated romantic affair.

Cast

Actor	Role
Elizabeth Montgomery	Vikki Eaton
O. J. Simpson	Woodrow York
Rosalind Cash	Beverly York
John Mahon	Det. Shoup
Priscilla Pointer	Judge Cudahy
Allan Rich	Capt. Bullis
Charles Robinson	Buck Fryman
John P. Ryan	Flagler
Dean Stockwell	Kenneth Switzer
Dolph Sweet	Lt. Scotty Neilson
Todd Bridges	Todd York
Fred Stuthman	Lukens Switzer
John Steadman	Cooks
Michael Durrell	Cabrillo
Stephen Parr	Sgt. Boyle

Reception

A Killing Affair received generally positive reviews, with particular praise for O. J. Simpson. People called it Simpson s best dramatic performance to date. John J. O Connor of the New York Times wrote,

A Killing Affair is an odd mixture of cliché and quietly powerful statements and perceptions. With David Gerber as executive producer, it has the invaluable asset of a first-rate production. Mr. Simpson tends to settle into an acting monotone, but his personality is so basically attractive that he is able to get maximum results with minimum effort. Miss Montgomery accomplishes the difficult task of transforming a somewhat hardened and cynical professional into a vulnerable but unsentimental human being. And Rosalind Cash is superb as Mrs. York, uncompromising in her portrait of a loving woman being forced into the role of a shrew. Everything works out for the best in the end, of course, but even the resolution is acceptable and quite moving.

A Killing Affair received a 29% Nielsen rating, finishing second to Charlie s Angels in its time slot.

There was relatively little controversy generated by the interracial romance between the protagonists. Montgomery and Simpson did not receive any significant hate mail, though one Southern CBS affiliate did receive a bomb threat after the film aired.

Year	1977
ReleaseDate	1977-09-21
RuntimeMins	100
RuntimeStr	1h 40min
Plot	A white female detective is partnered with a black male detective to find the person who is committing a series of particularly vicious murders. During the course of the investigation the two begin to develop an attraction to each…
Awards	Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy, 2 nominations total
Directors	Richard C. Sarafian
Writers	E. Arthur Kean
Stars	Elizabeth Montgomery, O.J. Simpson, Rosalind Cash
Produced by	Audrey A. Blasdel,James H. Brown,David Gerber
Music by	Richard Shores
Cinematography by	Al Francis
Film Editing by	Ken Zemke
Casting By	Sally Powers
Art Direction by	Ross Bellah,Robert Peterson
Set Decoration by	Richard C. Goddard
Makeup Department	Ben Lane
Production Management	Harry F. Hogan
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Harry F. Hogan
Sound Department	Doug Grindstaff,Don Isaacs
Special Effects by	Bill Clove
Camera and Electrical Department	Ron Francis
Casting Department	Al Onorato
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Grady Hunt
Location Management	Buck Edwards
Music Department	Sam E. Levin
Script and Continuity Department	Larry K. Johnson
Genres	Crime, Drama
Companies	Columbia Pictures Television, David Gerber Productions
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	Not Rated
ImDbRating	6.2
ImDbRatingVotes	100
Keywords	interracial romance,detective,sexual attraction,racist,extramarital affair