A Shot in the Dark (1964 film) as Burt Kwouk as his stalwart man servant Cato and André Maranne as François, all of whom would become series regulars. Elke Sommer portrays the murder suspect, Maria Gambrelli. The character of Gambrelli would return in "Son of the Pink Panther" (1993), this time played by Claudia Cardinale, who appeared as Princess Dala in "The Pink Panther" (1963). Graham Stark, who portrays police officer Hercule Lajoy, would reprise this role eighteen years later, in "Trail of the Pink Panther" (1982). The film was not originally written to include Clouseau, but was an adaptation of a stage play by Harry Kurnitz
A Shot in the Dark (Homicide: Life on the Street) the CBS news magazine series "60 Minutes" ranking number one with 22.8 million household viewers. This marked a continued downward trend in "Homicide" viewership since the series debuted. "A Shot in the Dark" particularly suffered in the ratings because it aired at the same time as the 35th Grammy Awards ceremony on CBS. Nancy Nall of "The News-Sentinel" praised the episode as "fabulous". She especially complimented the performance of Richard Belzer, and said watching him sing "Mack the Knife" in karaoke was "a transcendent experience". "Son of a Gun" and the rest of the first and second season episodes were