Page "The Prisoner" Paragraph 11

McGoohan had originally only wanted to produce seven episodes of The Prisoner, but Grade argued that more shows were necessary in order for him to successfully sell the series to CBS.

The exact number that was agreed to, along with how the series ended, is disputed by different sources.

In an August 1967 article, Dorothy Manners reported that CBS had asked McGoohan to produce 36 segments, but that he would only agree to produce 17.

According to a 1977 interview, Grade requested 26 episodes, which McGoohan thought would spread the show too thin, but was able to come up with 17 episodes.

According to The Prisoner: The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series, however, the series was originally supposed to run longer, but was canceled, forcing McGoohan to write the final episode in only a few days.