In November 1974, CBS announced the series would replace Planet of the Apes starting in February 1975, with Khigh Dhiegh filling the lead role.

[1] Khan was billed as a "wily Asian private investigator"[2] who blended modern skills and technology (with help from his daughter and son) with his culture's innate wisdom.

and the 1974 TV movie Judge Dee in the Monastery drew criticism from Chinese American groups who felt that Dhiegh, whose real name was Kenneth Dickerson,[6] was miscast in the role of a Chinese-American detective.

[8] Dhiegh, who was better known for portraying villains, was described as "only slightly Oriental" in a contemporary article, adding that "my mother was Chinese, Egyptian and Spanish; my father, Italian, Puerto Rican and Zulu.

[10] In a review published in the New York Daily News, Khan's detective skills are compared unfavorably to Charlie Chan's, noting the first case "gets solved despite him."

"[11] Jay Sharbutt added the "plot [of the premiere episode] is so tiny it belongs in a fortune cookie" and said Dhiegh "[exudes] no signs of life.

"[13] Frank Swertlow, writing for United Press International, called the show "chop phooey" and singled out Dhiegh's performance, comparing him to "a windup buddha doll suffering from terminal constipation ... [reciting] his lines like a telegram.

"[14][15] In John J. O'Connor's review for The New York Times, he called the script "an abomination" and added "the acting is dreadful [and] the production is stultifying", concluding that as the show was produced by the CBS Television Network, an antitrust suit had significant merit.