I don't think it was so much just the violence or the amoral character that caused the uproar but that it was a Fabian, a clean cut teen idol who was portraying the character. Anyone who has watched TV over the decades expects Nehemiah Persoff to be playing a repulsive character! If he didn't...
You're right, they could have called it anything. It was an anthology with the regulars very incidental to the storylines. Which in my view was what made the show so great. Each week was a completely different story and guest cast, unlike shows where every plot has to revolve around the regular...
Both excellent shows. Governor and JJ. Leonard Stern produced it. Among his other work was The Honeymooners original 39, Get Smart and the great He and She. Won the Golden Globe for best comedy of the 1969-70 season. The funny thing about it is I never saw it until the early 80s when I got into...