<P> The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy - fiction television series produced by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC . It follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret international counter-espionage and law - enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. The series premiered on September 22, 1964, completing its run on January 15, 1968 . The series led the spy - fiction craze on television, and by 1966 there were nearly a dozen imitators . Several episodes were successfully released to theaters as B movies or double features . There was also a spin - off series, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., novel and comic book series, and merchandising . </P> <P> With few recurring characters, the series attracted a large number of high - profile guest stars . Props from the series are exhibited at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the museums of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other US intelligence agencies . The series won the Golden Globe Award for Best TV Show in 1966 . </P> <P> Originally, co-creator Sam Rolfe wanted to leave the meaning of U.N.C.L.E. ambiguous so it could refer to either "Uncle Sam" or the United Nations . Concerns by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer's (MGM) legal department about using "U.N." for commercial purposes resulted in the producers' clarification that U.N.C.L.E. was an acronym for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement . Each episode had an "acknowledgement" to the U.N.C.L.E. in the end titles . </P> <P> The series consists of 105 episodes originally broadcast between 1964 and 1968 . It was produced by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer (MGM) and Arena productions . The first season was produced in black and white . </P>

What does uncle stand for in the show man from uncle